Glengarry Glen Ross (film)

Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1992 American drama film adapted by David Mamet from his 1984 Pulitzer Prize–winning play of the same name, and directed by James Foley. The film depicts two days in the lives of four real estate salesmen and how desperate they become when the corporate office sends a trainer to "motivate" them. He tells them that, in a week's time, all except the top two salesmen will be fired.

Glengarry Glen Ross
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Foley
Produced by
  • Jerry Tokofsky
  • Stanley R. Zupnik
Screenplay byDavid Mamet
Based onGlengarry Glen Ross
by David Mamet
Starring
Music byJames Newton Howard
CinematographyJuan Ruiz Anchía
Edited byHoward Smith
Production
company
Zupnik Enterprises
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
  • October 2, 1992 (1992-10-02)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12.5 million[1]
Box office$10.7 million (North America)[2]

The setting of the film is never explicitly stated. While the play of the same name is set in Chicago, Illinois, the film includes numerous references to New York City, including an establishing shot of a New York City Subway platform followed by a close-up shot of a New York Telephone-branded payphone, NYPD police cars and insignia, New York license plates, most characters using New York accents, etc.[3][4] Film critics and journalists have nonetheless cited Chicago as the setting of the film, possibly based on their familiarity with the original play.[5][6] Exterior shots were filmed on location in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.[7]

Like the play, the film is notorious for its use of profanity, leading the cast to refer to the film jokingly as "Death of a Fuckin' Salesman".[8] The title of the film comes from the names of two of the real estate developments being peddled by the salesmen characters: Glengarry Highlands and Glen Ross Farms.

The world premiere of the film was held at the 49th Venice Film Festival, where Jack Lemmon was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Al Pacino was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Though the film was a box office failure, grossing $10.7 million in North America against a $12.5 million budget, Glengarry Glen Ross was lauded by critics and is considered a classic film.[9][10]

Plot

The film depicts two days in the lives of four real estate salesmen who are supplied with leads — the names and phone numbers of prospects — and use deceitful and dubious tactics to make sales. Many of the leads rationed out by office manager John Williamson (Kevin Spacey) lack either the money or the desire to actually invest in land.

Blake (Alec Baldwin) is sent by Mitch and Murray, the owners of Premiere Properties, to motivate the sales team. He unleashes a torrent of verbal abuse on the salesmen and announces that only the top two will be allowed access to the more promising Glengarry leads. The rest of them will be fired.

Shelley "The Machine" Levene (Jack Lemmon) is a once-powerful and formerly successful salesman who is now in a long-running slump and with a chronically ill daughter in the hospital with an unknown medical condition. Levene knows that he will lose his job soon if he cannot generate sales. He tries to persuade Williamson to give him some of the Glengarry leads, but Williamson refuses. Levene tries first to charm Williamson, then to threaten him, and finally to bribe him. Williamson is willing to sell some of the prime leads but demands cash in advance. Levene cannot come up with the cash and leaves without better leads.

Meanwhile, Dave Moss (Ed Harris) and George Aaronow (Alan Arkin) complain about Mitch and Murray, and Moss proposes that they strike back at the two by stealing all the Glengarry leads and selling them to a competing real estate agency. Moss's plan requires Aaronow to break into the office, stage a burglary and steal all of the prime leads. Aaronow wants no part of the plan, but Moss tries to coerce him, saying that Aaronow is already an accessory before the fact simply because he knows about the proposed burglary.

At a nearby bar, Ricky Roma (Al Pacino), the office's top "closer", delivers a long, disjointed but compelling monologue to a meek, middle-aged man named James Lingk (Jonathan Pryce). Roma does not broach the subject of a Glengarry Farms real estate deal until he has completely won Lingk over with his speech. Framing the deal as an opportunity rather than a purchase, Roma plays upon Lingk's feelings of insecurity.

The next day, when the salesmen come into the office, they learn that there has been a burglary and the Glengarry leads have been stolen. Williamson and the police question each of the salesmen in private. After his interrogation, Moss leaves in disgust, only after having one last shouting match with Roma. During the cycle of interrogations, Lingk arrives to tell Roma that his wife has told him to cancel the deal. Scrambling to salvage the deal, Roma tries to deceive Lingk by telling him that the check he wrote the night before has yet to be cashed and that accordingly, he has time to reason with his wife and reconsider.

