Sincerity sells

SALESMAN (1969)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The title sounds dull. The subject seems duller. "Salesman" is actually not a dull film but a hypnotic, daring and somewhat down-in-the-gutter documentary. The material could give one pause since it focuses on the grim, demanding and sometimes unrewarding job of being a Bible salesman, or really any kind of salesman. This is not everyone's cup of tea yet the Maysles brothers (one did the cinematography, the other did the sound) have given us the fly-on-the-wall look at what a salesman does and how he does it. "Salesman" is bracing and actually entertaining.

The film is shot in black-and-white so the Bible salesmen, despite different personalities and different sales techniques, all look the same dressed in dark suits and pristine white shirts. They travel from the snowy conditions of New England during the Christmas season to the sunshine and beaches of Florida. They chain smoke and stay in motels, and they drive around to the different leads they have for potential customers. Some customers pay within their budget and others have no money (of course, some already have the Bible). The Bible they push is newer, up to date and has beautiful illustrations and for the expensive price (at that time) of $49.50 (there are payment plans available).  

Most of these salesmen do well, and they are identified by names like "Gipper" and the "Rabbit." Paul Brennan, "The Badger", is the one we gravitate to - he is middle-aged and an Irish Catholic and he can come on too strong in his sales pitch. He's obviously having issues selling yet one day, he almost makes a clean break. Then it is back to zero sales. Paul simply doesn't have the charisma or the powers of persuasion that the younger guys have. Despite having been a Bible salesman for eight years, Paul is just not connecting to the customer and we see it in the faces of the salesmen and the customers. 

"Salesman" will remind many of 1992's brilliantly coarse "Glengarry Glen Ross" by writer-director David Mamet who must have been somewhat influenced by this film. "Glengarry" saw salesmen as playing the art of the con (Jack Lemmon's Shelley Levene definitely is a cinematic cousin to Paul in this film). In "Salesman," they are doing a job and hope to sell Bibles but they are not conning people because they believe in what they are selling. They say sincerity sells and "Salesman" ultimately is about selling something that really should be free. Or you might find it in a desk drawer at a motel.

Dirty Little Coward

 I SHOT JESSE JAMES (1949)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Samuel Fuller's often engrossing first feature could either be about the morality of an outlaw shooting an outlaw or an outlaw shooting his own best friend, or both. Roughly hewn together with various fade-to-black transitions, it is nonetheless a solid punch in the gut western. As Fuller made more films, his punches grew more and more painful and he wouldn't be Fuller without them.

The oft-told tale of the Wild West involves Robert Ford (John Ireland), an outlaw hiding out with his best friend Jesse James (Reed Hadley). They were part of a gang that robbed banks and trains. Morality takes a backseat when it comes to rewards offered for Jesse James' capture. Ford sees this as his exit and his future with a theatre actress, Cynthy (Barbara Britton) whom he wishes to marry, not to mention a full pardon for his association with the James Gang and $10,000. A capture is not enough in Ford's mind and, for inexplicable reasons, he shoots Jesse in the back killing him instantly. The notoriety of a criminal shooting the infamous Jesse James begins and envelops him in a vise. Ford makes things worse for himself by appearing in a play that serves as a reenactment of his crimes. That means every performance, he must pull that trigger and remember what he did.

"I Shot Jesse James" is at its best when we witness Ford's guilt over shooting Jesse and how it affects him, at least on the surface. John Ireland has been directed to never let on any real guilt, thus it is hard to feel much sympathy and perhaps Fuller wanted none of that. Why Ford killed Jesse remains one of those lingering questions of Old West legends. He's willing to exploit the tragedy for money but it never transpires because he can't bring himself to keep pulling the trigger - nobody will forget what he did. One of the best scenes of the film shows Ford listening to a guitarist sing the Jesse James ballad and Ford does his best to maintain his composure. 

When silver is discovered in the mountains, Ford along with many others takes on the challenge of a prospector and makes a fortune. That may still not be enough to convince Cynthy who is mortified that he killed Jesse and lived to tell the tale as a performer. There is also the issue of a gentlemanly prospector named Kelley (Preston Foster) who Ford is jealous of, despite Kelley not having the slightest romantic interest in Cynthy. These subplots do not undermine the central focus of Ford's doom - they just show the noose getting tighter around Ford's neck. 

 "I Shot Jesse James" is crude, lewd and often lacking in subtlety and, heck, that pretty much defines the life and work of a maverick like Samuel Fuller. That also defines Robert Ford, that dirty little coward.