Glengary Glen Ross

by David Mamet, Gordon Clapp (Reader)

Comic Drama 7 male

2 interior sets

This scalding comedy took Broadway and London by storm and won the 1984 Pulitzer Prize. Here is Mamet at his very best, writing about small-time, cutthroat real estate salesmen trying to grind out a living by pushing plots of land on reluctant buyers in a never-ending scramble for their share of the American dream. Revived on Broadway in 2006 this masterpiece of American drama became a celebrated film which starred Al Pacino, Jac

Genres: Plays, Drama, Fiction, Theatre, Classics, American, School

MP3 CD

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

David Alan Mamet is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. His works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue and arcane stylized phrasing, as well as for his exploration of masculinity.

As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).

Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business.

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is what I call crunch time-- the last two weeks of the year and attempting to wrap up loose ends in reading before the calendar turns a page. At last count I have five books to go and I hope I get to all five, but it will be a challenge. Before getting to those last five, I decided to get a jump start on a challenge I created for myself for next year. In addition to my Pulitzer challenge, I have decided to 'read Chicago' in 2018, selecting ten books across all genres for this challenge. These books can be memoirs, fiction, nonfiction, Pulitzer or Nobel winners, mysteries, plays, poetry, and even a personal favorite, baseball history books. I am looking forward to this challenge as it allows me to closely study my home city through literature. I guess it means I will need a new tenth book for this challenge, or make it ongoing and eventually read through a list I found, 40 books about Chicago that every Chicagoan should read. How I frame the challenge remains to be seen but it is going to be one near and dear to me and hopefully both fun and fulfilling.

In searching for books that are essentially Chicago, I came across Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet, the 1984 Pulitzer winner for drama. With a script that I was able to read in an hour, I am now able to say that I read a play by Mamet, one of Chicago's leading playwrights. In this now modern classic, Mamet focuses on what he calls the cutthroat world of insurance salesmen. The cast features seven men in their forties and fifties who are all going after the big lead, the one that will net them thousands of dollars and bonuses that could mean a new Cadillac or the elusive trip to Hawaii. I found the script dated as it occurred pre internet, pre skype, and in order to make the big one, salesmen had to spend hours in their cars as they drove to potential clients homes, pitching their product to unsuspecting consumers. Now these sales pitches can take place in an office, on a phone, at a computer, saving salespeople hours of time and aggravation in commuting. As a result, the script appeared to be a touch dated, but powerful nonetheless.

In the case of Glengarry, middle aged salesmen on the verge of being laid off attempted to resell condo units at a bogus track of land in Florida. Four men in their forties and another three in their fifties fought to be the one to sell the most condos, the most tracks of land, and see their names land on the top of the monthly leader board. Seeing that sales had for the most part dropped off, the office manager Williamson had created a contest pitting each salesman against each other, hoping that these aging all star pitchmen would find one last moment of glory in their careers. Mamet shows how the business is indeed ruthless as men who had worked together for their entire careers faced off hoping that they would be the one to take the family to Hawaii or ride in a Caddy. And the sales office ended up being the dog eat dog world that Mamet had envisioned as each character whined and attempted to kiss up to the boss in hopes that he would be the favored employee when bonuses were given out at the end of the year.

Glengarry Glen Ross also won an Oscar for best picture in 1992. It was not without controversy as characters swear nonstop as their frustration level grew to high levels. Reading through the script, I noted many words not suitable for underage readers or movie goers, and, after checking, the movie version of this award winning play is indeed rated R. I found Mamet's work to be powerful and one that is more suitable on stage than in written form, especially here as the entire play is centered on human face to face interaction rather than plot development. Glengarry Glen Ross allowed me to witness a sliver of society that is slowly fading away as the world grows smaller. It is a powerful piece of literature showing the ruthlessness of salesmen, and one worthy of the awards bestowed on both the drama and movie version, and a script I would most likely enjoy the most on stage rather than film.

With 2018 a fortnight away, I am looking forward to my Read Chicago challenge. Glengarry Glen Ross was a quick introduction to this challenge and is making me look forward to other books centered in the city that I love. I hope to read at least one Pulitzer winner in each category for the challenge, so I can now cross award winning drama off of my list.

