Salesman (1969)

Salesman is a 1969 direct cinema documentary film, directed by brothers Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, about door-to-door Bible salesmen.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) As documentary filmmakers, Albert and David Maysles gravitated toward the fringes of society for their "cinema direct: nothing between us and the subject." which was a unique contrast to the cinema verite movement taking place at the time.
 * 2) Incredible, and breathtakingly smooth camera work.
 * 3) This film focuses on a waning American phenomenon: the door-to-door salesman; specifically, four representatives of the Mid-American Bible Company (played Paul Brennan, Charles McDevitt, James Baker and Raymond Martos). The Maysles brothers had both worked as door-to-door salesmen, which gave them the basis for the documentary.
 * 4) The duo tries to paint the salesman as a tragic figure, while also hoping the content would be photogenic and compelling, rather than informative or explanatory. (It got to the point where they avoided shooting an encounter because they found the housewife uninteresting) It goes beyond superficiality with compassion by showing that "the salesmen are no less vulnerable than their customers."
 * 5) * Charlotte Zwerin helped shape the material, constructing scenes from snippets and building a plot that turned the salesman's work into a game or battle. The contest structure and suggestion of winners and losers is the main reason mainstream viewers were attracted to the film, even though it had no overview like traditional documentaries or newsreels, and nothing to show or teach except a pervasive discontent with society.
 * 6) * Paul Brennan in particular receives a massive amount of focus as he was a middle-aged sales veteran undergoing a crisis of faith who fulfilled the brothers' vision of a doomed character. He does a great performance as "The Badger" as he reflects on his career choice with the refrain of the pop tune "Is That All There Is?"
 * 7) The four representatives were followed through two stretches -- outside of Boston and in Florida. The Boston scenes capture the weary monotony of a New England winter: snow, slush, cinderblock motel rooms, block after block of row houses. But the Florida scenes on the other hand comes as a relief of sorts, until the salesmen try to navigate the faux Middle-Eastern streets of Opa-Locka. Halfway through the film, the salesmen attend a conference in Chicago, where pep talks alternate with threats of firings.

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) Some of the filmed scenes may be a bit disturbing to various people. In fact, the directors themselves would admit they were uncomfortable during various scenes they filmed saying it was "just on the order side of the border" of what was morally acceptable. In particular, there's a scene were Brennan's seen pressuring a housewife into paying off a contract, telling her that her husband already signed it.

The Film
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