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Beyond The Mat - Unrated
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
To be honest, wrestling isn't something that I really get. I suppose I can appreciate those who do enjoy the show and that's exactly what it is; entertainment. For those like me who do not understand, as Jerry Seinfeld might say, "what's the deal with wrestling?", "Beyond The Mat" is a good place to start.
Directed by screenwriter Barry Blaustein("Nutty Professor 2"), the film introduces the unfamiliar to the structure of the industry and some of the major players; and for fans of the film, they get a behind-the-scene look at how the sport and industry functions. The documentary, which has also apparently met with opposition from the WWF, also shows these characters as real people.
Some of the film is simply fascinating. We find out that these pro-wrestlers actually have to go to a "school" to learn how to pull off the moves that are shown in the events. Many scenes also involve WWF head Vince McMahon, who seems like an intense promoter of the sport, but also seems to have an underlying air of menace about him.
The movie's main point though, is that yes, the matches are not real, but that people honestly do get hurt during these fights, and that these are also people with families. In one scene, members of a wrestler's family discuss that they're worried about his health and well-being. In another scene, a wrestler's children cry when they're watching him being attacked while they sit ringside.
The director is obviously a fan of the sport, but thankfully he shows all sides of wrestling; from the reality that these characters live outside of the ring to the business of the sport to the structure of it all. Again, I'm definitely not a fan of the sport nor do I really understand it's appeal, but "Beyond The Mat" does go a long way towards educating non-fans on just what goes on inside and out of the ring.
The DVD
VIDEO: Video quality for "Beyond The Mat" is good, but is also limited by the source of the film; the low-budget effort looks very good considering that in this edition from Universal, which is offered in a full-frame presentation.
Everything differs from sequence to sequence. Sharpness is at best very good, but generally seems okay. Detail is usually fair, but never do scenes drift into total softness or lack clarity. Occasionally, the film looks slightly grainy, but I didn't notice any instances of pixelation or shimmering. The print also seems in good condition, with only a couple of minor speckles on the print once or twice.
Other than that, colors seem largely natural and accurate, and aside from some spots where the picture looks a little bit on the rough side, "Beyond The Mat" is fine in the image quality department.
SOUND: The film is offered in Dolby Surround, but literally the only thing involved here is dialogue and some interview segements/narration. The background music is generally strong, and only comes from the front. Overall though, the sound is very basic and what you would expect from a documentary feature.
MENUS:: Basic non-animated menus offering wrestling-themed images in the background.
EXTRAS:
Additional Footage: Universal has released "Beyond The Mat" in Unrated and R-Rated editions, with the unrated edition offering six minutes of previously-unseen footage. While the arguement can be made that both editions probably could have been included on one disc, Universal has probably done this (like they did with "American Pie") so that all stores will carry one version or the other or both.
Commentaries: The first commentary is from director Barry Blaustein, who does a good job leading the viewer through the sport with additional comments that go into more detail about what's going on in the ring, or the history behind a particular wrestler. The commentary does go in bursts, with some silence on occasion, but the facts that the director offers and the insight that he has into some of the more unfortunate situations in the movie make it worth a listen. At points he also talks about the documentary filming process, as well.
Commentary Two/3: The second commentary is more enjoyable, only because it offers another participant who can shed even more insight into the world of Wrestling. This track offers comments from not only director Barry Blaustein, but wrestler Terry Funk. Where the first track with the director mainly talked about the process of producing the documentary, more time is spent here with the director asking Terry Funk about his life as a wrestler. Funk's comments are incredibly interesting to listen to, and take the business of the sport apart piece by piece, talking about the recent history of Wrestling and the money involved. Some of the commentary does go off into other subjects outside of what's going on in the film, but I was never bored with the discussion. The final commentary is definitely a "scene-specific" one; wrestler Mick Foley
discusses his life in wrestling during his scenes and attempts to clarify some of the things that do happen in the film.
Also: The film's trailer, production notes and bios are also included with the DVD.
Final Thoughts: Actually, even non-fans of wrestling might find "Beyond The Mat" worth looking at as a rental, as it offers a good documentary look behind-the-scenes at the realities of a sport that's been always considered fake.