4 stars

[Dream.M · Rating 4 out of 5]

"برای اینکه من بیشتر داشته باشم تو باید کمتر داشته باشی"
بنابراین آدم فقط در صورت شکست و بدبختی دیگری موفق میشه.
.....
نمایشنامه تلخ ولی جذابی بود. یک نفس خوندمش. به توصیه محمد آقا ( ادمین گروه کتابخوانی) خودم رو بعنوان تماشاچی تاتر تصور کردم و سعی کردم فاصله نندازم بین صحنه ها :)
درباره جنگ قدرت ، زیرآب زنی و دسیسه چینی در محل کار بود نمایشنامه. البته تحلیل‌های عمیق تری داره که توی مقدمه هم نوشته شده که من حوصله روحیه‌شو ندارم تکرار کنم اینجا.
بخش جذاب: هدیه گرفتمش از هدیه دهنده‌ای باهوش (^.^)
.....
میخوام یکمم غر بزنم و اینجا ثبت کنم که یادم بمونه درآینده توی همچین روزایی چه حالی داشتم .
مامان بزرگ و آقا جونم مبتلا به کرونا شدن، حال مامان بزرگم بده خیلی ولی بیمارستان بستری نمیکنه‌شون. نمیتونم کاری کنم و دارم دیوونه میشم از بدردنخوریم. برای پدر شاگردم سرطان مثانه تشخیص دادن و من نمیدونم اون بچه چطور میخواد باهاش روبرو بشه. شوهر دوست صمیمی‌م بهش خیانت کرده و ما توی دوراهی گفتن یا نگفتن بهش گیر کردیم، نمیخوایم ماهم خیانت کار باشیم ولی خب... شرایط اقتصادی افتضاح خرابه، چنتا از دوستام بیکار شدن و رسما درامدشون صفر شده. حالا مسائل مربوط به خودم و زندگیم که یه مثنوی میشه بماند...
هیچ امیدی نیست ،هیچ آینده ای رو نمیتونم تصور کنم و میدونم بیشتر شما همینطورید.
کاش میشد مثل نهنگا خودکشی دسته جمعی کرد حداقل

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Always be closing."

I have seen this performed a couple times and see the film regularly just to get the love of language in it firmly in my head. This won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and deserves it. It's about a "down times" real estate agency in Chicago, a recession, properties are just not moving, and the company sets up a kind of contest to encourage its salesmen to work harder. But it's the heart of a neo-liberal system, the guys who are selling the most at this time are given what few "prime" leads that are available. Lame guys just trying to break in, new guys, or older guys down on their luck, having a "bad streak, because it works in streaks," the dice are loaded against them, the cards are marked.

Two days in an office, and over night there's a break-in, the leads are stolen, but hey, the contest is still on. I know, you are a literary reader, or you read romances for fun, who wants to read about a real estate office in the eighties, not one of them truly admirable in any way?! But you do! You just didn't know you did until now. But listen to it or see the amazing movie version with Jack Lemmon.

Set in Mamet's Chicago, where he worked in a real estate office during the sixties, this captures (male) Chicago language rhythms, and American business talk and makes it poetry, just as Harold Pinter does in The Caretaker or The Birthday Party or Betrayal. Or Albee's Virginia Wolff. As good as my other Mamet favorite, American Buffalo, profane and crisp and just crackling with wit and working class desperation. The Death of a Salesman territory, or Seth's Clyde Fans salesmen.

Who cares if Mamet is politically conservative now or that I disagree with so much he has to say in his non-fiction. He can write.

Always be closing, my friends:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO_t7...

Nighthawks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LYn1...

Always be Quarantining, a parody with American Girl dolls:

https://www.thewrap.com/kathryn-hahn-...

[Seyed Hashemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

واقعا باید فیلمش Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) رو دید که معنی‌دار باشه اینجوری نوشتن دیالوگ رو.

حقیقتا می‌شه دیالوگ‌نویسی درست که بتونه خودش تنش رو ایجاد کنه رو از ممت یاد گرفت.

حتما بیشتر از این بشر خواهم خوند.

فعلا رفع زحمت می‌کنم.

[Ayz · Rating 5 out of 5]

sheesh, the rhythm of mamets dialogue here is so badass. though he seems to have abandoned this style in later years, and you can feel the lack in the newer work. for my money, this one and ‘homicide’ contain his best dialogue. then house of games and olleana (sp?) maybe.

i legit miss mamets older way of writing speech patterns — it’s like a punk rock brick through the window. in a great way.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of real estate salesmen compete to win a prize or lose their jobs.
David Mamet's superb play is full of wonderful characters & dialogue that grabs you by the throat. A ture clasic, & it's a great film as well!

