The Wrestler

Starring:Billy Robinson (II), Edward Asner, Elaine Giftos, Verne Gagne, Sarah Miller, Harold Sakata, Sammy Menacker, H.B. Haggerty, Dusty Rhodes, Greg Gagne, Reginald Lisowski, Nick Bockwinkel, Dan Gable, Jack 'Wildman' Armstrong, Ric Flair, Dick Afflis, Billy Graham (IV), Jim Brunzell, Ken Patera, Bill Crouch
Director: James A. Westman
Studio: Platinum Disc
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

fond memories of the AWA from early 70s
A great remembrance
Nostalgic ,superb 70's wrestling film!!

The Wrestler
Starring: Edward Asner , Elaine Giftos , Verne Gagne , Billy Robinson (II) , and Jerry Wade
Director: James A. Westman
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Crime & Criminals | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Sports | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

20 Years Too Soon - Superstar Billy Graham (WWE)
Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling
National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling
Wrestling Gold Special Edition
Lipstick & Dynamite - The First Ladies of Wrestling

ASIN: B00005LDCS
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Customer Reviews:

fond memories of the AWA from early 70s.......2005-03-08

This movie is for the TRUE, DIEHARD pro-wrestling fan. It is also for the fan of RAZZIEs (movies so bad they are good). As a kid in the early 1970s I watched the American Wrestling Association (AWA) on Channel 26 in Chicago. And, i can remember the wrestlers talking about their involvement in making this movie. But, the movie had very limited release in 1973 and i never had a chance to see it. But, I never forgot about this movie and I recently saw a review of it on the Wrestle Crap website (www.wrestlecrap.com). And, thank Goodness for Amazon.com, which allowed me to purchase a copy of the movie right away!

The movie itself is crap. It's a fairly boring story (and ridiculous as it presents pro-wrestling as legitimate sport). But, it's fabulous as a snapshot of the pro-wrestling biz in the 1970s. It's great to see the former greats like Dick the Bruiser, The Crusher, Verne Gagne, Dusty Rhodes, Superstar Billy Graham, Billy Robinson and many others. It's also a wrestling fan's mark out moment to see the scene featuring a cameo by Vincent McMahon Sr (Vincent K McMahon's dad & founder of the WWF).

It would be interesting to find out how the actor Ed Asner (Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant shows) got involved in this movie project. He's the only legitimate actor in this small budget film. None of the performances by the wrestlers are that bad as they are basically playing themselves. (For some reason, Verne Gagne plays a character named "Mike Bullard" but all the other wrestlers are themselves: Crusher is Crusher, Dusty is Dusty and so on. Odd....) I have to give some credit to Sam Mennaker who plays the bad guy trying to pressure the wrestling promoter to fix a match. Sam Mennaker was the color commentator for AWA television matches. And, he does a good job playing the heavy.

The sound quality on the DVD is not good. (I had to crank up the volume on my TV to hear the dialog. And, in crowd scenes it is very hard to hear the dialog.) Also, the lighting in most scenes is very dark. This is partly done to cover for the cheap sets and to hide the fact that crowd scenes are not so crowded.

But, if you are a fan of pro-wrestling and want a taste of the old days, you will want this DVD!

A great remembrance.......2002-06-24

This movie brings back so many memories. If, like me, you grew up as a pro wrestling fan in the Midwest in the 60's & 70's, you'll love this movie. All of the greats in the old AWA are here. Vern Gagne, Billy Robinson, Wahoo McDaniel, Superstar Graham..., I could go on. Of course, I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention my two all time favorites, Dick the Bruiser and the Crusher.
If you're looking for an Academy Award winning performance, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a great remembrance of what old school pro wrestling was all about, this is the movie for you. If you're only familiar with the current WWE pro wrestling, you will still probably enjoy this movie. If for no other reason than to see what us old-timers are talking about when we say that this is what pro wrestling is all about!!

Nostalgic ,superb 70's wrestling film!!.......2002-04-09

This 1973 film starring Ed Asner(Mary Tyler Moore,Lou Grant) portraying a wrestling manager-agent who fights to foil the attempts of some low-life wrestlers who are trying to profit from a fixed fight.This great cast includes Lord James Blears,Superstar Billy Graham,Dick Murdoch and Verne Gagne.It deserves to be a cult classic!!

