Cheap Salesman - Criterion Collection (DVD) (Charlotte Zwerin, Albert Maysles, David Maysles) Price

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Customer Reviews of Salesman - Criterion Collection

A timeless film about the dual enemies of aging and failure
This film follows four door-to-door Bible salesmen around in the year 1968 as they pursue the weary task of selling as many products as possible. The salesmen are Paul "The Badger" Brennan, James "The Rabbit" Baker, "The Bull" and "The Gipper." Despite the holiness of their products, this really is a cutthroat business. The main character, "The Badger", reminds me of Jack Lemmon's character in Glengarry Glen Ross. Life - and his profession - have beaten him down, and none of his sales pitches are working as he talks to one indifferent potential customer after another. Be it wind, rain, sleet, or snow, these salesmen trudge forth, plying their wares from neighborhood to neighborhood, and trying anything to make the sale. Remember, this was in the days when people were unafraid to open their doors to strangers, and equally unafraid to be rude to them. The film not only makes you feel what these unsuccessful salesmen are feeling, it a time capsule for the end of the '60s, and a portrait of an occupation that doesn't really exist anymore due to telemarketing, Internet sales, two-income families meaning nobody is home during the day, and finally the fact that adult strangers on your doorstep are assumed to be potential criminals. <
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>Paul Brennen is the man that none of us want to end up like. His coworkers seem to tire of his endless talk of his dwindling sales. Towards the end of the film, Paul is forced to be partners with a younger sharper salesman due to his poor performance so maybe he can learn something. This younger salesman proceeds to humiliate him in front of customers for his lack of enthusiasm for his trade. As sorry as you may feel for him though, when we see Paul using the possibly superstitious beliefs of his customers to get them to buy products they may not be able to afford, you have mixed feelings about the man. Is Paul purely being manipulative, or is he resorting to desperate means to survive? Probably a little bit of both is true. The pain and the panic on Paul's face and in his voice is evident from the beginning - his time as a salesman is coming to a close, and it's not like he has a big bank account to fall back on. Such career struggles are expected when you are in your 20's, but by the time you are Paul's age you are expecting something more...more job stability, more respect, more financial security. <
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>The movie isn't all bleakness and reluctant competition, though. Some of the conversation between the salesmen actually shows some true comradery. Also, there is a humorous episode involving the salesmen taking a nighttime swim in the hotel pool that contrasts with the dark mood of much of this film. Among the other salesmen featured in this film, "The Rabbit" is especially interesting to watch. He's a fast-talking showman that never seems to come up for air whether he is in the depths of casual conversation or a sales pitch. The total effect of the film is to make you thankful you are not in the position of any of these salesmen, since the sum total of their professional lives certainly makes "Glengarry Glen Ross" look cheery in comparison. I'd say that even though the film has a very dated look to it, you should watch it because what it has to say about the human spirit, aging ungracefully, choosing the wrong career, and then failing at that career is timeless.

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Couldn't have been any better
I saw this movie a few years ago and need to rent it again soon because I have nothing but fond memories of it. Anyone who has ever had any dealings at all with a salesman will love it - I promise. Watch as one salesman asks a woman who can't afford a bible for $50 if she could afford $2.50 a week for twenty weeks. Watch as he asks her if she thinks her home would be better if she had this bible in her house. These are the same kind of questions you are asked when looking for a car but the way it is shot in the "you are almost there" style makes many of the scenes heartbreakingly real. There is sadness all around in the faces of the salesman and there potential customers. One cannot help but feel moved by the plight of the salesman and the customers. It is amazing how the sales pitches of the salesman have not changed much in the past 40 years! Anyone who likes Errol Morris or John Cassavettes needs to see this film as soon as possible if not sooner.

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Handing Tickets Out For God
The price on this is a bit steep, especially since the bonus materials are limited (though enjoyable). Nonetheless, I didn't regret spending the money. The Maysles brothers were such amazing and groundbreaking documentarians that anything of theirs that you can get your hands on is worth it. This film follows four very ordinary bible salesmen in the late 1960's as they ply their trade in the cold and snow of New England and then in the sunshine of Florida. The Maysles' focus in particular on one gentleman who clearly is not cut out for this work and is slowly but surely headed for the scrap pile. Despite the relative mundanity of the events, you find yourself transfixed as these men endure the high-powered mindwashing of their superiors and struggle to survive in a dying industry. Few films have ever so poignantly made the point that, though God may be good box office, no one really seems to give a damn about who buys or sells the tickets to the show.