list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Salesman on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Salesman/90688/default.aspx Title: Salesman
Year: 1969
Director: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Mitchell Zwerin
Plot: One of the most well respected of the cinema verite documentaries of the 1960's, this non-fiction film follows a group of real-life Bible salesmen for the Mid-American Bible Company as they ply their wares. The central figure in the film is Irish-American Paul Brennan, a 56-year-old of great wit who traipses door to door in an effort to sell the good book to Catholic housewives who really can't afford to buy but don't want to appear rude to a Church-sanctioned representative. The documentary, a collaboration by the Maysles brothers, also follows Brennan as he shares war stories with fellow Bible peddlers and attends management and sales meetings. The Maysles' next film was their classic documentary of the Rolling Stones fateful 1969 tour, Gimme Shelter (1970). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 2
Number of Lists: 9
Number of blog posts: 2
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:27:03 GMTSalesman1969Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Mitchell ZwerinOne of the most well respected of the cinema verite documentaries of the 1960's, this non-fiction film follows a group of real-life Bible salesmen for the Mid-American Bible Company as they ply their wares. The central figure in the film is Irish-American Paul Brennan, a 56-year-old of great wit who traipses door to door in an effort to sell the good book to Catholic housewives who really can't afford to buy but don't want to appear rude to a Church-sanctioned representative. The documentary, a collaboration by the Maysles brothers, also follows Brennan as he shares war stories with fellow Bible peddlers and attends management and sales meetings. The Maysles' next film was their classic documentary of the Rolling Stones fateful 1969 tour, Gimme Shelter (1970). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide2Slightly Tagged (1-5)9214http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t131475yolr.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Salesman/90688/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2009/9/9/43831.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 9/9/2009 1:54:26 PM
Body: This is the first film I've seen by directors Albert and David Maysles Salesman One of my girlfriend's favorite movies, and I've been told since film school that this is a seminal movie of cinéma vérité in the US. Although the Maysles brothers argue in an interview on the Criterion Collection DVD special features what they do is not cinéma vérité but rather direct cinema. I still cannot really figure out what the difference is. It's an interesting glimpse into some private situations, although for anyone who has ever been pestered by a door to door salesmen, I don't think any of the scenes would be much of a major revelation. Of course we don't normally get to see what the lives of these guys are like once they leave the house, but I feel like I sort of had an idea before watching this. Maybe because like a lot of people when they were teenagers or looking for little jobs in the first years of college, I got roped into some forms of employment that were basically crap door to door sales jobs like this. I'd seen the people involved who had been in it a while. It's a sad and frustrating thing for everyone involved. Rating: 8/10
]]>Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:54:26 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog9/9/2009 1:54:26 PMThis is the first film I've seen by directors Albert and David Maysles Salesman One of my girlfriend's favorite movies, and I've been told since film school that this is a seminal movie of cinéma vérité in the US. Although the Maysles brothers argue in an interview on the Criterion Collection DVD special features what they do is not cinéma vérité but rather direct cinema. I still cannot really figure out what the difference is. It's an interesting glimpse into some private situations, although for anyone who has ever been pestered by a door to door salesmen, I don't think any of the scenes would be much of a major revelation. Of course we don't normally get to see what the lives of these guys are like once they leave the house, but I feel like I sort of had an idea before watching this. Maybe because like a lot of people when they were teenagers or looking for little jobs in the first years of college, I got roped into some forms of employment that were basically crap door to door sales jobs like this. I'd seen the people involved who had been in it a while. It's a sad and frustrating thing for everyone involved. Rating: 8/10 http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2009/8/13/43508.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 8/13/2009 1:42:01 PM
Body: This is the third feature length film I've seen by directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky working as team. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing. Brother's Keeper The two other films I've seen by Joe and Bruce are the first and second Paradise Lost films. In a way, the story of those films are the same in that they are both about an ambiguous murder trial. But in many ways they are opposites within that context. Both take place in kind of rural areas, but in one the locals band together to support the accused where as in the other most locals have turned against the accused. In one the accused is rather old, and in the other they are quite young. There are too many interesting similarities and polar opposites to go through the list, but the point is that these directors know how to find these interesting cases and document them in a way that seems true but also narratively involving. I think there area lot of mixed feelings about these filmmakers in the documentary world. Their style is a bit different from some of the other stuff that has been seen. They were able to get access to a small group of people living much of their lives in much privacy and seclusion. This is a fascinating thing to see. It's both a regional story and a courtroom drama, both of which I find appealing. And it was made at a time that was still before cameras and reality TV had become so present in society that it was hard to capture people in real life without them altering their behavior for the camera. If you do too, then don't miss out on this one! Interesting fact: This was the #1 movie on Ethan Coen's list top five favorite movies of all time. The list also included Salesman by the Maysles brothers who Joe and Bruce had worked with before and met each other through their production company. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky:Total feature length films seen: 3Previous average film score: 9New average film score: 9 Rating: 9/10
