Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (1998)

Good guys. Bad guys. Betrayal. Tragedy. Men in tights.Hit-man Hart: Wrestling With Shadows is a documentary focusing on the legendary Bret "Hitman" Hart and his last year with the WWE (1997). The veil of professional wrestling is removed and we get a behind the scenes glimpse of what it was like to be a wrestler in the WWE. What makes this documentary great is that it is about how "fake" wrestling is, while showing us how "real" it can be. Bret Hart narrates, as well as leads us through, his hectic life as WWE champion. The film's main narrative is his battle with WWE owner, Vince McMahon. Their relationship drives most of the documentary and ultimately becomes that of a Shakespearian tragedy. Once great friends and co-workers, these two men eventually clash over several things which leads to Bret considering a departure from the WWE. What Vince McMahon does to Bret Hart at the end is utterly heartbreaking (no pun intended). The camera crew did a superb job of capturing the raw moments backstage and in Bret's own home. Characters in the film act as if there is no camera around most of the time. Director Paul Jay is virtually non-existent in this documentary. He lets Bret take center stage. The point of view is obviously from Bret's corner, but the filmmakers lay everything out like a crime scene investigation and allow the viewer to form their own opinion as to the film's main ethical dilemma (Bret and McMahon's personal decisions at the end). Bret Hart speaks candidly about his decisions and his belief in them, and we see clips of Vince McMahon sharing his point of view as well. This film does not require you to be a fan of professional wrestling, but it would not hurt either. Bret explains the intricacies of wrestling and how things work in a very simplistic manner which will make anyone knowledgeable in the world of wrestling and able to enjoy this classic morality tale.Bret Hart comes off as extremely likable and noble. I find it hard to believe anyone not admiring his honesty, courage, and belief in himself. He believes in heroes, and doing what is right. He has loyalty and that loyalty is betrayed. This ultimately ends up becoming what the movie is about. Is Bret Hart a hero? Is Vince McMahon a villain? Is there right and wrong?This documentary is a must see, and not just for wrestling fans.

Hit-man Hart :Wrestling With Shadows Yes I have seen it- amazing look behind the curtain of Pro Wrestling- Hit-man Hart Wrestling With Shadows- the thing is Bret immersed himself into his wrestling character and lost his objectivity- so when he was supposed to do the honors and give over the belt he did not- sure Vince lied to him- but given the voliatility of the times(the women's champ had gone over to WCW and threw the WWF belt into the trash,WCW & WWF were in a war,etc.) Vince made the only decision he could make for his family business.The thing was filmed before Owen's death. The Hart Foundation, a WWF stable in 1997 has been cursed- The British Bulldog,Owen Hart and Brian Pillman have all passed away and Bret is now retired due to reoccurring concusions...also seek out the excellent Bret Hart 3 DVD comp from the WWE

It's hard to believe that it took me like, forever, to finally get to see 'Bret Hart: Wrestling With Shadows", since I consider myself to be quite a wrestling fan, AND I was born in Calgary and watched Stampede Wrestling religiously (and went to a lot of their matches!). So I know a lot of the Hart family's history. This is of course, THE definitive documentation of went down during the Survivor Series incident in Montreal. It's sort of fun watching the whole thing develop, and sort of makes me wonder if the whole thing was a whole elaborate set-up, since of course, the documentary cameras were there to catch it all. It probably wasn't, so this is a classic piece of wrestling history caught on tape. This just doesn't cover that moment though, as it focuses on the latter part of Bret's WWF days, while providing a fascinating romp through the Hart family history. Stu Hart of course, even though he was quite cordial to everyone (me included (thanks, Stu, for letting me take pictures for my college course of some Stampede Wrestling!) he still was a borderline sadist for what he did to people in his dungeon. Of course, the REALLY sad thing about this is that this ends at precisely a ridiculous tumultuous downward spiral for the family. What with Bret's marriage falling apart, Owen's death, followed by Bret getting thumped on the head by Goldberg,, which led to his stroke..followed THAT by the death of Helen and ultimately Stu. So this is a bit of a sad film to watch if you follow wrestling. But even if you don't, this is still quite entertaining.

This is probably the best documentary on the world of professional wrestling. It is a no nonsense look at how much wrestling has changed since the its beginnings to what it is now. You get to look behind the characters that the wrestlers create and see how the business treats them as nothing more than commodities after their usefulness is over. Vince McMahon is pretty much shown to be not much different than his character on Raw or Smackdown. In fact, he is shown to be a backstabbing lowlife who lets his personal pride get in the way of his friendship with his company's brightest star. This is one documentary that does open some eyes.