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Biblioteques De L'hospitalet BIBLIOTECA TECLA SALA April 16, 2020 All My Sons Arthur Miller « The success of a play, especially one's first success, is somewhat like pushing against a door which suddenly opens from the other side. One may fall on one's face or not, but certainly a new room is opened that was always securely shut until then. For myself, the experience was invigorating. It made it possible to dream of daring more and risking more. The audience sat in silence before the unwinding of All My Sons and gasped when they should have, and I tasted that power which is reserved, I imagine, for Contents: playwrights, which is to know that by one's invention Introduction 1 a mass of strangers has been publicly transfixed. Author biography 2-3 Arthur Miller All My Sons - 4 Introduction & Context All My Sons - 5-6 » Themes Notes 7 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_My_Sons] Page 2 Author biography Arthur Miller is considered Street Crash of 1929, and had to Willy Loman, an aging Brooklyn one of the greatest American move from Manhattan to salesman whose career is in playwrights of the 20th Flatbush, Brooklyn. After decline and who finds the values century. His best-known plays graduating high school, Miller that he so doggedly pursued have include 'All My Sons,' 'The worked a few odd jobs to save become his undoing. Crucible' and the Pulitzer enough money to attend the Prize-winning 'Death of a University of Michigan. While in Salesman won Miller the highest Salesman.' college, he wrote for the student accolades in the theater world: paper and completed his first the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Who Was Arthur Miller? play, No Villain, for which he won Drama Critics' Circle Award and the school's Avery Hopwood the Tony for Best Play. (The Playwright Arthur Miller attended work, in fact, swept all of the six the University of Michigan before Award. He also took courses with playwright and professor Tony categories in which it was moving back East to write dramas Kenneth Rowe. Inspired by nominated, including for Best for the stage. He earned Direction and Best Author.) widespread praise for Death of a Rowe's approach, Miller moved Salesman, which opened on back East to begin his career as a Marriage to Marilyn Monroe playwright. Broadway in 1949 and won the Pulitzer Prize along with multiple In 1956, Miller divorced his first Early Career & 'Death of a wife, Mary Slattery, his former Tonys. He received more acclaim Salesman' for his award-winning follow- college sweetheart with whom up, The Crucible, which Miller's career got off to a rocky he had two children, Jane Ellen reflected his unwavering refusal to start. His 1944 Broadway and Robert. Less than a month cooperate with the House Un- debut, The Man Who Had All the later, Miller married actress and American Activities Committee. Luck, garnered a fate that was the Hollywood sex symbol Marilyn Miller's public life was painted in antithesis of its title, closing after Monroe, whom he'd first met in part by his rocky marriage to just four performances with a 1951 at a Hollywood party. At Hollywood sex symbol Marilyn stack of woeful reviews. Focus, the time, Monroe was Monroe. The playwright died in Miller's novel about anti- dating Kazan, who had directed 2005 at the age of 89, leaving a Semitism, was published a year Miller's All My Sons and Death of a body of work that continues to be later. His next play, All My Salesman. When Kazan asked re-staged internationally and Sons, was a hit in 1947, running Miller to keep Monroe company adapted for the screen. for almost a full year on while he dated another actress, Broadway and earning Miller his Miller and Monroe struck up a Early Life and Education first Tony Award for Best friendship that turned into a Author. romance. Author Norman Miller was born in Harlem, New Mailer called their marriage the York, on October 17, 1915, to an Working in a small studio that he union of "the Great American immigrant family of Polish and built in Roxbury, Connecticut, Brain" and "the Great American Jewish descent. His father, Isidore, Miller wrote the first act of Death Body." owned a successful coat of Salesman in less than a day. manufacturing business, and his The play, directed by Elia Kazan, 'The Crucible' & mother, Augusta, to whom he was opened on February 10, 1949, at McCarthyism closer, was an educator and an the Morosco Theatre, and was Later in 1956, the House Un- avid reader of novels. adored by nearly everyone, American Activities Committee The affluent Miller family lost becoming an iconic stage work. (HUAC) refused to renew almost everything in the Wall The drama follows the travails of Miller's passport, and called him Page 3 to appear