And here's my previous review of the audio version...
The 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning play Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet became the excellent 1992 film with a superb ensemble cast. I've read & seen both many times before & found this Audible version to be just as good.
Recorded live during a 2013 performance by the LA Theatre Works it's a great production. The cast bring out more of the humour than the film version & everyone fits their roles perfectly. Richard Dreyfuss as Sheley "The Machine" Levine (played brilliantly by Jack Lemon in the film version) is a real stand out for me here. He embodies Levene's desperation brilliantly.
David Mamet's dialogue, with a huge amount of profanities, positively sparkles & it's an absolute joy to listen to.

[Justin Levine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me start by being perfectly clear: I'm not a fan of David Mamet. Read Oleanna: did not care for it. Read his view on actors/acting/women: completely disagree with him. But there is no denying that he is iconic in post-Cold War American Theatre. And up until now, I had not had any incentive to pick up this 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner coveted by almost every male colleague I have ever worked with in theatre. So I gave him one last shot. And this was the final nail in the Mamet coffin for me. The story is paltry. The isn't a single redeeming quality to any of these characters. They slur through their dialogue like they're drunk, stopping short on nearly every thought - occasionally, several times in one "sentence". And then there is the language, which honestly would not bother me, if it were not so excessive as to completely distract from the story itself; it's unpoetic, and quite frankly, un-theatrical. Of course there are those who will champion his realism, his unbridled placement of the mirror up to American nature, but doing so with grace, poetry (however subtle) and catharsis is the key to truly dynamic theatre. Albee, Miller, Wilson, and Williams, to name a few, understand this. I'm sure if Mamet was here, he would gladly tell me to go f*** myself, and that's fine, though I would kindly advise that I received enough of that sentiment from the play.

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glengarry Glen Ross is a frenetically paced, dialogue driven, profanity laden play of desperation, greed, and corruption. Set in a Chicago real estate office, and peopled with unscrupulous salesmen desperately trying to keep their jobs, none of these guys are sympathetic characters, but damn! can they ever talk! Set against each other by the office manager, and in danger of losing their jobs if they don’t sell, they all use their fast talking talents to try to wheedle better leads, sell to naive marks, and rip off their bosses. The enterprise is corrupt, the salesmen are corrupt, the marks are stupid, everyone reeks of desperation and doom, and somehow we are laughing.

Glengarry Glen Ross won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1984. It was adapted into a 1992 film that was among the most critically acclaimed of that decade. I listened to the excellent LA Theater Works production of the play with an outstanding cast including Richard Dreyfus, Joe Mantegna, Gordon Clapp, and Richard Schiff.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

قبل از شروعش فکرمی‌کردم گلن گری گلن راس درمورد یه پیرزن دوست‌داشتنیه که از زندگی شیرینش حرف می‌زنه و اسمش گلن گری گلن راسه. ولی درمورد یه عده آقا بود که کت‌وشلوار میپوشن و تو املاک کار می‌کنن و گلن گری گلن راس اسم یه زمینه.

[Zsa Zsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh!
Too American dream for me.
I loved the play by Parsa Piroozfar though.

[Carac Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once heard "Glengarry Glen Ross" described as the other great American play about salesmen. In truth there are many great American plays that explore the capricious game of selling that is the soul of Capitalism. But this is, indeed, in the top two. I have always liked it more than "Death of a Salesman" but I know I'm in the minority on that and no one can deny Miller's Willy Loman.

This is Mamet at the absolute peak of his powers. It doesn't read like a play so much as a transcript typed up from hidden audio surveillance. All the characters are hustling all the time. We learn the sad details of their personal lives only through inference and confusing asides. It's funny and profane and the tragic end is as cathartic as any Greek classic.

This is a play that often gets amateur productions in mid-sized cities and on campuses. If you see a poster, go and see it. If you don't see a poster then watch the movie with Pacino, Lemmon, Spacey, Arkin and Alec Baldwin. If you ever get around to reading the actual stageplay you'll be disappointed that Baldwin's part is a cinematic addition but there it is. Actually here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kZg_... :)

Carac

[Erin the Avid Reader ⚜BFF's with the Cheshire Cat⚜ · Rating 3 out of 5]

FINAL RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS

I remember in an English class I was attending a couple years ago, the topic of Mamet suddenly came up and my teacher wanted each and every one of us to read a scene from American Buffalo. When we were done, my professor wanted us to tell him what we analyzed from the piece of writing. A girl sitting next to me raised her hand and said "I find his situations realistic yet the dialogue surreal and disjointed."

