Salesman (1969)

The classic cinema verite documentary by the talented Maysles brothers is very influential in its technical aspects. The editing is very well done and important, and it should be studied in film schools for that same reason! Not only is it great on a technical level, but it has a fascinating subject, as well, and the film is painfully sad, as well as humorous. While a great film, scenes sometimes go on a bit too long, and ,at times, the film is quite boring. However, it is still very worthwhile and very important, therefore, I highly recommend it to fans of, not only documentary films, but films in general. The film was chosen by the National Film Registry as a historically important film, and I can clearly see why! It is a beautiful film full of emotion, although flawed.

The camera follows four Bible salesmen as they follow up on names of Catholic parishioners in Boston and then Florida.I can understand that the documentary is not for all tastes. There's really no narrative, while we know next to nothing about the four principals. Yet, the results, to me at least, are fascinating, if not entertaining. The four Bible salesmen are a harried crew, near the bottom of a commercial food chain. Pressure to sell goes from ownership to management to salesmen, and finally to prospective customers to buy. And throughout, the camera never wavers, at times lingering over a face in rather enigmatic fashion. Nor do the subjects ever acknowledge camera's presence-- quite a cinematic accomplishment. Importantly, these are ordinary faces, certainly not the Hollywood variety.To me, the most interesting part are the working class customers. They can barely pay the bills they already have, let alone fork over an extra dollar a week. I'm guessing Badger's burnout comes from years of hustling people who should not be hustled. Of course, the pitch revolves around having a Bible with illustrations that will confirm a Catholic's faith and enrich their lives. I'm supposing the salesmen have to believe that at some level, otherwise how could they continue to pressure poor people to buy. And catch the ride by the ritzy Miami Beach hotels, right before the guys start knocking on wear-worn doors.Overall, this is quite a remarkable 85-minutes, like nothing else I've seen. I'm not sure what to make of the result, that is, whether there's an intended point beyond the momentary. But either way, the unvarnished glimpses the film provides are definitely memorable.

"Salesman" documents the activities of Bible salesmen as they go on the road to sell their wares to "leads" garnered from Catholic churches. It's a tough life, especially when many prospects cannot afford the cost of these illustrated Bibles.It is difficult not to compare this film to Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross". It details the hardships and humiliations of men who earn their egos through sales. Anyone who has ever sold a product door to door can relate to this film.The transparent sales techniques. The smug sales aphorisms. The roller-coaster ride from day to day. It is all there. It is easy to draw conclusions or morals from this documentary. The most obvious refers to the soul-sucking depression that comes from spending your life doing something you do not enjoy or believe in.As a time capsule of life in the late 60s, the film is enjoyable. Seeing everyone smoking cigarettes nonstop, for example, is a reminder of how things have changed.

A 1969 documentary about a group of salesman selling bibles to the masses. It's probably most interesting because you see how people lived and worked 40 years ago. The salesmen themselves are interesting but so are the people they meet. Of course they use every trick in their book to sell their bibles ("Did I tell you I'm an Irish catholic?"). Very interesting to see how these men worked in a job which is now very much gone. Alone on the road they share their misery and failings with their fellow salesmen who yawn and offer some half-hearted advice.Salesman is a real version Glengary Glen Ross 25 years before that movie was made. What we have here is a time capsule of 1969. The decorations in the homes, the clothing, the cars, the way they talk, it's all pretty dated by today's standards. But it's interesting to see how people lived in 1969.