Average customer rating:

Interesting but a little slow
A Rich Cultural Exchange

SUMO EAST AND WEST

Manufacturer: CustomFlix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sumo
The Big Book of Sumo: History, Practice, Ritual, Fight
Gaijin Yokozuna: A Biography of Chad Rowan (A Latitude 20 Book)
Joy of Sumo: A Fan's Guide
Japan: Samurai, Geisha and Technology

ASIN: B0002KN9BA
Release Date: 2006-08-20

Product Description

In Japan, sumo wrestling is not only the national sport but a centuries-old cultural treasure. Yet over the past few decades the highly traditional world of sumo has been rocked by the arrival of bigger, heavier American wrestlers from Hawaii who have become among the most successful and popular wrestlers in the sport. "Sumo East and West" takes us into this world through the story of Wayne Vierra of Hawaii, whose promising professional sumo career in Japan was cut short by injury, but who rebounded to become a champion in the burgeoning world of amateur sumo in the West, where its advocates are staging amateur sumo tournaments in venues like Las Vegas casinos-events that bear little resemblance to the sport's Japanese forebear. Can a 2000-year-old sport survive in the 21st century in its traditional form? What happens when East and West collide? Theatrical Version - Includes 32 additional minutes not seen on TV* Featuring Akebono, Konishiki, Jesse Kuhaulua, Wayne Vierra and Emmanuel Yarbrough SUMO EAST AND WEST had its World Premiere at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and its National Broadcast on PBS's Independent Lens series, 2004. Produced, Directed, Photographed, and Edited by Ferne Pearlstein (winner of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival Documentary Cinematography Award for IMELDA) and Produced, Edited and Written by Robert Edwards.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting but a little slow.......2004-08-06

This flick is a very interesting peek into the current sumo wrestling world. While I wish it included more historical and technical information about the sport, I guess that's just not what its aim is. For example, I would like to have learned what these wrestlers eat and what leads them to join this sport (is it because they are large to begin with?).
This film does a good job of showing the newcomers' problems with fitting in and even touches on female sumo wrestlers (though not enough in my opinion). There is some great "insider" footage, such as the ritual of breaking in a new wrestler and the blessing of the dohyo ring before a competition. Overall, it's interesting but a little slow because it relies on wrestlers' interviews to lead the narration and these big guys speak very slowly!

A Rich Cultural Exchange.......2004-07-23

I think this documentary was purposely and wisely titled "Sumo: East AND West" rather than "Sumo: East VERSUS West" (my emphases). The point of the work is that though sumo was originally only for Japanese men, it now has participants that are American, international, and even female. You see how sumo travelled from Japan to Hawaii. Thomas Edison recorded it back in 1903 and it was performed in Japanese-American internment camps. From there Polynesians picked it up. This work is a great addition to Asian Pacific American studies, as you rarely see either group in filmic works.

In this film, you get to see Polynesian, black, white, Arab, and multiracial men embrace this sport. You hear them speaking Japanese (refuting ideas that Americans refuse to learn foreign languages). At the same time, the documentary shows how Japanese boys are tending to abandon sumo and embrace baseball. This work is brilliant in showing the ebb and flow of culture(s).

This movie is surprising. The main interviewees are shown losing rounds. Contestants you wouldn't expect to win do so. Wrestlers retire and re-enter the sport. For those of us who love scantily clad, heavyset, superhot guys, this work is absolute eye candy and pure pleasure.

I applaud this work on so many levels. Serious analyzes of social constructionism and globalization take place here through very accessible methods. I hope this documentary goes on to win awards or garner massive audience reception.

