Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

calvinnme This film is about the trials and tribulations of four door-to-door Bible salesmen in 1968, on the eve of when their occupation was about to become extinct. Of course, the filmmakers could not know that at the time, but this fact is what adds to the sadness of this film today. The salesmen are four New Englanders named Paul "The Badger" Brennan, James "The Rabbit" Baker, "The Bull" and "The Gipper", their nicknames being derived from their individual sales tactics. Despite the holiness of their products, this really is a cutthroat business, as is made evident in some of the sales meetings that are shown. 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. These guys are always looking for a new angle to make the sale, but usually just about everything they come up with is not successful. 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.Paul Brennan really seems to have the saddest story of the four. His sales are dwindling, and he is really too old to start over in another occupation. Paul's sales become so poor that at one point that he is partnered with a more aggressive salesman so Paul can observe his technique in the hope that something will rub off on Paul. This younger, sharper salesman, who obviously has not yet developed a tolerance for human frailty, is constantly snapping at Paul for his poor technique and unenthusiastic delivery. If you're an older person who has ever worked for a younger one, you know what I'm talking about. 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. Paul realizes that 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.The film does add some humor throughout the film to keep the viewing experience from being too much like a funeral for both Paul's career and the profession of door-to-door salesman itself. Sometimes the salesmen lighten up and even have some camaraderie in their conversations. Sometimes there is a funny remark from the "no sale" Boston housewives the salesmen encounter, and sometimes there are even funnier remarks from the salesmen as they leave a house where they've been refused. There's also an episode in a hotel pool in the middle of the night that is rather humorous.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.

st-shot Salesman is a grainy documentary consisting of a crew of two (The Maysles brothers) following four door to door salesman selling high end bibles to struggling Catholic families. It is a gloomy watch as well as uncomfortable one as we barge in the front door with the wheeler dealers and sit through the pitch. It is also one of the finest representations of the genre in the history of medium.The Badger, the Gipper, The Bull and the Rabbit make their way through the frozen snow lined streets of Boston in search of customers outed by their local parish to sell ornate bibles. Business has been slow and shows little sign of picking up from the home visits we are witness to. They decide to try out new territory in sunny Florida but first attend an employees conference in Chicago where publisher Ivan K Feltman delivers a canned speech to rally the troops. Florida's welcoming warmth (they rent convertibles)energizes the boys but sales remain cold especially for traveling vet Badger, Paul Brennan.Within its raw simplicity Salesman blossoms with irony, metaphor and a touch of surrealism where the beleaguered Brennan finds himself lost in Opa Loka, a Moorish themed community with street names such as Ali Baba Drive and yes Sesame Street. The unctuous but affable quartet wear their glum existence on their sleeves slogging through slush, crashing at drab motels, chain smoking and going over the days disappointments. Brennan in particular is a remarkable watch as he rides his losing streak into near complete melt down in front of customers near film's end. It is one thing to be emotionally moved and impressed by a performance the likes of Lee J. Cobb in Death of a Salesman or anyone else playing the role well. In Brennan we are witnessing the real thing and it is devastating.The days of door to door shilling for the most part have long been replaced by cable home shopping networks and the internet. Instead of attempting to get his foot in the door he is now sitting in the living room twenty four, seven. Salesman is a superb document and time capsule on the way it used to be even if it is a journey through the past grimly.

atlasmb "Salesman" documents the activities of Bible salesmen as they go on the road to sell their wares to "leads" garnered from Catholic churches. It's a tough life, especially when many prospects cannot afford the cost of these illustrated Bibles.It is difficult not to compare this film to Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross". It details the hardships and humiliations of men who earn their egos through sales. Anyone who has ever sold a product door to door can relate to this film.The transparent sales techniques. The smug sales aphorisms. The roller-coaster ride from day to day. It is all there. It is easy to draw conclusions or morals from this documentary. The most obvious refers to the soul-sucking depression that comes from spending your life doing something you do not enjoy or believe in.As a time capsule of life in the late 60s, the film is enjoyable. Seeing everyone smoking cigarettes nonstop, for example, is a reminder of how things have changed.

mashekd 'Salesman" is a stark reminder of the evolution of the modern documentary. As a viewer I did not feel manipulated by the editing or the filmmaker's ego or perspective. The film is a historical recording of an occupation from a by gone era that promised all the perks of the American Dream while leaving many that chose it for their career living lives of quiet desperation, poor and void of any significant contribution to society. One of the thoughts this film left me with was how many occupations in twenty-first century America are sales dependent. Selling oneself, an idea, candidate, lifestyle, fill in the blank for an alternative to "bible." Pounding the proverbial pavement to pay the mortgage with little regard to the negative impact ones profession may have on society or nameless, faceless individuals. In today's world fortunes are made as life coaches, motivational speakers, politics, infomercials, winning American Idol, all variations of selling something to a consumer society that can ill afford the debt. "Salesman" is a timeless film and a brilliant reminder of the origins of the documentary.