The secret rage of the catcher Hitman Hart
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The secret rage of the catcher Hitman Hart |
| Original title | Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows |
| Country of production | Canada |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1998 |
| length | 93 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Paul Jay |
| script | Paul Jay |
| production |
Sally Blake Paul Jay |
| music |
Tim Clement Colin Cripps Keith Scott Russell Walker |
| camera | Joan Hutton |
| cut | Manfred Becker |
| occupation | |
The secret fury of the catcher Hitman Hart (Original title: Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows ) is a Canadian documentary about the wrestling star Bret Hart from 1998. The film focuses on the private life of the wrestler, as well as on his last days at the World Wrestling Federation and the Montreal Screwjob .
action
The film begins with introductory statements by Bret Hart and Vince McMahon about the Montreal Screwjob. Hart then leads the camera team through the backstage rooms of a WWE event and makes some statements about some wrestlers and divas in the league.
Hart's family is introduced. He tells of the tough wrestling school of his father Stu and of his dungeon, a basement room in which he taught wrestling tricks and submission holds to his sons and selected people . Hart recounts the fear of death that he had while his father carried out dangerous grabs on him. After a few career stages (beginnings with Stampede Wrestling , beginnings with the then WWF , serious injury in a match with Dino Bravo ) the film focuses on Hart's departure from the WWF towards World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
After Hart signed a 20-year contract with the WWF and WCW a lucrative offer was turned down, he had to transfer from Vince McMahon Babyface for Heel gymnastics . He took on the role of a Canadian patriot who despised the United States and made it bad. So he was able to keep babyface status in his native Canada, while he became a heel in the USA. Hart tells how much this bothered him. In addition, there was a new orientation of the WWF, away from the black and white thinking of earlier days. Steve Austin rose to become an absolute superstar and, despite his rowdy behavior, became a crowd favorite.
One day Vince McMahon Hart reveals that the WWF wanted to release him from his contract because there was no more money for him. At this time, a battle for the ratings raged between WCW's Monday Nitro and WWF's Monday Night Raw , in which Ted Turner's WCW won the ratings for the first time . Hart ultimately accepts the terms of the contract termination, but gains creative control over his gimmick. His departure is to take place in Montreal ; there he should lose the WWF championship against Shawn Michaels . But Hart refuses to lose in his home country. After lengthy discussions with Vince McMahon, he assures him that he can win the match; this was recorded with a hidden microphone. During the match, however, things turned out differently: referee Earl Hebner , a close friend of Hart, abandoned the match because of Hart's alleged abandonment and awarded Shawn Michels the win. Bret Hart is angry and spits in the face of his former employer in front of the camera.
In the backstage area, Hart's wife, Julie Smadu-Hart, accuses the D-Generation X wrestlers of knowing about the fraud. There is still a tangible argument between McMahon and Hart, which is not filmed. The film ends with some clips from Raw in which Bret Hart is made fun of.
Director's Cut
A longer version contains interviews with director Paul Jay and Bret Hart 18 months after the film ended.
background
The secret anger of catcher Hitman Hart was supposed to deal with Bret Hart's career, but the events surrounding the Montreal Screwjob gave the film a different direction. The documentary was funded , among other things, with grants from the National Film Board of Canada .
The film received numerous awards, including two Gemini Awards and an award from the Nashville Film Festival .
publication
A VHS version of the film was released in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1999. In Germany, the documentary was provided with German subtitles by Power Wrestling magazine and published in a limited edition. The film was also broadcast by the Franco-German broadcaster Arte . A DVD version was released on December 3, 2010.
criticism
The secret rage of the catcher Hitman Hart is considered to be one of the best documentaries on wrestling and, with Beyond the Mat (1999), was one of the first documentaries to address the show aspect of wrestling.
“Documentary about the Canadian wrestling star Bret 'Hit Man' Hart, who is not only an exceptional athlete, but also extremely eloquent. The film shows the background of this (show) sport and researches the circumstances under which Hart was wrongly stripped of the world championship title. "
Web links
- The secret rage of the catcher Hitman Hart in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paul Jay in Wrestling with Shadows -Director's Cut, DVD, Clear Vision, 2004
- ^ Awards for Wrestling with Shadows. Internet Movie Database , accessed December 21, 2010 .
- ↑ Overview. Online film database , accessed December 21, 2010 .
- ↑ Overview. DVD-foum.at, accessed on December 21, 2010 .
- ↑ The secret fury of the catcher Hitman Hart. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film Service , accessed December 21, 2010 .