Wow - now we're talking. Got a couple more documentaries in the can from the Maysles Brothers and Charlotte Zwerin. I never heard of this one but it hit me hard. They did Gimme Shelter too, of course which we talked about and I think was our first documentary here we covered.
I own Harlan County USA and to me it's one of the premier documentaries. I love a good documentary even though we understand it may not be the best reflection of real life and in fact, may alter by the mere presence of the cameras what would otherwise happen, but for this one they got down to one camera, one mic, and the most unobtrusive presence possible for these guys.
We follow four Bible Salesmen in MA and FL as they're trying to sell these Bibles. However, one man in particular, Paul is the focus of the story for the most part. The story in some ways is the portrayal of a life of a man who's having a tough time in sales. I guess in a bigger sense it's a story about materialism and the bible as a product, which is odd, cause you'd think God's world should be free, right?
This movie moved me to such an extent that I am rewatching it on the Criterion Channel with the commentary because it's such a fascinating glimpse into a world that isn't really here anymore. Door to Door Salesmen don't exist anymore but the salesworld pushes on thru ads, targeted marketing, and so forth.
It was really something and a nice change from stuff that was dragging me down in the collection.
I really liked it.
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