Average customer rating:

Started Off Great but Takes a Wrong Turn...
Utterly Hilarious
Oh my sweet Napalm

The Calamari Wrestler
Starring: Kana Ishida , Yoshihiro Takayama , Osamu Nishimura , and Matthew Saliba
Director: Minoru Kawasaki
Manufacturer: Pathfinder Home Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Screwball Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

Kaiju Big Battel - Shocking Truth
Kamikaze Girls
Electric Dragon 80,000V
Battlefield Baseball
The Pinky Violence Collection - Includes Audio CD (Criminal Woman: Killing Melody/ Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom/ Girl Boss Guerilla/ Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess)

ASIN: B0009YA3SQ
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Description

A championship wrestling match pits Koji Taguchi against Crush Volcano, the latter no match for Koji's signature move, the Torture Ring Strangler. Koji beams as he clutches the Champion Belt, only to have it snatched away by a mysterious new challenger in the ring—a giant squid! A giant squid, in fact, who not only evades Koji's key attack, but destroys him with a Northern Light Suplex! Koji's fiancée Miyako watches tearfully, though there's something about this Calamari Wrestler that seems familiar to her…

Customer Reviews:

Started Off Great but Takes a Wrong Turn... .......2007-02-26

Given my lifelong fascination with both squid jokes and professional wrestling, this film was certainly a "must see" for me. Started out great actually. Seemed at first more like Kafka's Metamorphosis and less like a satire. Played almost straight - like a drama but with just the right touch of unavoidable campy humor, you catch yourself getting over the absurd concept of a human-sized, reincarnated as a squid, former professional wrestling star out to reclaim his love and his wrestling title, and start legitimately getting into the plot. What could have been a possibly brilliant, surreal, entertaining and original film, however, takes an odd left turn and gets lost due to an abrupt shift in tone right around the time of the squid's championship match when his opponent morphs, for no apparent reason, into a giant octopus...

From there its cheap fish jokes and frenetic and bizarre and random plot "twists" that are reminiscent of cartoon Anime like Bobobo-bobo-bobo on Cartoon Network.

Weird flick but less due to its bizarre plot than the bizarre shift it takes half-way through the film. That said, this isn't a bad film. It doesn't fall into the "so bad it's good" category either. It's also surprisingly entertaining, quite funny at times. However, had it just stayed consistent with the direction it was going in the first half, it would have been a much better film.

Still, it's entertaining and worth a watch if you're into off-beat cinema.

Utterly Hilarious.......2005-10-30

This is a Japanese live-action film (with subtitles) about a pro wrestler who dies, but is reincarnated as a man-size squid, and tries to reclaim his lost wrestling title.
Took me about fifteen minutes before I realized it was a satire of the boxing movie, "Rocky". Actually, it's a satire on all of the Rocky movies combined.
Laughed so hard I fell off my chair a few times. Absolutely brain-melting, Highly recommended (that is, if you happen to enjoy the truly bizarre)
Nick

Oh my sweet Napalm.......2005-09-27

The opening sequence of the film is amazingly hilarious, and it sadly does not keep that level of hilarity throughout. BUT there are some great moments, mainly the wrestling scenes with the squid, octopus and shrimp/lobster thing and all of the "heartfelt" scenery. The training montage is comic gold. Strangely, the film is like a soap opera where the main character is a squid that wrestles. The low budget costumes are perfect for the tone of the film and will often make you laugh out loud (the eyes are great).

Recommended only for fans of films of the super weird Asian variety.

Average customer rating:

The Petty Story & The Wrestler

Manufacturer: PC Treasures, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Last American Hero (AKA Hard Driver)
Moving/Greased Lightning
Driven
Heart Like a Wheel
Thunder Road

Product Features:

Light plastic case.
Double Feature

ASIN: B000LA6D0K

Double Feature Richard Petty stars in 43 The Petty Story & Edward Asner in The Wrestler

Average customer rating:

Double Feature Richard Petty stars in 43 The Petty Story & Edward Asner in The Wrestler

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000PU1FG8

Average customer rating:

Atomic Blue: Mexican Wrestler
Starring: Atomic Blue
Manufacturer: St Clair Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Comedy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000GETXYE
Release Date: 2006-07-04

Description

A MOVIE FOR KID'S OF ALL AGES. a nostalgic tribute to the ever popular Mexican wrestling movies of the 50's and 60's. Fast Mexican wrestling action, colorful costumes, and a positive message for kids of all ages. Audience acclaim at the following festivals: Latino International Film Festival of Los Angeles, San Diego Latino International Film Festival, San Antonio Latino International Film Festival.