before the committee. created as they are in any other and personal issues that probed His 1953 play, the Tony Award- play in order to develop a the American psyche, though winning The Crucible, a coherent theme, which in this critical and commercial dramatization of the Salem witch case concerns the nature of responses to the work didn't trials of 1692 and an allegory human insight, of self- garner the acclaim of his earlier about McCarthyism, was destructiveness and violence productions. believed to be one of the toward others.'' Miller's plays have become reasons why Miller came under In 1962, Miller married Austrian American classics that continue the committee's scrutiny. Miller -born photographer Inge to speak to new generations of refused to comply with the Morath. The couple had two audiences. Death of a committee's demands to "out" children, Rebecca and Daniel. Salesman has had numerous people who had been active in Miller insisted that their son, screen adaptations, including a certain political activities and Daniel, who was born with 1985 TV version that starred was thus cited in contempt of Down syndrome, be excluded Dustin Hoffman, who also Congress. The contempt ruling from the family's personal life. starred in the previous year's was overturned two years later. The infant was institutionalized, Broadway revival. In 1996, a film Divorce and Marilyn's Death and Morath reportedly tried to adaptation of The Crucible hit bring him home as a toddler but theaters, starring Winona Miller and Monroe were married to no avail. Ryder, Joan Allen and Day-Lewis. for five years, during which time Miller penned the screenplay, the tragic sex symbol struggled Years later, actor Daniel Day- which earned him the sole with personal troubles and drug Lewis who married Miller's Academy Award nomination of addiction. Miller barely wrote daughter Rebecca, visited his his career. during their marriage, except for wife's brother frequently. Day- penning the screenplay of The Lewis eventually persuaded Death of a Playwright Misfits as a gift for Monroe. Miller to make further contact In 2002, Miller's third wife, The 1961 film, directed by John with his adult son, who had Morath, died. He soon was Huston, starred Monroe, Clark been able to establish a happy engaged to 34-year-old Gable and Montgomery Clift. life with outside support. minimalist painter Agnes Barley Around the same time Daniel's existence was unknown but fell into ill health before they as The Misfits release, Monroe to most of the public until after could walk down the aisle. On and Miller divorced. Miller's death. February 10, 2005, the 56th Monroe died the following year, Other Works anniversary of Death of a and Miller's controversial 1964 Salesman's Broadway debut, Miller's other plays include A drama After the Fall was believed Miller died of heart failure at his View From the to have been partially inspired by home in Roxbury, Connecticut, Bridge (1955), Incident at their relationship. Miller was surrounded by Barley, family and Vichy (1964), The criticized for capitalizing on his friends. He was 89 years old. Price (1968), The Creation of the marriage to Monroe so soon World and Other [https://www.biography.com/ after her death, although the Business (1972), The American writer/arthur-miller] playwright denied this. Miller Clock (1980) and Broken responded to his critics by Glass (1994). saying: ''The play is a work of fiction. No one is reported in In his later career, Miller this play. The characters are continued to explore societal Page 4 All My Sons - Introduction & Context When the young theater that stresses the 1947, the first night's notices playwright Arthur Miller began influence of the past on the were mixed--with the crucial writing All My Sons, he was present. exception of the New York Times, embarking on a project that whose Brooks Atkinson admired When the play was finished after would be either the beginning or Miller as a genuine new talent. five years of work, Miller asked the end of his career. His first As usual, the Times review his agent to send it to the and only play to be produced on swayed all the others, and All My director Elia Kazan. A former Broadway, The Man Who Had All Sons ran for 328 performances member of the Communist the Luck, was an unmitigated (quite respectable at that time) Party, Kazan had directed failure, lasting only four and won the New York Drama Williams's The Glass Menagerie, performances. A practical man Critics' Circle award for best and he would later direct the who had lived through the play of 1947, beating out Eugene genre-redefining A Streetcar depression, Miller decided to give O'Neill's The Iceman Named Desire and Death of a himself one more chance.
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