Salesman (1969)

I’ve been on a documentary film binge lately and Salesman (1969) stands out as a favourite. The Maysles brothers directed this film and went on to do Gimme Shelter a year later—a documentary about the Rolling Stones which is another favourite of mine.

For Salesman the brothers followed a bunch of door-to-door bible salesman. It’s fascinating to see how these salesman persuade and manipulate people into purchasing these fancy bibles that they really can’t afford.

I’m convinced that some of these characters inspired David Mammet when he wrote Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). Jack Lemmon’s character in this movie talks and acts like one of the salesman in the documentary. This was a little bizarre to watch. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lemmon watched this film a few times to develop his character.

If you get a chance, I recommend you give this a viewing. It provides a glimpse into the late 60s and an era of door-to-door sales that has been replaced by infomercials and banner ads.

Posted in DVD Reviews at 3:22 PM