]]>Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:42:01 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog8/13/2009 1:42:01 PMThis is the third feature length film I've seen by directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky working as team. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing. Brother's Keeper The two other films I've seen by Joe and Bruce are the first and second Paradise Lost films. In a way, the story of those films are the same in that they are both about an ambiguous murder trial. But in many ways they are opposites within that context. Both take place in kind of rural areas, but in one the locals band together to support the accused where as in the other most locals have turned against the accused. In one the accused is rather old, and in the other they are quite young. There are too many interesting similarities and polar opposites to go through the list, but the point is that these directors know how to find these interesting cases and document them in a way that seems true but also narratively involving. I think there area lot of mixed feelings about these filmmakers in the documentary world. Their style is a bit different from some of the other stuff that has been seen. They were able to get access to a small group of people living much of their lives in much privacy and seclusion. This is a fascinating thing to see. It's both a regional story and a courtroom drama, both of which I find appealing. And it was made at a time that was still before cameras and reality TV had become so present in society that it was hard to capture people in real life without them altering their behavior for the camera. If you do too, then don't miss out on this one! Interesting fact: This was the #1 movie on Ethan Coen's list top five favorite movies of all time. The list also included Salesman by the Maysles brothers who Joe and Bruce had worked with before and met each other through their production company. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky:Total feature length films seen: 3Previous average film score: 9New average film score: 9 Rating: 9/10 http://www.spout.com/blogs/erico_77375/archive/2007/7/22/15552.aspx Post By: erico_77375
Post To: erico_77375 Blog
Post Date: 7/22/2007 6:56:20 AM
Body: A man in his late 40s tells a woman ten years younger than she is about a new illustrated version of the bible that he would like to sell to her. His hands are racked with arthritis. His nickname is The Badger, perhaps because his hair looks like one or because that's what he's doing with this customer. His name is Paul Brennen, the main subject in Albert and David Masles' documentary, Salesman.Salesman isn't just a movie about Brennen, but about America in many respects. Along with three other Boston-natives The Gipper, The Rabbit and The Bull, Brennen sold bible to Catholic households with information given to them by the local churches. They handle many different types of customers in different climates up and down the continental United States. These four men travel together for camaraderie, but also to beat down the pressures that come with the job (all four are avid chain-smokers). Between the pitches, each carries onto the dream of greater wealth, a dream encouraged falsely by the company they work for. We go to the sales meetings, which hold more despair than the pep they're designed to bring.In the middle of this is Brennen, who starts off thinking he's just having a dry run of luck. But as the others keep seeing success while he's still falling deeper into decline. His life on the road has isolated him from his wife, where the only conversation we hear between them is distant and sterile. The company lines make it clear that this product sells itself and that if you're not selling, there's only you to blame. And as the days keep going by, Paul's desperation reaches deeper levels of unprofessionalism as he goes from lying to customers to selling more aggressively than should be allowed.Salesman sees a country at the beginning of a slide into commercialism and mass consumption. It shows us a real world where men will sell you your religion on a payment plan (I'd hate see someone come repo a bible). There's a dark humor in all of this, the professional way this company tries to encourage it's salesmen to pitch and sell "the world's best-seller of all time", while motivational speakers make these road-weary agents the equivalent of Jesus Christ. For directors Albert and David Maysles with editor and co-director Charlotte Zwerin, this is a crowning achievement in documentary filmmaking as they use a technique that puts a distance between the camera and it's subject, but allows the subject to be of focus at all times, like a novel. Maysles states that this technique was inspired by Truman Capote's revolutionary writing style used for In Cold Blood. We follow all four men, but we get closer and more interested in Paul. The others are concerned for him, first starting off with an intervention and ending with Paul riding shotgun with The Gipper, which ends with Paul getting the blunt end of a embarrassing moment by his partner. The film feels like fiction, but comes through clear enough to believe it to be real life. And in Paul, they find a soul falling into a despair of his own making and yet a fall was going to happen one way or another. There's only so much time before the magic of persuasion is lost. And for a salesman who lives and eats off the high that comes with such persuasion, this is almost as bad as a deathblow. Ultimately, this film is powerful without being overwhelming. It's earnest without being coy. And when we look at Paul Brennen by the end of the film, we feel that more than a part of his soul is lost, but a part of our country's as well. The film is sad, but not depressing. And I cannot tell you how important this film should be in the classrooms.One last thing I'd like to say: The National Registry put Salesman on its list in 1991. This film is considered a national treasure. After seeing it, you'll understand why.