Levene abets Roma by pretending to be a wealthy investor who just happens to be on his way to the airport. Williamson, unaware of Roma and Levene's stalling tactic, lies to Lingk, claiming that he already deposited his check in the bank. Upset, Lingk rushes out of the office, and Roma berates Williamson for what he has done. Roma then enters Williamson's office to take his turn at being interrogated by the police.

Levene, proud of a massive sale he made that morning, takes the opportunity to mock Williamson in private. In his zeal to get back at Williamson, Levene accidentally reveals that he knows Williamson lied to Roma minutes earlier about depositing Lingk's check and had left the check on his desk and had not made the bank run the previous night — something only a man who broke into the office would know. Williamson catches Levene's slip of the tongue and compels Levene to admit that he broke into the office. Levene attempts to laugh it off, but Williamson compels him to keep talking by threatening to turn him to the police. Levene finally caves in and admits that he and Moss conspired to steal the leads. When Williamson decides to turn him in, Levene attempts to bribe Williamson to keep quiet. Williamson scoffs at the suggestion and tells Levene that the buyers to whom he had made his sale earlier that day are in fact bankrupt and delusional and just enjoy talking to salesmen. Levene, crushed by this revelation, asks Williamson why he seeks to ruin him. Williamson coldly responds, "Because I don't like you."

Levene makes a last-ditch attempt to gain sympathy by mentioning his daughter's health, but Williamson cruelly rebuffs him and leaves to inform the detective about Levene's part in the burglary. Williamson walks out of the room as Roma enters. Unaware of what just transpired, Roma talks to Levene about their forming a business partnership. The detective calls for Levene, who walks into Williamson's office, heartbroken and defeated. Roma leaves the office to go for lunch. Aaronow returns to his desk to make his sales calls as usual.

Cast

Production

David Mamet's play was first performed in 1983 at the National Theatre, London. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. That same year, the play made its American debut in Chicago before moving to Broadway. Producer Jerry Tokofsky read the play on a trip to New York City in 1985 at the suggestion of director Irvin Kershner who wanted to make it into a film.[11] Tokofsky saw the play on Broadway and contacted Mamet. Stanley R. Zupnik was a Washington, D.C. based producer of B movies who was looking for a more profitable project. Tokofsky had co-produced two previous Zupnik films. In 1986, Tokofsky told Zupnik about Mamet's play, and Zupnik saw it on Broadway but found the plot confusing.

Mamet wanted $500,000 for the film rights and another $500,000 to write the screenplay. Zupnik agreed to pay Mamet's $1 million asking price, figuring that they could cut a deal with a cable company to bankroll the production. Because of the uncompromising subject matter and abrasive language, no major studio wanted to finance it, even with film stars attached. Financing came from cable and video companies, a German television station, an Australian cinema chain, several banks and New Line Cinema over the course of four years.[11]

Al Pacino originally wanted to do the play on Broadway, but at the time he was doing another Mamet production, American Buffalo, in London. He expressed interest in appearing in the film adaptation. In 1989, Tokofsky asked Jack Lemmon to act in the film.[12] During this time, Kershner dropped out to make another film, as did Pacino. Alec Baldwin, also attached, was earmarked to play the Roma role vacated by Pacino. He reportedly left the project over a contract disagreement, the real reason being Pacino was still being considered for Roma, and would be cast over Baldwin if he elected to accept the role. James Foley's agent sent Foley Mamet's screenplay in early 1991, but Foley was hesitant to direct because he "wanted great actors, people with movie charisma, to give it watchability, especially since the locations were so restricted".[13] Foley took the screenplay to Pacino, with whom he had been trying to work on a film for years.[14] Foley was hired to direct, only to leave the production as well.

By March 1991, Tokofsky contacted Baldwin and begged him to reconsider doing the film. Baldwin's character was specifically written for the actor, to include in the film version, and is not part of the original play. Tokofsky remembers, "Alec said: 'I've read 25 scripts and nothing is as good as this. OK. If you make it, I'll do it'."[11] The two men arranged an informal reading with Lemmon in Los Angeles. Subsequently, the three men organized readings with several other actors, as Lemmon remembers, "Some of the best damn actors you're ever going to see came in and read and I'm talking about names".[14] Tokofsky's lawyer, Jake Bloom, called a meeting at the Creative Artists Agency, who represented many of the actors involved, and asked for their help. CAA showed little interest, but two of their clients – Ed Harris and Kevin Spacey – soon joined the cast.

