Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Director:

James Foley

Writers (WGA):

David Mamet (play)
David Mamet (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 October 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The hardest thing in life is sell

Plot:

An examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office.

Plot Keywords:

Real Estate | Robbery | Contest | Film With Ambiguous Title | Repetition In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Ricky Roma
Jack Lemmon	...	Shelley Levene
Alec Baldwin	...	Blake
Alan Arkin	...	George Aaronow
Ed Harris	...	Dave Moss
Kevin Spacey	...	John Williamson
Jonathan Pryce	...	James Lingk
Bruce Altman	...	Larry Spannel
Jude Ciccolella	...	Detective
Paul Butler	...	Policeman
Lori Tan Chinn	...	Coat Check Girl
Neal Jones	...	Man in Donut Shop
Barry Rossen	...	Assistant Detective
Leigh French	...	Additional Voices (voice)
George Cheung	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Murphy Dunne	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Dana Lee	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Julie Payne	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Gregory Snegoff	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Greg Snegoff)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Skipp Lynch	...	Telephone Service Man (uncredited)

Directed by
James Foley

Writing credits (WGA)
David Mamet		(play)
David Mamet		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr.	....	executive producer (as Joseph Caracciolo Jr.)
Nava Levin	....	co-producer
Karen L. Oliver	....	associate producer
Morris Ruskin	....	co-producer
Jerry Tokofsky	....	producer
Stanley R. Zupnik	....	producer

Original Music by
James Newton Howard

Cinematography by
Juan Ruiz Anchía		(director of photography) (as Juan Ruiz Anchia)

Film Editing by
Howard E. Smith		(as Howard Smith)

Casting by
Bonnie Timmermann

Production Design by
Jane Musky

Art Direction by
William Barclay		(as Bill Barclay)

Set Decoration by
Robert J. Franco

Costume Design by
Jane Greenwood

Makeup Department
Sheryl Berkoff	....	makeup artist
Colleen Callaghan	....	hair stylist
Alan D'Angerio	....	hair stylist
Sharon Ilson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Celia D. Costas	....	unit production manager
Patricia Anne Doherty	....	assistant production manager
Helene Mulholland	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harvey Epstein	....	dga trainee
Richard Patrick	....	second assistant director (as Richard Drew Patrick)
Thomas A. Reilly	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Kenneth Albanese	....	carpenter (as Ken J. Albanese)
James Archer	....	set dresser (as Jim Archer)
Billy Bishop	....	props
John R. Ford	....	assistant property master
Andrew Gangloff	....	carpenter (as Andy G. Gangloff Sr.)
Robert Griffon Jr.	....	property master (as Robert J. Griffon)
Denise Gurkas	....	scenic artist
George Hugel	....	carpenter (as George A. Hugel)
Tim Kearney	....	stand-by carpenter
Robert H. Klatt	....	set dresser
Douglas F. Lebrecht	....	scenic artist (as Douglas Lebrecht)
Caty Maxey	....	draftsman
Tom McDermott	....	set dresser (as Thomas McDermott)
John McDonnell	....	props (as John B. McDonnell)
Fred Merusi	....	construction coordinator
Jack Mortellaro	....	props
Billy Patsos	....	construction grip (as Bill Patsos)
Robert T. Prate	....	key construction grip (as Robert Prate)
Leslie Salter	....	scenic artist
Bob Shaw	....	assistant art director
William Sohmer	....	camera scenic artist (as Bill Sohmer)
Dick Tice	....	leadperson
Richard A. Ventre	....	master scenic artist (as Richard Ventre)
Patricia Walker	....	camera scenic artist
Don Zappia	....	construction grip

Sound Department
Wayne Artman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ed Callahan	....	sound effects editor
Tom E. Dahl	....	sound re-recording mixer
Thom 'Coach' Ehle	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby Stereo (as Thom Ehle)
John Fundus	....	second boom operator
Howell Gibbens	....	supervising sound editor
Matthew Harrison	....	foley editor
Denise Horta	....	dialogue editor
Frank Howard	....	sound effects editor
Chris Ingram	....	assistant sound editor
Joseph A. Ippolito	....	dialogue editor
Frank Jones	....	sound re-recording mixer
Constance A. Kazmer	....	dialogue editor
Lisa J. Levine	....	supervising adr editor
Danny Michael	....	sound mixer
Jonathan Phillips	....	assistant sound editor
Daniel Rosenblum	....	second boom operator
Andrew Schmetterling	....	boom operator
Edward M. Steidele	....	foley artist (as Edward Stidell)

