Salesman (1969)

About Salesman

Salesman is a 1969 American direct cinema documentary film directed by brothers Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin. The film portrays the daily lives of door-to-door Bible salesmen. The documentary follows four salesmen as they travel across New England and Florida, showing their attempts to sell expensive, gold-embossed Bibles to low-income Catholic families. As they struggle with making sales, the stressful and disappointing job takes a toll on their morale, bringing out complex and sometimes unpleasant aspects of their personalities.

Making / Production

Albert and David Maysles became interested in the door-to-door Bible selling business when they met salesman Paul Brennan. They began filming the salesmen in the winter of 1967, following them into homes and hotel rooms. They shot over 100 hours of film, which was then edited down into the 85-minute movie. Salesman marked one of the first times in American cinema where film purports to examine something while actually presenting something different, considering the slow reveal of the salesmen's personalities and struggles.

Actors

• Paul Brennan: He is the most central salesman the film follows, nicknamed "The Badger". Brennan's persuasive ability and his reactions to the recurrent rejections highlight his complex personality.
• Charles McDevitt: Known as "The Gipper", McDevitt is a strait-laced and serious salesman, often portrayed in stressful or disappointing situations.
• James Baker: Also known as "The Rabbit", Baker is a quiet and soft-spoken salesman who often seems uncomfortable with the aggressive sales tactics.
• Ravmond Martos: Playing himself, nicknamed "The Bull," Martos is a confident and forceful salesman, often seen as the most successful of the group.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The film pioneered the "fly on the wall" style of documentary-making known as "Direct Cinema" or "Cinéma vérité".
• Salesman was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1992.
• Despite the film portrays the salesmens' activities as deeply unethical, the filmmakers and some of the salesmen attended a screening of the movie together.

Awards

Salesman did not win any notable awards, but its cultural significance was recognized when it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1992.

Quotes

• "It's an excellent reference work and a beautiful piece of furniture."
• "You don't have to justify the use of it, the price of it, to anybody."
• "Did I make any money today? No, I didn't."

Music, Soundtrack

• The film did not feature a traditional soundtrack, in order to maintain its direct cinema approach. Only natural sound was recorded during filming.