To this day, that response still sticks with me, even thought I feel like she was wrong one thing about Mamet: His dialogue is not surreal. In fact, I find that Mamet writes colloquialism more realistically than any other author or playwright I've ever read. People do not talk like those long, whimsical dialogues they wrote in Victorian novels and Shakespearean plays (even if it would make life more fun). People talk in strange, disjointed, often confusing ways. Mamet captures realistic conversation well, but get used to seeing ellipses. Mamet loves them...and I see why he used them.

Despite the three star rating I have decided to give Glengarry Glen Ross, I actually liked it quite a bit; even if I didn't figure the play was simply about was the machinations of a sales office until around Act II. It made me chortle here and there, and I can envision the dour characters Mamet decided to portray could (and do) exist all-to commonly in real life.

However, I can't find myself giving this play any more than what I've rated it. Maybe I would have loved it more if I had more experiences in a stressful, tight-knit work environment such as sales. This play is more about interaction than work, however, so maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea. Mamet was attempting to write the eloquent yet realistic prose of Harold Pinter, which must have been a difficult task in itself. David Mamet, from what I've seen and how I've perceived it, has earned his spot along with other American playwrights such as Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller as some of the greatest playwrights in the Western World, even if they mostly explore middle-class, blue-collar, white-guy problems.

It is because of this reason I find Pinter's work to be far superior.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ο Ντέιβιντ Μάμετ είναι ένας πάρα πολύ γνωστός και καλός σεναριογράφος και σκηνοθέτης, καθώς φυσικά και θεατρικός συγγραφέας. Δεν χρειάζεται να αραδιάσω εδώ τίτλους ταινιών τις οποίες έχει σκηνοθετήσει ή οι οποίες βασίζονται σε θεατρικά έργα ή σενάρια που έχει γράψει. Έχω δει αρκετές εξ αυτών και όλες τους μου φάνηκαν πολύ καλές.

Τώρα, όσον αφορά το "Οικόπεδα με θέα", το οποίο χάρισε το βραβείο Πούλιτζερ στον Ντέιβιντ Μάμετ και το οποίο είναι με διαφορά το πιο πολυδιαβασμένο θεατρικό του έργο, έχουμε να κάνουμε βασικά με τον Αμερικάνικο Εφιάλτη (παράφραση του Αμερικάνικου Ονείρου), πρωταγωνιστές του οποίου είναι κάποιοι πωλητές ακινήτων, που κάνουν τα πάντα για να βγάλουν κάνα φράγκο και να πλασαριστούν ψηλά στον... βαθμολογικό πίνακα. Ουσιαστικά παρακολουθούμε μια μέρα στο γραφείο, όλες τις διαφορές που έχουν, το άγχος και την αγωνία για μια καλή πώληση, την όλη παράνοια γύρω από τον κόσμο των πωλήσεων ακινήτων - και όχι μόνο.

Είναι ένα δυνατό έργο, με ρεαλιστικούς διαλόγους γεμάτους ένταση και βρισίδι, που αναδεικνύει με τον πιο βρόμικο τρόπο την λειτουργία των σύγχρονων επιχειρήσεων. Βέβαια, σε μερικούς ίσως να μην ταιριάξει το όλο στιλ των διαλόγων. Δεν ήταν λίγες οι περιπτώσεις που οι πρωταγωνιστές δεν ολοκλήρωναν τις προτάσεις τους ή που έκαναν συνέχεια παύσεις. Βέβαια, η αλήθεια είναι ότι μπορεί να φαίνεται διαφορετικά σε μια θεατρική παράσταση.

Η ελληνική έκδοση κυκλοφόρησε με αφορμή τις παραστάσεις που έγιναν αρχικά στο Θέατρο Πορεία στην Αθήνα και στην συνέχεια στον Χώρο Τεχνών στην Βέροια, την θεατρική περίοδο 2001-2002. Η έκδοση περιέχει άρθρα για το έργο του Ντέιβιντ Μάμετ και την πορεία του συγκεκριμένου θεατρικού σεναρίου, πληροφορίες για την ελληνική μεταφορά του, καθώς και αρκετές εικόνες. Είναι μια πολύ ωραία έκδοση, που την βρίσκει κανείς ιδιαίτερα φθηνά στην Πολιτεία (μέχρι να εξαντληθεί...).