Special Effects by
Mike Maggi	....	special effects coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph R. Collins	....	camera trainee
Doug Dalisera	....	electrician
Jerry DeBlau	....	gaffer
Richie Ford	....	best boy electric
Bill Gerardo	....	second assistant camera (as William Gerardo)
Vinnie Gerardo	....	first assistant camera (as Vincent Gerardo)
Craig Haagensen	....	camera operator
Paul Kinghan	....	electrician
Sal Lanza	....	best boy grip
Martin Lowry	....	grip
Arthur Moshlak	....	house electrician
Fred Muller	....	electrician
John Panuccio	....	best boy grip (as Jack Panuccio)
Peter John Petraglia	....	rigging gaffer (as John Petraglia)
Tom Prate	....	dolly grip (as Thomas Prate Jr.)
Tom Prate	....	key grip (as Thomas Prate Jr.)
Andrew D. Schwartz	....	still photographer (as Andrew Schwartz)
Lance Shepherd	....	electrician (as Lance A. Shepherd)
Matty Sicurella	....	grip
Joseph Viano	....	grip (as Joe Viano)
Russell Caldwell	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Sylvia Fay	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Charles	....	associate costume designer (as David M. Charles)
Kevin P. Faherty	....	wardrobe supervisor
Hartsell Taylor	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter: Kona Cutting
Pam Di Fede	....	second assistant editor: New York
Joe Fineman	....	post-production consultant
Elizabeth Schwartz	....	first assistant editor: New York
Terilyn A. Shropshire	....	first assistant editor: Los Angeles (as Terilyn Shropshire)
Bambi Sickafoose	....	second assistant editor: Los Angeles
Mary Skinner	....	post-production assistant
Nick Smith	....	assistant editor
Mike Stanwick	....	color timer

Music Department
Brad Dechter	....	orchestrator
Sandy DeCrescent	....	music contractor
George Greif	....	music advisor
Tom Kramer	....	music editor
Tommy LiPuma	....	additional music producer: songs
Tommy LiPuma	....	score producer
Tommy LiPuma	....	score supervisor
Johnny Mandel	....	additional music producer: songs
Michael Mason	....	scoring coordinator
Robert Schaper	....	score mixer
Wayne Shorter	....	musician: tenor and soprano sax
Peter Erskine	....	musician (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Richard Babcock	....	driver
Ed Battista	....	driver
Henry Boyle	....	driver
Richard Curry	....	driver
Phil Ford	....	driver
John Leonidas	....	teamster captain
Dennis Radesky	....	teamster co-captain
Barry Sweeney	....	driver
James Patrick Whalen Jr.	....	driver (as James Whalen Sr.)

Other crew
Michael Alpert	....	unit publicist
Andrew Bernstein	....	set production assistant
Carol Chambers	....	assistant: Mr. Foley
John C. Ching	....	assistant: Mr. Foley
Christie Colliopoulos	....	assistant: Mr. Tokofsky
Sandy Cuomo	....	production coordinator
Patricia Anne Doherty	....	location manager
Dianne Dreyer	....	script supervisor
JoAnn Foley	....	office production assistant
Marisa Forzano	....	associate: Mr. Pacino
Christopher Gambale	....	location manager
Giancarlo Giannini	....	voice dubbing: Al Pacino
Gregory Gieras	....	set production assistant
Raphaella Giugliano	....	assistant production accountant
Mike Hall	....	unit publicist
Julie Hansen	....	post-production accountant
Antonio Huidor	....	production assistant
Delroy Hunter	....	parking coordinator (as Delroy M. Hunter)
Bud Isenberg	....	insurance
Leslie Loftis	....	set production assistant
Justin Moritt	....	set production assistant
Christo Morse	....	office production assistant
Donald Murphy	....	office production assistant
Christopher D. Ozerofer	....	production counsel
Bridget Pickering	....	assistant: Mr. Timmerman
Danielle Rigby	....	set production assistant
Lori H. Schwartz	....	production associate
Susan Senk	....	unit publicist
Stacey Spencer	....	craft service
Laurence Starkman	....	title designer
Michael Vieira	....	assistant: Alec Baldwin
Rosanne Vogel	....	production accountant
Christian von Tippelskirch	....	assistant location manager
Nicholas Wolfert	....	production assistant

