Jackson Ball continues our Al Pacino Retrospective with Glengarry Glen Ross…
Having won both a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize, you may think that David Mamet’s 1984 play was always ripe for a big-screen adaptation. However, a closer look at Glengarry Glen Ross indicates that a play-to-cinema translation was not as simple as it seemed.
The main plot, which chronicles two days in the lives of a group of desperate real estate agents, was tricky to adapt for several reasons. For starters, in true Mamet style, the play is completely saturated with razor-sharp dialogue, delivered at break-neck speeds. Added on top of that is the fact the original play only featured 2 central locations, both of which are interiors. To be fair, director James Foley meets these two issues with panache, expanding the misé-en-scene for a more cinema-friendly result, without losing the intimacy of the play (Although having Mamet adapt the screenplay himself must have helped considerably).
Despite how difficult the technical tasks were, by far the greatest challenge facing the filmmakers was finding the right cast to play the distinctively colourful characters… and they knocked it out of the park.
Each of the main characters in Glengarry Glen Ross is not only played by an actor perfect for the role, but by an actor who is arguably one of the finest of his generation. First of all there’s the happy-go-lucky veteran of the group, Shelley ‘The Machine’ Levene, played by happy-go-lucky veteran actor Jack Lemmon. Lemmon’s portrayal brings something unique to the film: likability. Everyone in the film is desperate, perhaps none more so than Levene, and yet he is the only one you can really convince yourself into rooting for. That feeling is a direct result of Lemmon’s exclusive brand of cheeky razzle-dazzle.
There are some larger-than-life performances from some larger-than-life actors here, but the real masterstroke is how they are off-set against some of the more restrained characters. Turning in the more subdued, but nonetheless riveting performances are Alan Arkin as aging salesman George Aaronow, and a young Kevin Spacey as stoic office manager John Williamson. Both performances are mainly reactive, but both are sublime in their patience.
In a film where the casting is spot-on across the board, perhaps the decision that just overshadows the rest is picking Al Pacino as the hot-blooded Ricky Roma. For me, Roma represents the best of everything Pacino has to offer cinema. Yes, there are the loud, profanity-laden outbursts that he does so well, but there are also moments in Glengarry Glen Ross that display Pacino’s prowess when it comes to minimalistic, expressive acting.
Speaking of volatile outbursts, it is a rarity that an actor can match Pacino decibel-for-decibel, but that is exactly what Ed Harris does here. As Dave Moss, Harris truly encapsulates the blind-arrogance of salespeople, and the desperation that underpins them.
Glengarry Glen Ross is an underappreciated classic and one of the finest examples of character-acting around. David Mamet’s sizzling screenplay is brought to life by the cream of the acting crop, all of whom are on sparkling form here.
For more on the Al Pacino Retrospective running at the BFI throughout February amd March, head here.
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Originally published March 10, 2014. Updated November 28, 2022.