Το έργο έχει παιχτεί σε πολλές χώρες (π.χ. Αγγλία, ΗΠΑ, Ιαπωνία κλπ), έχει κερδίσει κάμποσα βραβεία, ενώ έχει μεταφερθεί και στον κινηματογράφο με μεγάλη επιτυχία. Την ταινία ευτυχώς την έχω και θα την δω λίαν συντόμως, ενώ μακάρι να μπορούσα να δω ζωντανά και μια θεατρική παράσταση.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I thought I'd hate this play. Then I saw it with Liev Schreiber and Alan Alda and was engrossed. This is an incredibly hard play to pull off on stage (there's something about Mamet's stylized dialogue that requires truly talented actors). Probably one of the ten best productions I've ever seen. I mention the staged version because you really get a clear sense of the "feel" of this play from reading it. I can't say it's for everyone; the language is strong and it's decidedly, well, male. Nonetheless, it is worth reading.

[Cloudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

| -..زندگی ما چیه؟ [مکث] یا داریم به گذشته نگاه می‌کنیم، یا نگران آینده‌ایم. زندگی‌مون تو این خلاصه شده. همین. پس زمانِ حال چی؟ [مکث] ما واقعا از چی می‌ترسیم؟.. |

انقدر کشش داشت که اصلا نفهمیدم کی کتابو باز کردم کی تموم شد.

[منوچهر محور]

تکیه زیاد به دیالوگ باعث شده شخصیت‌پردازی ماست‌مالی شود؛ نه اشتباه کردم، نویسنده ناتوان از شخصیت‌پردازی، به دیالوگ تکیه کرده و خواسته نوعی خرده‌فرهنگ را به تصویر بکشد که از قرار نحوه حرف زدنشان جالب است. مثلاً نمی‌توانند یک جمله را هم تمام کنند و به جایش بددهنی می‌کنند. بله این جای کار خوب درآمده اما انگار همه آدم‌های قصه یک نفر هستند؛ شخصیت‌ها اگر اسم نداشتند اختلافی هم با هم نمی‌داشتند. برای همین باید فیلم (۱۹۹۲) یا نمایش را دید تا سر و تهی از این کار دست آدم را بگیرد. شاید دلیل موفقیت نمایش، از همان اولین اجراها، این بود که کارگردان کم‌کاری نویسنده را جبران کرد. من البته نمایش ضبط شده ایرانی آن را دیدم که پارسا پیروزفر نقش روما را بازی می‌کرد و ای عجب که او هم مثل آل پاچینو در فیلم در همین نقش، بازی خوبی نداشت، شاید چون نویسنده متریال مایه‌داری دستشان نداده بود. اما باز هم ای عجب که بازیگر برادوی در همین نقش خیلی تحسین شده. این هم خودش نشانه دیگری که نمایشنامه زیادی خام است و بازیگر و کارگردان باید آن را برای مخاطب بپزند و آماده کنند. در عوض در هر دو کار شخصیت لوین به یاد ماندنی بود. در فیلم که این نقش با بازی جک لمون کل بار اثر را به دوش می‌کشید. البته در فیلم، نقش ماس هم لحظه‌های قوی داشت. اما در مجموع فیلم تنها روی هنرپیشه‌های معروفش حساب کرده و به خاطر دیالوگ‌های طولانی‌اش کسل کننده بود. متاسفانه من فیلم را با دوبله فارسی هم دیدم و از فراوانی غلط‌های ترجمه و کج‌فهمی مترجم شاخ در آوردم. حتی به نظرم صدای خسرو خسروشاهی و دوبلور الک بالدوین، هر کی که بود، غیرطبیعی و تصنعی بود و روی شخصیت‌ها ننشسته بود. اما صدای منوچهر نوذری با بازی جک لمون خیلی هماهنگ بود.
از این اشکالات دوبله که بگذریم در کل، نمایشی که دیدم از فیلم خیلی تمیزتر بود و شخصیت‌پردازی‌اش مناسب‌تر برای فضایی که نمایش‌نامه قصد ساختنش را داشت. مثلاً در نمایش، شخصیت جرج هم برای خودش بعدی پیدا کرده بود که در فیلم نداشت. حالا که به اینجا رسیدم بگذارید یک نتیجه‌گیری خارج از موضوع هم بکنم؛ اصولاً آمریکایی‌ها با��د فیلم‌های پرهزینه بسازند نه این جور فیلم‌های اجتماعی و بی‌ماجرا؛ این کارها را باید برای فرانسوی‌ها و ایرانی‌ها و ژاپنی‌ها و ملل بی‌سرمایه بگذارند.
اما نتیجه اصلی این است که این قصه جذابیت نداشت

[Julio The Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only two people can turn profanity into poetry: Tarantino and David Mamet. A round discussion between real estate salesmen in the antechamber of hell.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to listen to this because it was short, and because I've never seen Glengarry Glen Ross, and it's one of those things in the cultural zeitgeist with which I should be familiar.