Thanks
Jake Bloom	....	thanks
Steve Brookman	....	thanks
Tom Hunter	....	thanks
Jon Levin	....	thanks
Harvey Polly	....	thanks

Production Companies

• GGR
• New Line Cinema
• Zupnik Cinema Group II

Distributors

• Finnkino (1993) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (1993) (France) (theatrical)
• New Line Cinema (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
• Artisan Entertainment (19??) (USA) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Finnkino Video (1993) (Finland) (VHS)
• Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Lume Filmes (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (Spain)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Albert G. Ruben and Company  insurance
• Bank of America  financing arranged by
• Bud Isenberg Insurance Associates  insurance
• Camera Mart  electrical equipment
• Entertainment Accounting  post-production accounting
• Entertainment Partners  accounting systems
• Entertainment Partners  payroll services
• Film Finances  completion guarantee
• General Camera Corporation  camera equipment
• Gripon Film Services  grip equipment
• Jo Anne Kane Music Services  music preparation
• Kona Cutting  negative cutting
• Pacific Title  title opticals
• Saxon/Ross Film Design  main title sequence
• Star Lighting Enterprises  electrical equipment
• Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting
• Warner Bros. Studio Facilities  re-recording

Also Known As:

Glengarry Glen Ross (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Netherlands:AL | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba) | Norway:5 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #31643) | France:U | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

GGR

Trivia:

The single largest cost on the movie was for the rain effects throughout the first half of the film.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Levene tries to convince Williamson to go along with his plan to give him some of the Glengarry leads, the boom mic operator is reflected in the office window.

Quotes:

Shelley Levene: Williamson! Williamson! Put me on the board! Put me on the Cadillac board!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Office: Stress Relief (#5.13)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Daydream

enthralling

This film is perfect. I give out 10s about as often as Stanley Kubrick made films, and Glengarry Glen Ross is one of them.

There is so much more in this film than just a bunch of guys in a real estate office. I'm puzzled, as an aside, why the language is considered such a big deal. There is less of it in GGR than in the average DeNiro film I watch. Maybe it's because the film is composed of almost nothing but dialogue.

Back to the content. GGR contains at least two, maybe three of my favorite performances by anyone. Baldwin, who I really don't like, is perfect. Lemmon is excruciatingly good, and Pacino actually makes me forget who I'm watching. He really sinks into his character. Pryce also gives a commendable performance.

For those who didn't get this film, who think it's just dark and pointless, here's the point. The title is Glengarry Glen Ross. If you listen to the conversations you will notice that the Glengarry leads are the new leads, the ones given to closers, the leads given to those who go out and squeeze as much money out of people as they can so they don't lose their jobs.

Glen Ross farms are talked about in a brilliantly written conversation between Ed Harris and Alan Arkin, the one when Harris orders donuts and Arkin keeps repeating back to him what he said. "..Boots, yes." In that conversation, Harris talks about what he learned when he first got into the sales racket. You don't sell one car to a guy, you sell him 5 cars over fifteen years. But, he says, those guys who come in and burn everyone for as much money as they can get and then go to Argentina ruined a good thing. The drive to win the Cadillac had ruined the ideal of maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship between customer and salesman. Sharks like Baldwin came in, made their millions, and left a wasteland for the "losers" to work in.

The film is about how business in America is war, and about how the drive for capital has ultimately dehumanized us. The strongest contrast is between Baldwin and Lemmon. Baldwin is a machine. Everything in his life, his very identity, is defined by the fact that his watch cost more than a "loser's" car. "Family man? Go home and play with your kids." "A loser is always a loser." His name is that he drives a BMW.

With Lemmon, pay attention to the brief references to his daughter. The man is desperate to make money, not only to keep his job, but to pay for his daughter's medical treatment. A very human thing.

Eventually, these men prey not only on customers, but on each other. It's vicious. If you don't understand why, all you'll see is the viciousness, and you probably won't enjoy the film.