Saturday, February 23, 2008
FOOT SOLDIERS
Today's NYTimes 1176 Best Film was the Maysle's Brother's documentary
This gritty round of door to door bible sales calls by four veteran salesmen is a view into a world that we do not see and perhaps will not see in the future.
I am sure that there are still door to door salesmen. They come to my door.
I have had the magazine guys and the all purpose cleaner guys in just the last year.
I do not even talk to them.
I have had a few that we let into the house and we almost always succumbed to their blandishments. None of these were cold calls however. They were people who had a warm-up from phone solicitation.
I don't talk to phone sales people either. Actually, we are on the don't call list and so that is over for us. We get no calls anymore.
But once we sit down with these people, we are sure marks; dependable victims to this kind of stuff.
I would not go for a bible or a Catholic encyclopedia but maybe—the pictures looked nice. I can feel the technique working on me even when I see it on the screen.
One of the guys is not making it and to watch him soldier it out is particularly painful as he is the most attractive of the bunch somehow.
Equally interesting are the buyers. Poor people mostly who cannot afford this.
It is a good film but a tough film to watch.
I had some trouble with it because we know that the cameras are there and so must the people. Certainly the salesmen do.
I have heard that the cameraperson becomes invisible in these deals but as far as the audience is concerned this is never the case.
Somehow it gets in the way for me.
I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
