Rent Salesman (1968)
3.8 of 5 from 66 ratings
1h 31min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
From the Maysles brothers, comes this landmark American documentary - a fascinating, non-narrated account of four Boston bible hawkers as they struggle to stay afloat in the cutthroat world of door-to-door sales. Capturing the remarkable detail of a bygone era, the film documents their carefully delivered spiel to bored housewives, widows, immigrants, and distracted blue-collar workers. The salesmen wheedle, connive, and cajole their way toward the Holy Grail, but as the pressure of the job bears down, one of the salesmen begins to crack, exposing the dark and lonely underside of the American Dream. In a society saturated with reality TV, soundbite analysis, and slickly produced docu-tainment, Salesman stands tall as one of the first non-fiction films to show the lives of ordinary people indepth, without judgement or narration. - Actors:
- Paul Brennan, Charles McDevitt, James Baker, Raymond Martos, Melbourne I. Feltman, Margaret McCarron, Kennie Turner
- Directors:
- Albert Maysles, David Maysles
- Studio:
- Eureka
- Genres:
- Documentary
- Collections:
- Masters of Cinema, The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Brian De Palma, Top Films
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Reviews (1) of Salesman
Different - Salesman review by BE
Nothing riveting but a rather gloomy account of men trying to make a living against the odds in late 1960's America. The film clearly depicted the frustration felt by authentic door to door salesmen trying to flog bibles to often unwilling customers. Had it been made today, the script would no doubt have been peppered with four letter words, so that was a bonus. It was very naturally formulated as the salesmen gave not a hint that they were being filmed throughout and came across as being very natural. Somewhat claustrophobic as most of the footage was filmed either in customers' front rooms, hotel rooms or marketing convention halls (plus cigarette smoke in abundance). It well ties in with the very excellent movie; Glengarry Glen Ross.
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