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Salesman

91 statements
16 feature instances
2 referencing feature instances

Salesman	type	TVTItem
Salesman	label	Salesman
Salesman	page	Salesman
Salesman	comment	Salesman is a 1969 documentary film directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin.The film chronicles the experiences of four salesmen for the Mid-American Bible Company: Paul Brennan (who gradually becomes the film's protagonist), James Baker, Raymond Martos and Charles McDevitt. In the winter of 1966-1967 they go door-to-door in the Boston area, attend a sales conference in Chicago, then travel on a sales trip to South Florida. They meet a wide array of working class families and try to interest them in elaborate family Bibles—very elaborate, $49.95 in 1966 moneynote which equates to $387.90 in 2019 money—and other assorted religious books, including a set of Catholic encyclopedias. In-between they hang out in motel rooms and discuss the difficulties of their jobs: long hours, separation from their homes and families, and the often daunting odds for success. While the others do well enough, Paul cannot seem to close a sale, even though he tries hard. He unwittingly becomes the symbol of a profession and way of life that seem like they're fast becoming a thing of the past.
Salesman	fetched	2024-01-16T14:23:51Z
Salesman	parsed	2024-01-16T14:23:51Z
Salesman	processingComment	Dropped link to Poker: Not a Feature - ITEM
Salesman	processingComment	Dropped link to TheDeterminator: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Salesman	processingUnknown	TheDeterminator
Salesman	isPartOf	DBTropes
Salesman / int_26764512	type	I Just Want to Have Friends
Salesman / int_26764512	comment	I Just Want to Have Friends: The other salesmen are all good at developing the superficial rapport with their prospects that helps them close the sale. Paul seems like he wants to make a sincere connection with people, and he just comes off awkward.
Salesman / int_26764512	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_26764512	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_26764512
Salesman / int_2ae7bc4b	type	Captain Oblivious
Salesman / int_2ae7bc4b	comment	Captain Oblivious: Paul's major issue seems to be that he doesn't realize how he comes across to people. The other salesmen are more relaxed and friendly and more willing to take the time to persuade their clients. Paul lays on his sales pitch pretty hard and turns people off in the process.
Salesman / int_2ae7bc4b	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_2ae7bc4b	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_2ae7bc4b
Salesman / int_47fea76b	type	Butt-Monkey
Salesman / int_47fea76b	comment	Butt-Monkey: Poor Paul. He seems like a decent guy but he just can't catch a break. Analysis of this film often characterizes Paul as a real-life Willy Loman.
Salesman / int_47fea76b	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_47fea76b	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_47fea76b
Salesman / int_65bc92fc	type	Four-Temperament Ensemble
Salesman / int_65bc92fc	comment	Four-Temperament Ensemble: Paul is Sanguine, James is Choleric, Raymond is Phlegmatic and Charles is Melancholic.
Salesman / int_65bc92fc	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_65bc92fc	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_65bc92fc
Salesman / int_69987960	type	No Sense of Direction
Salesman / int_69987960	comment	No Sense of Direction: Paul, who gets lost looking for a house in Opa-locka, Florida (with its Arabian Nights-themed street names).
Salesman / int_69987960	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_69987960	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_69987960
Salesman / int_71105dfc	type	Everybody Smokes
Salesman / int_71105dfc	comment	Everybody Smokes: It's The '60s, so yeah.
Salesman / int_71105dfc	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_71105dfc	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_71105dfc
Salesman / int_76dc4f31	type	"Arabian Nights" Days
Salesman / int_76dc4f31	comment	"Arabian Nights" Days: The bizarre town of Opa-locka, Florida, which has a city hall designed to look like a stereotypical Arabian Nights castle, and has street names like Shaharazad Street, Ali Baba Street, and of course, Sesame Street.
Salesman / int_76dc4f31	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_76dc4f31	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_76dc4f31
Salesman / int_7e081ea0	type	Slice of Life
Salesman / int_7e081ea0	comment	Slice of Life: There's no grand narrative. It just follows the guys as they go through their day-to-day lives.
Salesman / int_7e081ea0	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_7e081ea0	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_7e081ea0
Salesman / int_8d55ac31	type	Traveling Salesman
Salesman / int_8d55ac31	comment	Traveling Salesman: One of the most thorough examinations of this trope. It should be noted that the salesmen are not straight-up cold-calling people in the traditional door-to-door manner. The people they are visiting are folks who indicated by filling out cards at church that they would be interested in the Bibles. At one point a frustrated Paul leaves a home muttering angrily about the woman's lack of interest after she filled out a card.
Salesman / int_8d55ac31	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_8d55ac31	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_8d55ac31
Salesman / int_a10775b7	type	Mean Boss
Salesman / int_a10775b7	comment	Mean Boss: Their supervisor Kennie doesn't antagonize the salesmen directly too much (he even plays poker with them), but he makes it clear that he expects them to make a lot of sales without any excuses. In his speech at the sales conference he talks about firing some salesmen and warns the others that he won't think twice about doing the same to them if he thinks they're slacking off.
Salesman / int_a10775b7	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_a10775b7	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_a10775b7
Salesman / int_bf8a2be2	type	Isn't It Ironic?
Salesman / int_bf8a2be2	comment	Isn't It Ironic?: The music is all diagetic and often provides a humorous subtext to the action. Highlights include Paul singing "If I Were a Rich Man", an instrumental version of "This Land is Your Land" playing on the radio as Paul navigates his way through Opa-locka, and a lush Easy Listening take on "Yesterday" that a customer plays on his stereo.
Salesman / int_bf8a2be2	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_bf8a2be2	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_bf8a2be2
Salesman / int_d028ca10	type	Deliberately Monochrome
Salesman / int_d028ca10	comment	Deliberately Monochrome: Well, the main reason that it's monochrome is that the Maysles had No Budget and were making the film with $10,000 out of their own pocket. But the gray tones of the film certainly go well with the mood of bleak despair.
Salesman / int_d028ca10	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_d028ca10	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_d028ca10
Salesman / int_d0c30f35	type	Did I Mention It's Christmas?
Salesman / int_d0c30f35	comment	Did I Mention It's Christmas?: The first part of the film takes place during the holidays, which provides a nice ironic counterpoint to the story, particularly the scene where the salesmen eat lunch in a diner full of decorations.
Salesman / int_d0c30f35	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_d0c30f35	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_d0c30f35
Salesman / int_d5d265ec	type	Housewife
Salesman / int_d5d265ec	comment	Housewife: They make up a good percentage of the sales prospects, and the salesmen often talk to them while they're tending their children.
Salesman / int_d5d265ec	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_d5d265ec	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_d5d265ec
Salesman / int_dcd423d2	type	Affectionate Nickname
Salesman / int_dcd423d2	comment	Affectionate Nickname: The four main characters all have one, as explained by Paul—James is The Rabbit (he's energetic and enthusiastic), Raymond is The Bull (big, forceful and not very delicate), Charles is The Gipper (very focused and disciplined, like a football player), and Paul is The Badger (which he doesn't elaborate on, but is obviously due to his being The Determinator).
Salesman / int_dcd423d2	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_dcd423d2	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_dcd423d2
Salesman / int_name	type	ItemName
Salesman / int_name	comment
Salesman / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
Salesman / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
Salesman	hasFeature	Salesman / int_name
Salesman / int_name	itemName	Salesman

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

	Salesman	hasFeature	Housewife / int_d16ef248
	Salesman	hasFeature	Traveling Salesman / int_d16ef248

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