Because of the film's modest budget, many of the actors took significant pay cuts. For example, Pacino cut his per-movie price from $6 million to $1.5 million, Lemmon was paid $1 million, Baldwin received $250,000, and so on.[11] This did not stop other actors, like Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis,[11] Richard Gere, and Joe Mantegna,[12] from expressing interest in the film. Mantegna had been in the original Broadway cast and won a Tony Award in 1985 for his portrayal of Roma.

Once the film's cast was assembled, they spent three weeks in rehearsals. With a budget set at $12.5 million, filming began in August 1991 at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York, and on location in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, over 39 days. Harris remembers: "There were five and six-page scenes we would shoot all at once. It was more like doing a play at times [when] you'd get the continuity going".[14] Alan Arkin said of the script, "What made it [challenging] was the language and the rhythms, which are enormously difficult to absorb".[14] During filming, members of the cast who were not required to be on the set certain days would show up anyway to watch the other actors' performances.[15]

The film's director of photography, Juan Ruiz Anchía, relied on low lighting and shadows. A blues, greens, and reds color scheme was used for the first part of the film, while the second half had a monochromatic blue-grey color scheme.

During the production, Tokofsky and Zupnik had a falling out over money and credit for the film. Tokofsky sued to strip Zupnik of his producer's credit and share of the producer's fee.[16] Zupnik claimed that he personally put up $2 million of the film's budget and countersued, claiming that Tokofsky was fired for embezzlement.[16]

Reception

Box office

Glengarry Glen Ross had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Jack Lemmon won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.[17] In addition, it was originally slated to be shown at the Montreal Film Festival, but it was necessary to show it out of competition because it was entered into competition at the Venice Film Festival at the same time. Instead, it was given its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.[18] The film opened in wide release on October 2, 1992 in 416 theaters, grossing $2.1 million on its opening weekend. It went on to make $10.7 million in North America,[2] below its $12.5 million budget.[2]

Critical response

The film has a rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The consensus reads, "This adaptation of David Mamet's play is every bit as compelling and witty as its source material, thanks in large part to a clever script and a bevy of powerhouse actors."[19] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 80 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]

Owen Gleiberman gave the film an "A" rating in his review for Entertainment Weekly magazine, praising Lemmon's performance as "a revelation" and describing his character as "the weaselly soul of Glengarry Glen Ross–Willy Loman turned into a one-liner".[21] In his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert wrote, "Mamet's dialogue has a kind of logic, a cadence, that allows people to arrive in triumph at the ends of sentences we could not possibly have imagined. There is great energy in it. You can see the joy with which these actors get their teeth into these great lines, after living through movies in which flat dialogue serves only to advance the story".[22] In The Chicago Reader, Jonathan Rosenbaum lauded Foley for his "excellent feeling for the driven and haunted jive rhythms of David Mamet, macho invective and all" and called the film "a superb 1992 delivery of [Mamet's] tour de force theater piece." [23] The Chicago Tribune's Dave Kehr hedged his praise, writing that the film was "a well written, well staged and well acted piece, though there is something musty in its aesthetic - that of the huge, bellowing method performance, plastered over a flimsy, one-set world."[24]

Newsweek magazine's Jack Kroll observed of Alec Baldwin's performance, "Baldwin is sleekly sinister in the role of Blake, a troubleshooter called in to shake up the salesmen. He shakes them up, all right, but this character (not in the original play) also shakes up the movie's toned balance with his sheer noise and scatological fury".[25] In his review for The New York Times, Vincent Canby praised, "the utterly demonic skill with which these foulmouthed characters carve one another up in futile attempts to stave off disaster. It's also because of the breathtaking wizardry with which Mr. Mamet and Mr. Foley have made a vivid, living film that preserves the claustrophobic nature of the original stage work".[26]

In his review for Time, Richard Corliss wrote, "A peerless ensemble of actors fills Glengarry Glen Ross with audible glares and shudders. The play was zippy black comedy about predators in twilight; the film is a photo-essay, shot in morgue closeup, about the difficulty most people have convincing themselves that what they do matters".[27] However, Desson Howe's review in The Washington Post criticized Foley's direction, writing that it "doesn't add much more than the street between. If his intention is to create a sense of claustrophobia, he also creates the (presumably) unwanted effect of a soundstage. There is no evidence of life outside the immediate world of the movie".[28]

