Glengarry Glen Ross [1992]

[Abishai100]

This searing American drama, which is a film adaptation of a Pulitzer-prize winning and Tony-award winning David Mamet play about the ethics and humanism intrigue in an office of real estate salesman is very well-composed and efficiently sculpted.

We are introduced to a handful of very different American salesman, portrayed by an incredibly talented cast (Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin, and more), who are presented with a new sales deadline challenge brought on by a competitive market scenario: a sales contest requires the salesmen to compete to see who will keep their jobs.

There is a break-in to the main office headquarters room, and vital information is stolen for profit and gain, and while the competition continues, we listen to the emotional grievances and intellectual motivation (or lack thereof) of varying kinds of salesmen either stuck or well-placed in their 'positions of performance.'

The film, directed by James Foley, does a very fine job of capturing what is important and what is frustrating about capitalism, office ethics, humanism attitudes, and 'style versus substance dementia.'

Given the film's gritty and sense-rich presentation of pedestrian themes, one would see why this would be a terrific Blu-ray purchase for Christmas 2016 for your parents or boss.

I give this film 4/5 stars, if I gave a very classic and prestigious film such as Orson Welles' Citizen Kane 5/5 stars.




Glengarry Glen Ross (Wikipedia)

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

This searing American drama, which is a film adaptation of a Pulitzer-prize winning and Tony-award winning David Mamet play about the ethics and humanism intrigue in an office of real estate salesman is very well-composed and efficiently sculpted.

We are introduced to a handful of very different American salesman, portrayed by an incredibly talented cast (Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin, and more), who are presented with a new sales deadline challenge brought on by a competitive market scenario: a sales contest requires the salesmen to compete to see who will keep their jobs.

There is a break-in to the main office headquarters room, and vital information is stolen for profit and gain, and while the competition continues, we listen to the emotional grievances and intellectual motivation (or lack thereof) of varying kinds of salesmen either stuck or well-placed in their 'positions of performance.'

The film, directed by James Foley, does a very fine job of capturing what is important and what is frustrating about capitalism, office ethics, humanism attitudes, and 'style versus substance dementia.'

Given the film's gritty and sense-rich presentation of pedestrian themes, one would see why this would be a terrific Blu-ray purchase for Christmas 2016 for your parents or boss.

I give this film 4/5 stars, if I gave a very classic and prestigious film such as Orson Welles' Citizen Kane 5/5 stars.




Glengarry Glen Ross (Wikipedia)



View attachment 91760

Granny Gargles, Granny's Gross

Mamet is a decadent self-conscious New Age snob. I included him in my play Sick Authors in Search of Character, along with Beckett, Albee, and Shepard. Then I realized that a theater world that worshipped such frauds would never produce my play, so I never bothered finishing it.

 

[SYTFE]

This searing American drama, which is a film adaptation of a Pulitzer-prize winning and Tony-award winning David Mamet play about the ethics and humanism intrigue in an office of real estate salesman is very well-composed and efficiently sculpted.

We are introduced to a handful of very different American salesman, portrayed by an incredibly talented cast (Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin, and more), who are presented with a new sales deadline challenge brought on by a competitive market scenario: a sales contest requires the salesmen to compete to see who will keep their jobs.

There is a break-in to the main office headquarters room, and vital information is stolen for profit and gain, and while the competition continues, we listen to the emotional grievances and intellectual motivation (or lack thereof) of varying kinds of salesmen either stuck or well-placed in their 'positions of performance.'

The film, directed by James Foley, does a very fine job of capturing what is important and what is frustrating about capitalism, office ethics, humanism attitudes, and 'style versus substance dementia.'

Given the film's gritty and sense-rich presentation of pedestrian themes, one would see why this would be a terrific Blu-ray purchase for Christmas 2016 for your parents or boss.

I give this film 4/5 stars, if I gave a very classic and prestigious film such as Orson Welles' Citizen Kane 5/5 stars.




