I live near a town named Glengarry but unfortunately, the leads are weak, unlike those for the fictional Glengarry in David Mamet’s 1984 Pulitzer Prize play Glengarry Glen Ross, which was later turned into a feature film under the same name. With the most aggressive all-male cast ever, even angrier than 12 Angry Men, this biting drama has made its Blu-ray debut in the UK under 101 Films via a premium Limited Edition.
After a belittling pep talk with the added threat of dismissal, the frustrated salesman at a real estate agency desperately try to close on the unpromising sales leads that have been rationed out by their office managers. Interestingly the words, “real estate” and “property”, are rarely used, if not at all throughout the film. It’s this deliberate vagueness that implies that our characters are really talking about something else, which made for a very puzzling first viewing when I was a more literally-minded person. Now that I’m a little wiser, Mamet’s unique and exhausting dialogue speaks to the defeatist mindset that plagues the many in white-collared potions, particularly those that exist in high-pressure environments.
Perpetually losers in their craft, Dave Moss and George Aaronow, played by Ed Harris and Alan Arkin, are the two most impotent employees. Moss is an ill-tempered big mouth, who talks a big game and is more preoccupied with how to cheat instead of applying his trade. Whereas his aging colleague, Aaronow, is insecure and has all but lost his confidence. Their scenes together are among my favourites and are quietly amusing as Moss drives the conversation while an ignorant Aaronow only chimes in to clarify. They come across as two kids trying to think of ways to get back at a school bully.
Al Pacino as the agency’s top salesman, Richard Roma, delivers a performance that gave birth to everyone’s go-to impression of the Oscar-winning actor. Roman is brash yet cool and collected when cruising potential buyers, such as flakey Lingk, played by Jonathan Pryce. Their encounter plays out in a very seductive manner as Roma plays on Lingk’s insecurity with the assurance that purchasing land is a means of stability.
At the film’s emotional core, or epicenter, is the once-successful Shelley “The Machine” Levene, played by Jack Lemmon. The most senior player who hasn’t made a sale for a considerable time with a sick daughter, the elder man is at the height of desperation. Shelley’s the epitome of the beaten down working man, who’s worth is merely his hourly rate. While sympathetic, he’s equally reprehensible as his younger colleagues, all of whom spin lies and use dubious tactics to create a sense of urgency when pursuing their “leads”. It’s only their office manager John Williamson (Keven Spacey) who has some neutrality, but he must endure relentless verbal abuse, which results in resentment and bias. Williamson is not overtly antagonistic, but Spacey does give him a frighting quality, and his loathing towards Shelly is palpable. I’d be remiss if I did not mention Alec Baldwin who sets the plot in motion as the personification of success and arrogance. Although, absent from the original stage play, Baldwin encompasses the central themes of Glengarry Glen Ross, namely toxic masculinity and competitive dominance.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- A conversation with director James Foley
- ”God Bless Ricky Roma” Actor Joe Mantegna remembers working with David Mamet
- Audio commentary with James Foley
- Audio commentary with actor Jack Lemmon
- ”A.B.C. (Always Be Closing)” documentary (SD)
- Magic Time: A tribute to Jack Lemmon (SD)
- Limited Edition Booklet: Includes ‘Death of a Fuckin’ $ale$man: Defining an American Dramatic Tradition’ by Rich Johnson and ‘Glengarry Glen Ross and The All-American Loser’ by Andrew Graves.
All the special features on this disc are identical to the 2020 Shout! Factory release of Glengarry Glen Ross which is good news to collectors who only own a Region B Blu-ray player or didn’t want to pay extra for the import. Most of interest is an interview with director James Foley which runs nearly 40 minutes and covers every major area of the drama’s filmmaking process. While exhaustive, the featurette is far from boring as Foley shares interesting tidbits about the movie’s rehearsal process, the struggles of shooting Mamet’s unique dialogue, and the dynamic between cast members behind the scenes. Out of the archival material, Jack Lemmon’s commentary serves as an insightful “relic of the past” as the actor spends a humorous amount of time explaining away the film’s foul language. – by Hannah Lynch
VIDEO AND AUDIO
It’s been four years since the last Blu-ray release of Glengarry Glen Ross, which was from Shout! Factory in the U.S. and 101 Films have utilized the same HD master in 2.39:1 which looks significantly better than my old 4:3 DVD from the long-defunct MRA Entertainment. It’s a better film to watch in widescreen, without question, and the neo-noir quality really comes through with the improved colour, deep blacks and rich.
LPCM 2.0 is crystal clear and loud, carrying all those f-bombs and insults through my living room and, most importantly, there are English subtitles for the hearing impaired and for those keen to make some internet memes.
Glengarry Glen Ross may not be the usual gritty cult classic we normally expect from 101 Films, but this is an easy sell for the UK label and this release certainly has brass balls, which will no doubt have fans and collectors signing on the line that is dotted.
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
(1992, director: James Foley)
★★★★½
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