After watching The Testament of Dr. Mabuse last year, my movie watching companion told me this anecdote from Arthur Miller's autobiography, about his inspiration for the naming of the main character in Death of a Salesman:
"He explained that the origin of the name Loman was derived from a character called "Lohmann" in the Fritz Lang film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. "In later years I found it discouraging to observe the confidence with which some commentators on Death of a Salesman smirked at the heavy-handed symbolism of 'Low-man,'" Miller wrote. "What the name really meant to me was a terror-stricken man calling into the void for help that will never come.""
The moment occurs about halfway through this clip, when the lights go out and Hofmeister is left crying out 'Lohman' to the dark:
I thought of Miller's comment when I came across this video of Montreal's Farine Five Roses sign:
"He explained that the origin of the name Loman was derived from a character called "Lohmann" in the Fritz Lang film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. "In later years I found it discouraging to observe the confidence with which some commentators on Death of a Salesman smirked at the heavy-handed symbolism of 'Low-man,'" Miller wrote. "What the name really meant to me was a terror-stricken man calling into the void for help that will never come.""
The moment occurs about halfway through this clip, when the lights go out and Hofmeister is left crying out 'Lohman' to the dark:
I thought of Miller's comment when I came across this video of Montreal's Farine Five Roses sign:
At one point I know the days were numbered for this now irrelevant, but still iconic, neon sign. It is still there so I hope that time has passed. It is possibly my favourite thing in Montreal.
More Farine Five Roses Here.
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