Death of A Salesman

             Death of a Salesman, The Inside Look.
             The film Death of A Salesman is directed by Volker Schlondorff, 1986.Death of a Salesman can be perceived as a drama of the common man being defeated by society. The story is told partly through the mind and memory of Willy Loman. The structure of the film emphasizes the difference between illusion and reality, as well as giving the audience a deeper understanding into the meaning of the story, by way of lighting, colors and shape patterns. I will use these three codes to divulge deeper into what you get from the film experience of Death of a Salesman. .
             I see the story below the surface of Death of a Salesman, as the ongoing struggle to conquer the American dream, fame, fortune and family. In reality Willy Loman just wanted to be happy, but because of his twisted beliefs that success only comes to those who are "attractive" and "well-liked", he never took the right path towards the goal of his dreams. .
             The film begins with Willy driving his car apparently exhausted, returning home early from a sales trip. The use of light plays a big part on how certain scenes are perceived. In this scene all you see is darkness and two small beams of light. As the scene fades in, the light increases and the picture gradually appears, you begin to see Willy's face as well as the car he is driving, by the harsh shafts of light from the other cars headlights .
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             on the road. This shows high contrast, the harsh light contrasts with the streaks of black from the darkness, which represents troubling thoughts. We later understand this to be because Willy nearly hit a boy on his sales trip into Yonkers, which shook him up so much he had to return home.
             The Loman family home is located in Brooklyn, NY which is where the majority of the film takes place. In the past the neighborhood was away from all the hustle of New York City.