Salesman (1968)
“Salesman,” a documentary made in 1968 by Albert
Maysles about Bible Salesmen, has become, with the passage
of time, more then just a documentary. It has become
both history lesson and slice of Americana.
Shot in black and white (presumably 16mm) and focusing
on a group of about 5 salesmen, the film literally takes
us inside homes on sales calls with the men. This is
a look at a bygone era when people actually sold things
door to door, people actually let strangers inside their
homes to talk to them. It seems almost prehistoric.
Maysles does an excellent job with exposition here.
He does not spoonfeed his audience. There is no narration,
very few title cards or subtitles to inform us of what
is going on. For one thing, he expects us to understand
the system of door-to-door salesmen. In 1968, he probably
had no idea that the technique would be almost obsolete
in the 21st century. His film also shows his subjects
at sales meetings and in hotel rooms while working.
We really get what seems like “backstage” access to
the system at play here.
Of course, one must take time to consider what
they are seeing here. For example, the subjects in the
film, at sales meetings, stand up and proclaim their
goals for sales in the forthcoming year. How much of
this is realistic and how much is playing for the camera
is anyone’s guess.
More importantly, one must assume, since Maysles
and his crew go on calls with his subjects, that some
set-up must have been done before the filming began.
These guys couldn't simply go into someone’s home and
set up cameras and mics without some permission from
the folks whose homes were invaded. So the question
is: How realistic can these sales calls be when the
subjects know they are being filmed?
But one assumes Maysles shot lots of footage and
only used the very best. One notices that the majority
of the subjects are dressed way down. No one looks “prettied”
for the camera. Also, many of the subjects say “no”
to the salesmen and do not buy. The cameras do not stop
them from truly expression why they wouldn't buy these
products. Maysles seemed adept at setting up his camera
and going however. There is a real verisimilitude that
comes from boom mics in shots and film canisters in
shots. This is an interesting look at documentary film
work in the 60’s of a sort.
Conversely, Maysles catches some salesmen in the
real practicing of the “hard sell.” Some of these guys
really know how to get the job done. Watching the give
and take between salesman and customer here can often
be fascinating.
Another interesting bit of the film is what is
being sold. These guys aren't selling vacuum cleaners
or magazines, they are selling Bibles and other religious
books. They get their leads, we find, from the church.
Parishioners who have filled out cards at church are
called upon. The diverse group of clients here is fascinating.
The salesmen, by contrast, are shown to be real men.
Maysles may play up the fact that these guys curse,
drink and gamble in order to highlight the irony and
hypocrisy in it all, but that doesn't make it any less
awesome. The use of “race” is also part of what is at
play here. Not only does Maysles expose the racism some
of his subjects have, but how they use race in sales.
Now, this isn't modern racism (i.e. black and white)
but rather the use of cultural heritage in jokes and
in sales pitches. This is Irish Catholic as opposed
to other European races. One sales man uses his own
Irish background for self-depricating humor as well
as to sell Bibles to others of Irish decent.
And we are taken into real peoples’ homes, real
motels, real restaurants and real automobiles from 1968.
This is more than a film, it’s a history lesson. After
over 30 years, “Salesmen” may have evolved from documentary
to Americana but it retains its near magical ability
to both fascinate and engross. A must-see for film fanatics.
Note:
Seen at
SXSW 2002 as part of the Albert Maysles retrospective.
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Report
Card
Content:
A+
Completeness: A+
Cinematography\Lighting: A+
Special Effects\Make Up: A+
Music: A+
Final
Grade: A+
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