Until Ken Burns makes a documentary saga on pro wrestling, filmmaker Fulvio Cecere suffices with an impressive undercard of old-time stars from the grappling circuit, going back to the old barnstorming days before Vince McMahon’s immensely popular WWF/WWE. In a bluesy talking-head (and gravel-voiced) format, Bret "Hitman" Hart, Ted "Million Dollar Man" DiBiase, "Superstar" Billy Graham, Abdullah the Butcher, Lex Luger, George "The Animal" Steele, and other luminaries reminisce about their lives in "sports entertainment," where wrestling 350 nights per year in small towns in and out of North America was not unusual. Wendi Richter, the only lady wrestler here, fled a repressive home to embark on a wrestling career and never looked back (but her devotion made having children and a personal life a hardship). Wrestlers describe ghastly injuries and illnesses (Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff blames steroid use for his cancer), camaraderie on the road, and "ring rat" female groupies (along with other marital stresses). Viewers are told that calling pro wrestling performances "fake" insults the athleticism (and pain tolerance) developed by these practitioners, and actors Bill Murray and Sylvester Stallone are cited as Hollywood types who "got it" when they shared the screen with wrestlers. Dedicated to interviewees now sadly deceased, including Ox Baker (who wrote a cookbook in retirement), this engaging tribute is recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)
350 Days
(2018) 108 min. DVD: $14.99, Blu-ray: $16.99. Gravitas Ventures (avail. from most distributors). Closed captioned. Volume 34, Issue 5
350 Days
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