But it turns out that Glengarry Glen Ross is about (white) men talking about making money, which is basically the Venn diagram of things about which I do not care.

So . . . this is a bunch of men talking to each other about selling things, and how much they want to do that, and how much they love it when it's going well, and hate it when it isn't. Mostly they tear each other down, though sometimes they back each other up. (I liked those parts best.) It's hard to tell people apart who aren't Richard Dreyfuss, but that doesn't really matter. Because they're really all the same.

It's short.

[Mahsa Rami · Rating 4 out of 5]

چه مکالمه و تصویرهای نفس گیری
یه نمایشنامه تلخ اما زیبا
آدم هایی که می‌خورن تا خورده نشن
ثانیه به ثانیه در حال مبارزه،دروغ،دسیسه،جنگ و زندگی
وقتی خودتو توی این مکالمات تصور می‌کنی بار استرس ماجرا بالا میره و میدونی در هر صورت یکی دیگریو زمین میزنه و از روش رد میشه
دنیای واقعی که میشه به راحتی تصورش کرد و درونش حضور داشت

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bullshit! It's all about the...are you fucking listening to me? All I'm saying...now wait a second...study THE DIALOGUE. What? Fuck stage directions.

[TheBookWarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 Stars — Infinitely quote-able and a dark pleasure for anyone that’s worked in a sales environment. Mamet nails the essence of what it means when corporate needs tangle with personal demons.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet – winner of The Pulitzer Prize in 1984 http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/04/g...

10 out of 10





Glengarry Glen ross is one of the greatest plays one can choose, albeit we can wonder about the reception it would get in this age, when you have extremists on both sides of the political spectrum, Republicans might regret the fact that there are no guns in the narrative, the characters are not macho enough, lacking testosterone and who knows what else – one of the monsters responsible for the rise of Trump, the invasion of the Capitol, a sycophant for the likes of Putin (which gives us an idea of how atrocious the creature is) has just been fired from Fox (which has the news in its name, albeit it is just a machine for making money and promoting conspiracy theories, vile theories, abjection) and Jimmy Kimmel was showing on his comedy show some of the lamentable scenes from the Mother Tucker show, and it was disgusting – while on the other extreme, there would be other criticism…



As it is, David Mamet expressed his support for…Trump on the Bill Maher program (and surely elsewhere, it is just that I only saw the HBO program) unless I have just imagined that, it does seem so absurd that a gifted, clever, creative author could make such an awful, dumb choice…and he is the one that gave audiences some fantastic gems, like The Untouchables http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/08/t... directed by Brian De Palma.

They have had on Cinemax a documentary on the director, called De Palma, and it is more than worth watching, it is a delight, for the artist tells many wonderful stories, a passage is dedicated to The Untouchables, for which Kevin Costner was recommended by Martin Scorsese (if I am not mistaken) Sean Connery wanted to make a break with the James Bond roles, Connery gets shot with a machine gun – Sydney Lumet talks about so many aspects of filming in his brilliant Making Movies http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/08/t... one of them is about the carnage of putting the very tall Sean Connery and someone like Al Pacino in the same frame…



We are moving away from the subject (hence there is a need for an alert here, not spoiler, since I am talking not about the ‘end’ of Glengarry, but apparently moving further away from it) and I am still on the De Palma documentary, in which he regales the public with an interesting irony, where Sydney Lumet has ‘stolen’ the Prince of the City project from the former, who had spent a long time working, developing the idea, while later, Sydney Lumet would adapt Scarface, with a Miami setting http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/04/n... where there have been so many problems that Brian De Palma would eventually have to move the filming to California, where he took the production

Glengarry Glen ross has some glorious lines, fabulous characters and adapted for the big screen with Jack Lemmon as Shelley ‘The Machine’ Levine, al Pacino as Richard Roma, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, the now disgraced Kevin Spacey and the outstanding Alec Baldwin as Blake…the latter has some lines, an appearance that has entered the history of cinema (just like the rest of the film for that matter) that summarize the ruthlessness of capitalism, maybe – mind you, I have lived under communism for about twenty five years (not counting up to the present, a period which has seen a transformation, but an advanced economy is still some decades away) and I have taken part in the Revolution that took down Ceausescu http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r... as this link to a page from an article in Newsweek, the copy covering the 1989 rebellion demonstrates, my pride and joy