To be honest, wrestling isn't something that I really get. I suppose I can appreciate those who do enjoy the show and that's exactly what it is; entertainment. For those like me who do not understand, as Jerry Seinfeld might say, "what's the deal with wrestling?", "Beyond The Mat" is a good place to start.
Directed by screenwriter Barry Blaustein("Nutty Professor 2"), the film introduces the unfamiliar to the structure of the industry and some of the major players; and for fans of the film, they get a behind-the-scene look at how the sport and industry functions. The documentary, which has also apparently met with opposition from the WWF, also shows these characters as real people.
Some of the film is simply fascinating. We find out that these pro-wrestlers actually have to go to a "school" to learn how to pull off the moves that are shown in the events. Many scenes also involve WWF head Vince McMahon, who seems like an intense promoter of the sport, but also seems to have an underlying air of menace about him.
The movie's main point though, is that yes, the matches are not real, but that people honestly do get hurt during these fights, and that these are also people with families. In one scene, members of a wrestler's family discuss that they're worried about his health and well-being. In another scene, a wrestler's children cry when they're watching him being attacked while they sit ringside.
The director is obviously a fan of the sport, but thankfully he shows all sides of wrestling; from the reality that these characters live outside of the ring to the business of the sport to the structure of it all. Again, I'm definitely not a fan of the sport nor do I really understand it's appeal, but "Beyond The Mat" does go a long way towards educating non-fans on just what goes on inside and out of the ring.
The DVD
VIDEO: Video quality for "Beyond The Mat" is good, but is also limited by the source of the film; the low-budget effort looks very good considering that in this edition from Universal, which is offered in a full-frame presentation.
Everything differs from sequence to sequence. Sharpness is at best very good, but generally seems okay. Detail is usually fair, but never do scenes drift into total softness or lack clarity. Occasionally, the film looks slightly grainy, but I didn't notice any instances of pixelation or shimmering. The print also seems in good condition, with only a couple of minor speckles on the print once or twice.
Other than that, colors seem largely natural and accurate, and aside from some spots where the picture looks a little bit on the rough side, "Beyond The Mat" is fine in the image quality department.
SOUND: The film is offered in Dolby Surround, but literally the only thing involved here is dialogue and some interview segements/narration. The background music is generally strong, and only comes from the front. Overall though, the sound is very basic and what you would expect from a documentary feature.
MENUS:: Basic non-animated menus offering wrestling-themed images in the background.
EXTRAS:
Additional Footage: Universal has released "Beyond The Mat" in Unrated and R-Rated editions, with the unrated edition offering six minutes of previously-unseen footage. While the arguement can be made that both editions probably could have been included on one disc, Universal has probably done this (like they did with "American Pie") so that all stores will carry one version or the other or both.
Commentaries: The first commentary is from director Barry Blaustein, who does a good job leading the viewer through the sport with additional comments that go into more detail about what's going on in the ring, or the history behind a particular wrestler. The commentary does go in bursts, with some silence on occasion, but the facts that the director offers and the insight that he has into some of the more unfortunate situations in the movie make it worth a listen. At points he also talks about the documentary filming process, as well.
Commentary Two/3: The second commentary is more enjoyable, only because it offers another participant who can shed even more insight into the world of Wrestling. This track offers comments from not only director Barry Blaustein, but wrestler Terry Funk. Where the first track with the director mainly talked about the process of producing the documentary, more time is spent here with the director asking Terry Funk about his life as a wrestler. Funk's comments are incredibly interesting to listen to, and take the business of the sport apart piece by piece, talking about the recent history of Wrestling and the money involved. Some of the commentary does go off into other subjects outside of what's going on in the film, but I was never bored with the discussion. The final commentary is definitely a "scene-specific" one; wrestler Mick Foley
discusses his life in wrestling during his scenes and attempts to clarify some of the things that do happen in the film.
Also: The film's trailer, production notes and bios are also included with the DVD.
Final Thoughts: Actually, even non-fans of wrestling might find "Beyond The Mat" worth looking at as a rental, as it offers a good documentary look behind-the-scenes at the realities of a sport that's been always considered fake.
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