Glengarry Glen Ross (Wikipedia)



View attachment 91760

GREAT film. One of my all time favs. Brilliantly written and acted.

 

[Abishai100]

Typing Thrice

Well, those are two very different evaluations of Mamet and this film.

While the film is somewhat stuffy and theme-absorbed, if you appreciate the screen potential of good casting (something Snow White and the Huntsman lacks) and socially-relevant dialogue (something Mad City lacks), then Glengarry Glen Ross is a nice Saturday night movie-rental experience for adults.

I like how this film focuses on the humanism of 'American contracts.' If you're 'intrigued' by culture-shocking stories such as Enron, then this film is for you!


Consider this Halloween an anti-American fanatic decides to stalk and kill the American movie star Tom Cruise in some 'pro-terrorism' gesture (e.g., Timothy McVeigh) meant to signify 'celebrity-culture morality deterioration.' How would we evaluate civics creepiness?

Basically, I appreciate how this film draws us in about conversational rapture.

Anyone a fan of Rain Man?

 

[Abishai100]

The Contract


Glengarry Glen Ross looks at the emotional impact of social contracts in a profit-gauged modern world of mindlessly ambitious bureaucrats learning about the value of trust.

It's no surprise Al Pacino, one of the stellar cast-members of this (IMO) gripping film, went on to make a film-adaptation project of William Shakespeare's contract-inquisition play The Merchant of Venice.

Here's short fan-fic I cooked up in honor of the betrayal themes/ideas in this film, which I think Pacino might appreciate! It's interesting how many modern-day actors have invested in Shakespearean projects exploring dystopian themes.

What do you think is the better 'contract-film,' Glengarry Glen Ross or Roman Polanski's Death and the Maiden?


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Timothy was a bell-boy and service-waiter at a very fancy hotel in Switzerland which was about to host a special event co-sponsored by the United Nations. The hotel and the UN were awarding students from around the world who had successfully attained their high school diplomas with a free week's stay at the lavish hotel which included a spa and ski-slopes. The purpose of the event was to advertise the notion that education was valued by the international community more than celebrity or sports achievements. The UN was doing a special 'culture-activism mission' to fight the consumerism-convenience trends that catered to a new age capitalism-related moral apathy around the world, a moral apathy which was being conflagrated by anti-capitalism acts of terrorism such as 9/11.

Timothy did not intend to be a 'dutiful' witness or service-man at the hotel for this globally-symbolic education campaign event. He thought it was immature and frivolous to award high school graduates with a week's stay at a lavish hotel, so he decided to go on a little self-proclaimed 'psycho vigilante' crusade. Timothy would deliver room-service food to the high school graduate guests with poison laced in it. When the guests at the food and died, Timothy would send out a public 'Messianic' message: "Be wary of the capitalism monster, for he hides where you least expect!" Timothy realized the deed would make him an overnight 'prophet.' He was thrilled at the notion of doing something outlandish and fantastic to make up for a life of ineffectual activity, dead-end aspirations, and unrequited love.

When the police filed the reports for Timothy's room-service poison-spree, the public was shocked to discover that civil procedures in the modern world could be confounded both by anti-civilization terrorism and private criminal vigilantism. The UN issued a statement, "We regret our education-laurels program with the Switzerland hotel resulted in a terrible crime committed by an emotionally eschewed employee. We are sure this tragedy will not scar the face of modern education focused programs and events." As Timothy sat in his prison cell awaiting the death-penalty, he doodled drawings of millionaire fat-cats and crude teenagers following their idol worship. He realized that his gesture would be evaluated as 'psychotic,' but he was sure that his deed of anti-capitalism 'austerity' would also be remembered as an act of anti-imperial anger. He muttered to himself, "This prison better have decent room service!" Timothy spent his final days reading comic books.

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[Rocko]

One of my favorite movies. The best part is When Al Panchino rips Kevin Spacey. "Who told you you can work with men? You fairy, you company man."