From the Maysles brothers [The Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter (1970), Grey Gardens (1975)], comes this landmark American documentary – a fascinating, non-narrated account of four Boston bible hawkers as they struggle to stay afloat in the cutthroat world of door-to-door sales. Capturing the remarkable detail of a bygone era, the film documents their carefully delivered spiel to bored housewives, widows, immigrants, and distracted blue-collar workers. The salesmen wheedle, connive, and cajole their way toward the Holy Grail, but as the pressure of the job bears down, one of the salesmen begins to crack, exposing the dark and lonely underside of the American Dream.
In a society saturated with reality TV, soundbite analysis, and slickly produced docu-tainment, Salesman stands tall as one of the first non-fiction films to show the lives of ordinary people indepth, without judgement or narration.
The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this direct cinema classic deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress; honoured as one of the 25 best American films ever made; and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
SPECIAL FEATURES
• New restored transfer licenced from Maysles Films
• ALBERT MAYSLES ON SALESMAN – An exclusive new interview filmed in 2006 [34 minutes]
• KENNIE TURNER & ALBERT MAYSLES Q&A – Filmed in Chicago in 2005 [19 minutes]
• Original theatrical trailer
• 36-PAGE BOOKLET containing rare vintage photography; a 1969 article by Howard Junker; and a rundown of the Maysles’ equipment
• RSDL DVD9 optimum image quality