]]>Sun, 22 Jul 2007 10:56:20 GMTerico_77375erico_77375 Blog7/22/2007 6:56:20 AMA man in his late 40s tells a woman ten years younger than she is about a new illustrated version of the bible that he would like to sell to her. His hands are racked with arthritis. His nickname is The Badger, perhaps because his hair looks like one or because that's what he's doing with this customer. His name is Paul Brennen, the main subject in Albert and David Masles' documentary, Salesman.Salesman isn't just a movie about Brennen, but about America in many respects. Along with three other Boston-natives The Gipper, The Rabbit and The Bull, Brennen sold bible to Catholic households with information given to them by the local churches. They handle many different types of customers in different climates up and down the continental United States. These four men travel together for camaraderie, but also to beat down the pressures that come with the job (all four are avid chain-smokers). Between the pitches, each carries onto the dream of greater wealth, a dream encouraged falsely by the company they work for. We go to the sales meetings, which hold more despair than the pep they're designed to bring.In the middle of this is Brennen, who starts off thinking he's just having a dry run of luck. But as the others keep seeing success while he's still falling deeper into decline. His life on the road has isolated him from his wife, where the only conversation we hear between them is distant and sterile. The company lines make it clear that this product sells itself and that if you're not selling, there's only you to blame. And as the days keep going by, Paul's desperation reaches deeper levels of unprofessionalism as he goes from lying to customers to selling more aggressively than should be allowed.Salesman sees a country at the beginning of a slide into commercialism and mass consumption. It shows us a real world where men will sell you your religion on a payment plan (I'd hate see someone come repo a bible). There's a dark humor in all of this, the professional way this company tries to encourage it's salesmen to pitch and sell "the world's best-seller of all time", while motivational speakers make these road-weary agents the equivalent of Jesus Christ. For directors Albert and David Maysles with editor and co-director Charlotte Zwerin, this is a crowning achievement in documentary filmmaking as they use a technique that puts a distance between the camera and it's subject, but allows the subject to be of focus at all times, like a novel. Maysles states that this technique was inspired by Truman Capote's revolutionary writing style used for In Cold Blood. We follow all four men, but we get closer and more interested in Paul. The others are concerned for him, first starting off with an intervention and ending with Paul riding shotgun with The Gipper, which ends with Paul getting the blunt end of a embarrassing moment by his partner. The film feels like fiction, but comes through clear enough to believe it to be real life. And in Paul, they find a soul falling into a despair of his own making and yet a fall was going to happen one way or another. There's only so much time before the magic of persuasion is lost. And for a salesman who lives and eats off the high that comes with such persuasion, this is almost as bad as a deathblow. Ultimately, this film is powerful without being overwhelming. It's earnest without being coy. And when we look at Paul Brennen by the end of the film, we feel that more than a part of his soul is lost, but a part of our country's as well. The film is sad, but not depressing. And I cannot tell you how important this film should be in the classrooms.One last thing I'd like to say: The National Registry put Salesman on its list in 1991. This film is considered a national treasure. After seeing it, you'll understand why. http://www.spout.com/blogs/the_documentary-79/archive/2006/4/27/998.aspx Post By: paul
Post To: The Documentary
Post Date: 4/28/2006 9:58:56 AM
Body: Well, first off the category of documentary is probably more diverse than narrative. There are so many ways of executing a documentary and, subsequently, so many arguments for what qualifies as documentary.Cinema verite (sometimes called "direct cinema") is actually an approach that attempts to address what we're talking about in the conversation about Michael Moore. Basically, cinema verite tries to bring more honesty to documentary.The Maysles brothers (Salesman) and Frederick Wiseman (Titicut Follies) are canonical examples of this approach. In essence, the filmmaker(s) roll their camera and capture what happens with as minimal intrusion as possible. Of course, the mere presence of a camera changes the way people behave. Wiseman's solution for this when he filmed Titicut Follies in a mental hospital was to show up everyday with his camera for months until the patients and the staff grew used to his presence and started to behave as they would if he weren't there. The results are shocking. When I watched Titicut Follies, the experience changed the way I think about film. I defy anybody to watch that documentary and not be completely blown away. It's rather hard to find, though. You're best shot is to search large metropolitan or university libraries.
]]>Fri, 28 Apr 2006 13:58:56 GMTpaulThe Documentary4/28/2006 9:58:56 AMWell, first off the category of documentary is probably more diverse than narrative. There are so many ways of executing a documentary and, subsequently, so many arguments for what qualifies as documentary.Cinema verite (sometimes called "direct cinema") is actually an approach that attempts to address what we're talking about in the conversation about Michael Moore. Basically, cinema verite tries to bring more honesty to documentary.The Maysles brothers (Salesman) and Frederick Wiseman (Titicut Follies) are canonical examples of this approach. In essence, the filmmaker(s) roll their camera and capture what happens with as minimal intrusion as possible. Of course, the mere presence of a camera changes the way people behave. Wiseman's solution for this when he filmed Titicut Follies in a mental hospital was to show up everyday with his camera for months until the patients and the staff grew used to his presence and started to behave as they would if he weren't there. The results are shocking. When I watched Titicut Follies, the experience changed the way I think about film. I defy anybody to watch that documentary and not be completely blown away. It's rather hard to find, though. You're best shot is to search large metropolitan or university libraries. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/documentary/MemberTagFilms.aspxdocumentary
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