Undescribable Perfection

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Some people misunderstood this film as cinéma vérité, which isn't actually. Cinéma vérité is a genre that interacts with their characters through such as interviews and conversations with them. However, you could see that there's nothing of them in Salesman. As a Direct Cinema, Maysles brothers believed that the best way to pursue 'reality' is to film them from distance, so they just literally film people without any 'leading' questions unless characters talk to the brothers first (like in grey gardens). Therefore, we only could accept information of salesmen through images as such their facial expressions, gestures and lament when they were struggling to sell Bibles from various angles and shots. There's nothing like dramatic scenes nor climax in the film and they do not talk to filmmakers how they feel, however, it is enough to see how the sellers were trying so hard to make living in the 60- 70s, just showing as they are. Their travelling to sell Bibles from city to city, conversations with each other and Paul's deep thinking in the café... every scene exclaims itself what is the life of salesmen.. no need to add descriptions. I love the way the Maysles brothers are looking for as the film itself is somehow very slow, calm but the story is so realistic that we could be immersed in their lives as well.

The camera follows four Bible salesmen as they follow up on names of Catholic parishioners in Boston and then Florida.I can understand that the documentary is not for all tastes. There's really no narrative, while we know next to nothing about the four principals. Yet, the results, to me at least, are fascinating, if not entertaining. The four Bible salesmen are a harried crew, near the bottom of a commercial food chain. Pressure to sell goes from ownership to management to salesmen, and finally to prospective customers to buy. And throughout, the camera never wavers, at times lingering over a face in rather enigmatic fashion. Nor do the subjects ever acknowledge camera's presence-- quite a cinematic accomplishment. Importantly, these are ordinary faces, certainly not the Hollywood variety.To me, the most interesting part are the working class customers. They can barely pay the bills they already have, let alone fork over an extra dollar a week. I'm guessing Badger's burnout comes from years of hustling people who should not be hustled. Of course, the pitch revolves around having a Bible with illustrations that will confirm a Catholic's faith and enrich their lives. I'm supposing the salesmen have to believe that at some level, otherwise how could they continue to pressure poor people to buy. And catch the ride by the ritzy Miami Beach hotels, right before the guys start knocking on wear-worn doors.Overall, this is quite a remarkable 85-minutes, like nothing else I've seen. I'm not sure what to make of the result, that is, whether there's an intended point beyond the momentary. But either way, the unvarnished glimpses the film provides are definitely memorable.

The first job many of us have early on in life is the task of selling some type of product or service to another person. "Salesman" is a wonderful examination of the door-to-door sales person masterfully executed because you experience and understand what it is like to be one of them. This is a film worth staying with so it can unfold into your conscientiousness. It's also a great historical record that needs to be preserved.The Maysles Bros.' non-interruptive approach to their subject is an important chapter in film ethics. Have we drifted too far from it in some of today's documentaries? It's one of my inspirations for the feature documentary film, "Pitch People."

"Salesman" isn't quite the Maysles Bros.' (and Charlotte Zwerin's) crowning achievement, although it comes close. I personally feel that "Gimme Shelter" is their best film, but that might have something to do with it being a more enjoyable, if still harrowing film. "Salesman" is an uncomfortable examination of human emotions, and provokes a strong reaction of guilt and sympathy. Some may insist that a documentary has to be somewhat relevant to have any real value, but "Salesman", a film on the lives of door-to-door salesmen, the product of a mostly by-gone era, is pure contradiction of this claim.A landmark 'cinema verite' film, "Salesman" does not feature any sort of narration or writing, allowing the viewer to take the images presented in the film and interpret them as they wish. There are statements that the Maysles Bros. are probably trying to make with this film, statements about suburbia, statements about the ties between business and organized religion, and more, but the beauty of the film is that it is up to you if you see this in the film or not, because really it is simply a document of an average day for a salesman at the time."Salesman" is funny in parts, but taken as a whole it is one of the saddest films you will ever see, a document of the quiet desperation of this lifestyle. The directors of the film make powerful statements, but do so subtly, almost unobtrusively, allowing the viewer to fully engage themselves in the almost routine feel of the film. It is a crime that, despite its strong reputation, relatively few people have seen this essential film from possibly the very best documentary filmmakers there have ever been.10/10