Glengarry Glen Ross
by James Foley
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DVD details
Actor: Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Jack LemmonDirector: James Foley
Brand: LION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Full Screen, Live, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-11-19
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
DVD Reviews of Glengarry Glen Ross
DVD Review: Mitchmurray Mitch Ross
Summary: 4 Stars
Real Estate, as practiced by the folks at Premiere Properties (a fictional company where the characters in this film work, any resemblance to an actual company is purely coincidental), is salesmanship, yes, but perhaps a bit more akin to a con game, or, let's face it, outright fraud. Times are tough, and Mitch and Murray downtown send motivational speaker Blake (Alec Baldwin) down to "motivate" the sales force. First prize, a Cadillac, second, a set of steak knives. Third prize is, to quote Donald Trump, "You're Fired." Blake gives quite a talk, in a part that was written especially for Baldwin, and added to the play version for the film by playwright and screenwriter David Mamet. Though it is just a short segment near the beginning, it really sets the tone for the rest of the film, and also lays out the sales philosophy that Mitch and Murray expect them to follow. The sales game's ABCs are simple. A.B.C. stands for Always Be Closing. The only thing that matters is getting them to sign on the line that is dotted . . . Blake comes on very brash and bold. Bragging about the car he drives, flaunting the expensive watch he wears that costs more than the car Dave Moss (Ed Harris) drives. He swaggers and bullies his way through his bit. At one point he says Real Estate takes balls of brass, and then produces a pair as a visual aid. Backed up in this presentation by officious office manager Williamson (Kevin Spacey) he claims that Mitch and Murray have purchased a set of leads from the Glen Garry Glenross tract that are sales gold. Williamson flashes a set of index cards as if they are the Holy Grail.
But there is a Catch (you could almost say it was a Catch 22, especially since Alan Arkin is also in the film): They have to use the crumby leads to make sales before they will even be given any of the Glen Garry Glenross leads. Those leads are for closers only. And if they don't close on the bad leads, they will be fired.
The film is ostensibly about Real Estate, salesmanship, what have you, but it is really about the ethical and moral breakdown of our society, in the post-Watergate, Reagan era. Shelly (The Machine) Levene, as played by Jack Lemmon, is a once great salesman who has lost his knack. Lemmon attacked his role with youthful enthusiasm remarkable in a man who had such a distinguished career as an actor. He also was determined that you wouldn't feel sympathy for his character. It is hard not to empathize with Lemmon, who has that Everyman quality, and was in a desperate situation, but Lemmon tried his best to discourage the audience from letting Shelly (The Machine) Levene off the hook. He is shown trying to help out his daughter, who is in the hospital, and has even had her phone privileges taken away because her payments are in arrears, but that doesn't justify or excuse his behavior, trying to make a sale no matter what lies he must tell. He kind of has a carny mentality, like the general public who he is trying to sell to are nothing but a bunch of marks, there to be taken advantage of. When he sees top salesman Ricky Roma (Al Pacino) in a jam, trying to evade a customer with buyer's remorse, he steps right into the role Roma has created for him, as another customer who requires Roma to fly out of town to attend a family reunion.
But it is Williamson (Kevin Spacey) who, scorned for his lack of ever making a sale himself, and thus, excluding him from the fraternity of salesmen, who blunders, telling the remorseful customer that the check had indeed been cashed, that starts the mandatory 3-day limit for the buyer to cancel the deal clock ticking. So, when Levene berates him for speaking out of turn, he tells him to never pitch in if you don't know what the "shot" is, because instead of helping him, you could undermine him.
Anywhat, you get the gist of the sort of drama this is, and to see just what comes of this tangle you'll have to watch for yourselves. Suffice it to say that they draw parallels with Salesmanship and acting, and the acting is all top-notch, and the screenplay gives them all a terrific opportunity to display their acting chops. All are excellent, but Lemmon and Pacino stand out amongst them. Pacino shows off the thespian skills that clinched him the Oscar for Scent of a Woman.
Alec Baldwin gives a short but powerful turn as a brutal motivational speaker. Alan Arkin and Ed Harris are other salesmen at Premiere Properties. They both give excellent support. Arkin has a long career, with one of his most memorable roles the aforementioned Catch 22, a term that has entered the lexicon. He recently won the Oscar for his supporting role as the foul mouthed but kindly junkie grandpa in Little Miss Sunshine.
In some bonus feature material, Arkin reveals that writer David Mamet had all dialogue scripted, even down to the ums and uhs. Plus there was a dialogue coach on the set, and if you only stuttered twice, but the script said three times, they called you on it and made you re-shoot. Arkin said that it was hard, because you had to have an idea for each uh, what you were trying to say for each, sub vocal pause, as they used to call them in speech class. It is a testament to the acting skill that it was so heavily scripted, yet the words flowed with all the spontaneity of real life. And it is a testament to the writing that although it was so scripted, it seemed so tangible.
Ed Harris played Dave Moss, an agent who was so angry it is hard to imagine how he sold anything. Harris was in The Right Stuff, playing astronaut John Glen, and also portrayed painter Jackson Pollack--and was the lead in Walker, directed by Alex Cox.
Kevin Spacey was great as Williamson, the office manager who was only doing his job. He is also an Oscar winner for American Beauty, which by the way, also has a rather harsh take on the profession of Real Estate Agent. My favorite Spacey performance (aside from when he cried about all the insinuendos people made just because he took his mother as his date to the Oscars) is in Hurly Burly with Sean Penn. I like that one, because it shows how sleazy Hollywood types are, as opposed to Real Estate Agents. They get enough grief from Mitch and Murray.
Hurlyburly (New Line Platinum Series)
American Beauty (Widescreen Edition)
Save the Tiger
Days of Wine and Roses
The Apartment
Some Like It Hot
Scent of a Woman
Catch-22
Little Miss Sunshine
Death of a Salesman
Description of Glengarry Glen Ross
A group of sleazy real estate men face a high-pressure stress as they are put in danger of getting the ax by their hard-driving bosses.System Requirements:Starring: Al Pacino Alan Arkin Alec Baldwin Ed Harris Jack Lemmon and Kevin Spacey. Directed By: James Foley. Running Time: 100 Min. Color. This film is presented in both "Widescreen" and "Standard" formats. Copyright 2002 Artisan Entertainment.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 012236114505 Manufacturer No: 13286Bestsellers in DVD
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