Salesman

Salesman was the first documentary of the direct cinema movement. It followed a group of Bible salesman while they went about their day selling the Bible. As the film went on it focused on one man more than the others, and that was Paul. Paul was the oldest seller, and the film slowed his slow decline as a salesman and his frustration with the process. At the end of the film it is left open what happens with Paul, but it can be inferred that he was going to be fired in the near future. Paul could not get many more sales when he used to be able to get a lot.

The film was interesting because it showed real life people, doing their job. It looked as if the camera rarely interfered with things, but then again how could it not. A man was coming into your house to sell a bible with a camera crew. It was very interesting to see the people in the town open their houses no matter what they were doing. Many of them were in their pajamas and did not look as if they would want to be on film.

The use of direct cinema allowed the Maysles brothers to capture the men as they really were. While they were in between selling bibles you often saw them smoking and drinking, which was odd since they were bible salesman. It opened up your eyes to the things people do when no one is aware of them.