Salesmen try hard to sell real estate, but the leads they have are really bad, however, Blake comes from downtown and has a cruel presentation, something to the effects of ‘you see this watch, it costs more than your car, ABC, always be selling, the one who is in third place is fired, so either you close, or you walk’- under this pressure, Dave Moss has this plan to steal the new leads, the Glengarry Glen Ross list, which he will sell to a competitor, and he enlists the poor George Aaronow, the latter has to commit the actual felony, and all for a smaller fee, and because he would be blackmailed if he does not…

Meanwhile, Shelley The Machine has problems with his finances (as most normal folks have) and is trying to get their boss to give him the new leads (some of them) because he used to be a great sales representative (hence the Machine nickname) but not recently, and he offers to pay Williamson (basically, this is a bribe) only the latter wants much more, fifty for each name and ten percent or more from the future sale, and the money upfront…the one that rides high is Richard Roma, who sells to James Lingk



Kevin Spacey is Williamson, the evil, stupid boss, who refuses The Machine and then ruins everything for Roma – the most successful employee is all over the reckless manager, telling him that the ‘first rule in this business is to never open your mouth, if you do not know what the game is’ and there is tirade, with expletives and fury, for Roma had worked really hard, he was going to get the first prize, the Cadillac, but Williamson says the wrong thing, and instead of having the deal sealed, it is all off now…

The real estate office is robbed, and we do not know who it is, albeit we suspect that it must be George aka Alan Arkin, it needs to be emphasized again that this is crème de la crème, nec plus ultra, you cannot get a better team of actors no matter how hard you find, and what is more, they are at their zenith, in top form (if you take Pacino and maybe some of the others and look at more recent work, well, then there is not much to enjoy there) who was blackmailed by Dave Moss and maybe pushed to commit the crime…



There could obviously be a surprise there – Aristotle explains in his analyses of drama, tragedy that two ingredients are needed, one is reversal and the other revelation, and they could be mixed together, as in Oedipus Rex http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/03/o... wherein the king finds from a messenger that he has killed his father and married his mother, all at the same time…other possibly interesting links would be http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... and maybe

http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/a...

[Evgen Novakovskyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

В конторе по торговле земельными участками соревнование: сотрудник, закрывший за месяц наибольшее количество сделок, получит в подарок кадиллак. Приз за второе место — набор кухонных ножей, двух последних в списке уволят. В общем, идеальный стартовый расклад, чтобы генерировать ненависть. Само собой, здесь не появится ни одного положительного персонажа, только вертлявые и неприятные черти, но текст настолько живо и динамично написан, что за этими пауками в банке следишь затаив дыхание. Оба акта — это фееричная перестрелка диалогами, отголоски которых вы много раз слышали в своих любимых фильмах: от Тарантино до Соркина. Чертовски бодрый контент.

[Tina Nazari · Rating 1 out of 5]

این که چرا دیوید مامت نمایشنامه نویس "خوبی" است و چرا گلن گری گلن راس نمایشنامه ای "خوب" برایم قابل درک نیست. گاهی آدم کتابی می خواند که دوستش ندارد اما می تواند درک کند که عده ای آن را دوست داشته باشند.(صرفا با سلیقه ات جور در نمی آید)
نمی دانم؛شاید من آن طور که باید به کتاب نگاه نکرده ام. شاید هم به این دلیل باشد که این نمایشنامه در اجرا کامل می شود.(-فقط این یکی؟! :) ) به نظر هم نمی رسد خیلی اثر عمیقی باشد و لایه های پنهان و ظرافت های صعب الوصول داشته باشد.(-شاید هم داشته باشد، هیچی بعید نیست!) خلاصه اگر یک فرد خیر خواه و دیوید-مامت-دوست پیدا شود و توضیحی بدهد ممنون خواهم شد.

[Elinaz Ys · Rating 2 out of 5]

خسته شدم از ژانر مرگ فروشنده اى!

