Salesman is a 1969 documentary film directed by Albert and David Maysles, with Charlotte Zwerin as co-director and editor. The film follows the lives of four traveling salesmen who work for the Mid-American Bible Company, selling expensive, gold-leaf Bibles door-to-door in towns across America. The salesmen are portrayed as working-class, hard-drinking men who are struggling to make a living in a tough economic climate.
The documentary provides a detailed view of the day-to-day life of the salesmen, as they travel by car from one town to another, staying in cheap motels and eating at diners. Their work is grueling, as they spend long days knocking on doors and trying to convince reluctant customers to buy their expensive product.
Despite their best efforts, the salesmen face an uphill battle. Many of the people they encounter are not interested in buying Bibles and are often put off by the high price. The documentary shows the frustration and disappointment the salesmen experience as they struggle to make sales and meet their quotas.
The film's documentary style is relatively unobtrusive, with the Maysles brothers and their team shooting hours of footage and then editing it down to create a narrative. Much of the film's impact comes from the raw, unscripted conversations captured on camera, as the salesmen talk about their lives, their struggles, and their hopes for the future.
Salesman is widely regarded as a classic of the documentary genre, and its influence can be seen in many later films and TV shows. It offers a compelling and often poignant glimpse into the lives of working-class Americans and the challenges they face in trying to make a living.