Atomic Blue is an every man; a person among us who personifies heroism in the small actions and gestures of respect, fair play and honesty.

The Mexican wrestler is both a statement and an icon. Where a mask shields, it also points to the reinvention of humanity. The masked wrestler is a shape shifter, a messenger and a prophet.

Description

For decades the professional wrestling industry has perpetuated a negative, flamboyant gay stereotype in many of its characters, mostly played by heterosexual men. Then along came Simon Sermon. Openly gay pro wrestler, Simon Sermon, defies flamboyant gay stereotypes in professional wrestling and talks about his career in this no-questions-barred documentary. He's wrestled for NWA, AWN, NAWA and many other organizations in the southeastern United States for years, and has garnered many titles--all without pigtails or perfume. Watch Simon kick ass and tell it like it is in this breakthrough documentary.

Featuring an interview with legendary pro wrestler, "Exotic" Adrian Street, and plenty of wrestling action!

Phredd Phurman Stuffed Animal Wrestler
Average customer rating:
Phredd Phurman Stuffed Animal Wrestler
Starring: Phredd Phurman Stuffed Animal Wrestler
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video
( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000HT379A
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Max Kettlebells for grapplers DVD Volume 2 DVD B.Y.O.B. - byob Kettle Bell
Average customer rating:
Max Kettlebells for grapplers DVD Volume 2 DVD B.Y.O.B. - byob Kettle Bell

Manufacturer: Max Kettlebell Kettlebells
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000JW6TH2

Product Description

Max Kettlebells for grapplers DVD Volume 2 DVD B.Y.O.B. - byob - Never before has there been a conditioning system that has had more direct application than what you are about to endure. Dave and the rest of the maniacs at MAX KettleBells invite you to pull up a bucket and prepare to be punished! If you've got the guts, we've got the system that will make you stronger and faster than you ever thought possible.

Average customer rating:

SUMO EAST AND WEST

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

This 85 minute version is for personal home use only. Theatrical Version - Includes 32 additional minutes not seen on TV* Featuring Akebono, Konishiki, Jesse Kuhaulua, Wayne Vierra and Emmanuel Yarbrough In Japan, sumo wrestling is not only the national sport but a centuries-old cultural treasure. Yet over the past few decades the highly traditional world of sumo has been rocked by the arrival of bigger, heavier American wrestlers from Hawaii who have become among the most successful and popular wrestlers in the sport. "Sumo East and West" takes us into this world through the story of Wayne Vierra of Hawaii, whose promising professional sumo career in Japan was cut short by injury, but who rebounded to become a champion in the burgeoning world of amateur sumo in the West, where its advocates are staging amateur sumo tournaments in venues like Las Vegas casinos - events that bear little resemblance to the sport's Japanese forebear. Can a 2000-year-old sport survive in the 21st century in its traditional form? What happens when East and West collide? SUMO EAST AND WEST had its World Premiere at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and its National Broadcast on PBS's Independent Lens series, 2004. Produced, Directed, Photographed, and Edited by Ferne Pearlstein (winner of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival Documentary Cinematography Award for IMELDA) and Produced, Edited and Written by Robert Edwards. To learn more about Sumo East and West, please visit: www.sumoeastandwest.com *Please note that the Theatrical Version was shown on PBS in some markets including Hawaii, American Samoa, and Guam. INDIVIDUAL USE: RIGHTS AND RESTRICTIONS: This purchase is for individual home use only, and does not include any public-performance rights of either a paying or non-paying nature. SUMO EAST AND WEST is protected by United States copyright law. Duplication, reproduction, alteration, television broadcast or cablecast, internet webcasting/filesharing, loaning for a fee, leasing, sublicensing to others or use for public exhibition or commercial purposes (i.e. charging admission) is strictly prohibited without written permission from SumoFilms, Inc.

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

Mr. Joseph

Liquid Courage: The Drunk in Public Chronicles

A Perfect Murder [1998]

DVD: Sesame Street:Count It Higher

Spartacus