Steineded How sad is this?

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

dougdoepke 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.

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.

Stanley Jacobs 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."

storysplicer I found this more funny than depressing, and also very instructive in how to deal with people, get what you want, and not be a tool. The American Dream is still very much alive, and worth trying for -- you just can't let it consume you. The successful men in this movie make the system work for them, and -- most importantly -- stay positive. The Badger's problem is that he obviously has depression, and that has never helped anybody achieve anything. It must be fought and subdued at all costs. In the commentary, Albert Maysles suggests that the Badger was not cut out for sales and should have been a postal clerk, even though the Badger rails against the predictability of a 9-to-5 office job with a pension. This is another important lesson of Salesman: Get in where you fit in. Do work that suits your temperament and abilities.