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Glengarry Glen Ross Special Edition DVD 1992 Starring: Jack Lemmon Al Pacino Ed Harris Alan Arkin Kevin Spacey Alec Baldwin Plot Synopsis: Times are tough in a New York office the salesmen (Shelley Levene Ricky Roma Dave Moss and George Aaronow) are given a strong incentive by Blake to succeed in a sales contest. The prizes First prize is a Cadillac Eldorado second prize is a set of steak knives third prize is the sack! There is no room for losers in this dramatically masculine world only "closers" will get the good sales leads. There is a lot of pressure to succeed so a robbery is committed which has unforseen consequences for all the characters. Review: Like moths to a flame great actors gravitate to the singular genius of playwright-screenwriter David Mamet who updated his Pulitzer Prize-winning play for this all-star screen adaptation. The material is not inherently cinematic so the movie s greatest asset is Mamet s peerless dialogue and the assembly of a once-in-a-lifetime cast led by Al Pacino Jack Lemmon and Alec Baldwin (the last in a role Mamet created especially for the film). Often regarded as a critique of the Reagan administration s impact on the American economy the play and film focus on a competitive group of real estate salesmen who ve gone from feast to famine in a market gone cold. When an executive "motivator" (Alec Baldwin) demands a sales contest among the agents in the cramped office the stakes are critically high: any agent who fails to meet his quota of sales "leads" (i.e. potential buyers) will lose his job. This intense ultimatum is a boon for the office superstar (Pacino) but a once-successful salesman (Lemmon) now finds himself clinging nervously to faded glory. Political and personal rivalries erupt under pressure when the other agents (Alan Arkin Ed Harris) suspect the office manager (Kevin Spacey) of foul play. This cauldron of anxiety tension and sheer desperation provides fertile soil for Mamet s scathingly rich dialogue which is like rocket fuel for some of the greatest actors of our time. Pacino won an Oscar nomination for his volatile performance but it s Lemmon who s the standout doing some of the best work of his distinguished career. Director James Foley shapes Mamet s play into a stylish intensely focused film that will stand for decades as a testament to its brilliant writer and cast. DVD Features: Befitting the film s subject matter the bonus features on the 10th-anniversary special-edition DVD of Glengarry Glen Ross provide an even balance of topical and behind-the-scenes exploration. James Foley s commentary like his acclaimed adaptation of David Mamet s play is concise articulate and richly observant on the topics of theme direction and rehearsal. The same is true of shorter commentaries by Alec Baldwin Alan Arkin director of photography Juan Ruiz Anchia and production designer Jane Musky--all are intelligent and generous in sharing their artistic approach to Mamet s rich material. The interview documentary "Always Be Closing" attempts with adequate success to draw parallels between the revealing anecdotes of real-life salesmen and a survey of salesmen in drama from Death of a Salesman to Tin Men and beyond. Pennsylvania filmmaker Tony Buba s short documentary "J. Roy: New and Used Furniture" is a quirky but welcomed inclusion with its vintage portrait of a small-time entrepreneur. The "Tribute to Jack Lemmon" is touching funny and deeply affectionate (Peter Gallagher s anecdotes are particularly amusing Chris Lemmon s are appropriately moving). Lemmon himself is included in a 1998 excerpt from Inside the Actor s Studio and a Charlie Rose interview. All of these features are well conceived and sharply organized David Mamet s predictable absence is this DVD s only minor drawback. DVD Details: Actors: Jack Lemmon Al Pacino Ed Harris Alan Arkin Kevin Spacey See more Directors: James Foley Format: Anamorphic Box set Closed-captioned Color Dolby DTS Surround Sound Full Screen Live Special Edition Widescreen NTSC Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Studio: Live Artisan DVD Release Date: November 19 2002 Run Time: 100 minutes
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