Legacy

The film has had an enduring legacy for its memorable dialogue and performances, particularly that of Alec Baldwin, whose character was created for the film adaptation.[29][30] In 2012, on the 20th anniversary of its release, David Wagner of The Atlantic dubbed it a cult classic[31] and Tim Grierson of Deadspin cited it as one of the "quintessential modern movies about masculinity."[32][33] In 2014, English critic Philip French described the ensemble of Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, and Alec Baldwin as "one of the best American casts ever assembled."[9]

Awards

Jack Lemmon was voted Best Actor by the National Board of Review.[34] Al Pacino was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor but did not win.[35] He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role but lost to Gene Hackman for Unforgiven; the same year he was nominated for and won the Best Actor Oscar for Scent of a Woman.[36] Empire magazine voted the film the 470th greatest film in their "500 Greatest Movies of All Time" list.[37]

References
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  2. "Glengarry Glen Ross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  3. Martin, Murilee (2018-05-23). "Five GM rides and an 8-Series: Cars of the film "Glengarry Glen Ross"". Autoweek. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  4. "New York Phone Booths, by Helen Levitt". The Payphone Project. 2011-01-23. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  5. Bernstein, Richard (August 15, 1991). "Despite the Odds, 'Glengarry' Is Being Filmed". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  6. Ebert, Roger. "Glengarry Glen Ross movie review (1992)". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  7. "Glengarry Glen Ross Film Locations - [otsoNY.com]". onthesetofnewyork.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  8. According to Ed Harris, while being interviewed on Inside the Actors Studio. Season 7. Episode 6. 2000-12-17.
  9. French, Philip (September 13, 2014). "Glengarry Glen Ross review – Philip French on one of the best American casts ever assembled". The Guardian. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  10. Monahan, Mark (December 16, 2005). "Must-have movies: Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  11. Weinraub, Bernard (October 12, 1992). "The Glengarry Math: Add Money and Stars, then Subtract Ego". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  12. Blanchard, Jayne M (September 27, 1992). "Glengarry Hits the Screen with the Joys of Male Angst". Washington Times.
  13. Hartl, John (September 28, 1992). "Director is Happy to put Big Stars in Film Version of Mamet Play". Seattle Times.
  14. "Glengarry Glen Ross Production Notes". New Line Cinema Press Kit. 1992.
  15. Berardinelli, James (2006). "Glengarry Glen Ross". ReelViews. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  16. Powers, William F (October 4, 1992). "Pacino, Mamet and . . . Zupnik; Who? The Local Real Estate Mogul Behind Glengarry". The Washington Post.
  17. Clark, Jennifer (July 31, 1992). "Three U.S. entries sign on at 49th Venice Fest". Variety.
  18. Adilman, Sid (September 1, 1992). "Festivals scrap over movie". Toronto Star.
  19. "Glengarry Glen Ross". Rotten Tomatoes.
  20. Artisan Entertainment quoted at Metacritic, "Glengarry Glen Ross". Accessed April 26, 2015
  21. Gleiberman, Owen (October 9, 1992). "Pros and Cons". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  22. Ebert, Roger (October 2, 1992). "Glengarry Glen Ross". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  23. Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1992). "Glengarry Glen Ross". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  24. Kehr, Dave (October 2, 1992). "Glengarry Glen Ross". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  25. Kroll, Jack (October 5, 1992). "Heels, Heroes and Hustlers". Newsweek. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  26. Canby, Vincent (September 30, 1992). "Mamet's Real Estate Sharks and Their Prey". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  27. Corliss, Richard (October 12, 1992). "Sweating Out Loud". Time. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  28. Howe, Desson (October 2, 1992). "Glengarry Glen Ross". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  29. Williamson, Kevin D. (July 30, 2017). "Death of a F***ing Salesman". National Review. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  30. D'Angelo, Mike (July 23, 2012). "Why Glengarry Glen Ross' Alec Baldwin scene is so unusual". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  31. Wagner, David (October 2, 2012). "20 Years of Alec Baldwin 'Glengarry Glen Ross' Parodies". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  32. Tobias, Scott (2010). "Glengarry Glen Ross". Film. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  33. Grierson, Tim (September 26, 2012). "Always Be Posing: What 20-year-old Glengarry Glen Ross Can Teach Us About Manhood". Deadspin. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  34. "Howards End NBR's best film". Variety. December 17, 1992. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  35. Benson, Jim (December 30, 1992). "Globes Nod to Men, Aladdin". Variety.
  36. Spillman, Susan (February 18, 1993). "Oscar's independent streak". USA Today.
  37. "500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire. Archived from the original on 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
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