[Behnam Taki · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمایشنامه گلن‌گری گلن‌راس ازدیوید ممت در مورد فروشنده‌هایی‌ست که برای
leadهای
ارزشمند یعنی گلن‌گری‌ها و همچنین برای فروش آن‌ها و رسیدن به منفعت‌های اقتصادی فریب و توطئه و دزدی و دروغ می‌گویند. یک نقد درجه یک از نظام سرمایه‌داری

[Jigar Brahmbhatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy the typical Mamet-speak, be it in his films or in his plays. The sardonic, street-smart dialogues his characters speak are so effective on ears that they seem to deny the fact that a film should need a plot. The dialogues, like a structured symphony, carry the reader/viewer from one situation to another, with the plot slowly revealing itself, with the true nature of the characters coming out through their actions as they con one another, and we don't realize till the very end that the biggest con in the whole ordeal is yet to be played, the one Mamet ends up playing on the audience. I always hate when a Mamet film/play gets over, coz I won't ever have the fun to view/read it for the first time.

"Glengarry Glen Ross" is the best he has ever written. It captures the anger, frustration, and predicament of the real-state agents and the dead-end jobs they are stuck in. Their tiring efforts to sell unsalable properties to unwilling clients is no less thrilling than a thriller. In the end, you realize that it is in a way the story of every working person. I re-read scenes from this play just to see how handsomely Mamet handles each and every narrative cord of this angry yet enjoyable drama.

From the so very well-written first scene, when Blake enters the office and gives the salesmen the so-called 'motivational speech' telling them to close the deals or get fired the play gets its momentum. And scene after scene it never looses it. Mamet never sets a foot wrong. Howard Hawks once said that a good film (I take it for drama in general, be it on-screen or on-stage) should have at least three good scenes. Well, this one has oodles!

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's the difference, really, between making shady real estate deals and selling property to people on the financial edge, and robbing an office owned by the rich assholes who get rich on the proceeds of those shady real estate deals? One robs the poor to give to the rich and one robs from the rich out of spite. Glengarry Glen Ross is all about this question and nothing at all about this question. Its cast of characters are utterly unlikable; there is no one in the cast to sympathize with, whatever slivers of their personal stories we get; and unethical behaviour -- regardless of legalities -- dominates the proceedings. There is no one to like, nothing to care about, and Glengarry Glen Ross makes me hope I never meet men like the men in this play.

Sounds like a shitty experience, right?

Such is the power of Mamet's dialogue, however -- operating here at its very best -- that a path is worn for us to cut through the morass of action and character. Watching or listening (as I did this time to a strong staging from L.A. Theatreworks, with an excellent performance by Joe Mantegna and a seemingly drunken performance by Richard Dreyfuss) to this play doesn't feel like watching or listening to a performance. When performed well, when the cadence of Mamet's words -- the overlaps, the repetitions, the rhythms -- are done right, it is like sitting in an office full of assholes and watching them try to out-asshole one another. It's mesmerizing, and there may be no playwright who has ever come so close to capturing the true speech of a time and place as David Mamet.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sort-of play that you have to be in a particular mood to fully appreciate. It is about the inner-depths of the sales-world profession and as dark a modern comedy that one can think of. I think it is funny, but it is not for the faint of heart. Also, this play must set the record for most profanity per minute in any medium.

[Trisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glengarry Glen Ross is a play by David Mamet that has won accolades across the board, been featured in the National Theatre of London, been on Broadway, and made into a movie (starring Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey - I mean holy heavens Batman that is some serious casting).

The action takes place over two days in two settings: a Chinese restaurant and a real estate office. The characters are real estate agents from Chicago trying to sell swampland in Florida to unwilling buyers, and they will lie, cheat, bribe, and in general be insufferable to do so. Their immorality doesn't stop with schmoozing average joes; they are also ridiculous to each other and willing to do just about anything, including steal, to make a buck. In other words, they are terrible people.

I am entirely unsure how I feel about this play. I picked it up from the library on a whim. I was just walking around finding where things were (my first time in this particular library) and the title jumped out at me, being as it was familiar. I brought it home and read it during a blackout. I just love it when we lose electricity; that is some serious guilt free reading time in my opinion.

I think my main problem with the play was the language. No one finished their freaking sentences. Like ever. I can see swindly egocentric men getting a bit phrase-ish when they get excited, but trying to read a play where every single character has difficulty forming a complete thought is taxing. I wonder if the film version is better; there's no way they made the movie true to the play as far as dialogue and action. Otherwise the movie would be extremely short and dull; after all, the entire play is conversations. With that cast of actors, it shouldn't be too difficult a movie to watch.

As for what I did like about the play, first and foremost, it was interesting to watch listen to read about such horrible people. They were such over the top stereotypes of swindlers and listening to them complain and scheme was a bit entertaining. Overall, I can't give a solid recommendation. I'm glad I read it, but I definitely won't be reading it again.