Many people say that the play "Death of a Salesman" in the movie "The Salesman" has nothing to do with the plot of the movie. But in fact, the male protagonist Emad is the double incarnation of a salesman. As a drama actor in his spare time, he is naturally a "salesman" in stage plays, and as a teacher in his daily work, he is also a salesman. It’s just that it’s not commodities, but knowledge—knowledge from the West, especially “new knowledge” that is widely recognized by Iranian intellectuals and is different from the traditional Iranian social value system. From this point of view, the arrangement of the play title is straightforward and appropriate. Similarly, the arrangement of the play "Death of a Salesman" is also ingenious, appropriate and reasonable.
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But the look and feel of this film makes people feel very subtle. Although the story is very strong, it is very weak after watching it, and it cannot immediately make people feel the expression of the film. The psychological change curve of the male and female protagonists is also slightly abrupt. The setting traces are a bit heavy. However, some small designs are really impressive. For example, when the male protagonist was in class, the fat student asked "why did BMW become a BMV when it arrived in Iran (maybe because of the subtitles, but it does not affect the analysis)", the male protagonist replied that he did not know, Perhaps here is a hint: the products of one civilization will inevitably change when they reach the soil of another civilization, and sometimes even deteriorate. There is also a stage play rehearsal, the actress who plays the prostitute in the play cannot completely follow the nude setting in the script, but wears a bright red and neat suit to appear. Such self-deception makes the other actor unable to control It's a joke, and here is the suspicion that the ideas of Western civilization that Iranian intellectuals think they have learned may just be lingering in their minds in a compromising way.
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After carefully reviewing these details, after pondering for two days, I still have to admire the subtlety of the movie. "Death of a Salesman" is a work that most people are familiar with. The name of the film omits the word "death", but the film depicts two deaths, one before the climax of the film, which is in the play Climax - The salesman's suicide; the other after the film's climax is a self-suffering heart attack as the elderly attacker leaves.
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These two deaths, one corresponds to the ideal, which happened on the stage, and the other corresponds to the reality, which happened in life. The male protagonist represents a new generation of intellectuals in Iran, who are open-minded, enlightened, and free, and draw a line from traditional Iranian society. When he sells ideas and knowledge, he is just like the salesman in "Death of a Salesman". Believe in your ability and believe in the possibility of the "American Dream". However, both the male lead and the suicidal salesman overestimate their abilities. When the heroine is attacked and ambiguous, the hero firmly believes that she has been sexually assaulted, so he is no longer peaceful (angry at the student), feels disgusting (will not eat the spaghetti bought with the money left by the attacker), feels Shame (annoyed by gossip about the attack), wanting revenge (seeking the attacker behind his back). And these attitudes stem from the male-dominated thoughts that have been criticized and questioned. Of course, there are good parts, but the extreme ones occupy a large part.
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At the end of the film, the male protagonist invites people from both families to the old house. At this time, we see in the camera that the glass beside the male protagonist is broken. This is the medium through which he sees the world is broken. He thought he already had the so-called superior Western spirit and values, but he didn't realize how fragile they were in his soul and how fragile they were in the values of traditional society. The Iranian intellectuals represented by the hero had fantasized about using Western civilization to solve all problems in Iran, and the hero's final performance heralded the collapse of this ideal.
Aged attackers with white hair, cuddling with their wives, caring for their daughters, working hard, are typical examples of high-quality men in Iranian society, they require women to wear headscarves, pay attention to Islamic taboos, and take care of women, which are traditional values The perfect picture of reality promised to the world.
However, the secret dealings with prostitutes exposed the filth and unbearableness behind this picture. On the one hand, it is the standard of chastity of righteous words, and on the other hand, it is the behavior of violating the promise of active participation. A clever detail is designed in the movie. The attacker gave the prostitute's child a stroller. Such an elder's care for women and children formed a strong collision with the inconsistent behavior of prostitutes. Moreover, at the end of his defense to the male protagonist, he had to justify himself with such a stroller. His final self-blame and shame killed himself and made this promised perfect world begin to collapse.
At the end of the film, the turban that the old woman had to wrap before entering the door, the condoms and prostitution money in the plastic bag, all symbolize the tearing of society. Like the whole building that is about to collapse, those deep cracks are everywhere. .
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These two deaths follow one after another, and they are intertextualized. They just want to explain the collision between the new and the old. There is never a final decision, and it is not achieved overnight. Some are endless oppositions and unconscious fusions.
The male protagonist to the children, people become cows, slowly become.
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The movie is very serious, and the feeling of powerlessness is an inevitable after-view, because in the end, no one party won the real victory. If there is, it is love. The movie still leaves us with warmth. The male protagonist's hatred and anger are all because of the premise of love. The final forgiveness and letting go are also for the purpose of love. The assailant's death is also because of his love for his wife and children.
With such a premise and purpose, perhaps our criticism and blame can be softer.
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