Customer Reviews

Lipstick & Dynamite - The First Ladies of Wrestling

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This documentary is a must see for wrestling fans and film fans. The movie spotlights the lives of Gladys "Killem" Gillem, The Fabulous Moolah, The Great Mae Young, Ida Mae Martinez and Penny Banner and a few others. All these women were the true pioneers of "girl" wrestling and paved the road for the ladies today, at a time when they weren't welcomed into the business. While you might only recognize Moolah and Mae Young from their WWE appearances, the other ladies have facinating stories to tell that draw you in. Gillem, the oldest living female wrestler goes back to the begining of the business, wrestling matches at the circus. Martinez became a nurse and was one of the first people to care for people with AIDS. The one sad part to the movie is seeing that some of the women still carry grudges against each other. Some have criticized the movie saying Moolah & Young treated it like wrestling was a shoot (real), but in those days kayfabe was alive and well. While the DVD isn't released yet, this is a movie you'll want in your collection! I was at the Los Angeles premiere that Gillem, Moolah, Young, Martinez and the director all attended. These women are all inspirational and they brought a tear to my eye. The director deserves extra credit for shining a light on these ladies and bringing them to the premiere...hopefully that's included on the DVD release. My only regret is I didn't bring my video camera. It was truly an honor and a pleasure meeting all these legends.

After you watch the movie you realize each of these ladies was
a one of a kind,in their own unique way. These women fought tooth and nail to give themselves a better life. It was good to see that because of Ruth Leitman these women have had a chance to tell their stories and will not be forgotten. How many women can say they were a lady wrestler, lion tamer,alligator wrestler, and to top it off raised three children by herself? It was interesting to hear how in spite of their occupation they still presented themselves as genteel ladies. Saw the movie and will definitely buy the DVD.

I saw this film first at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2004 and then I saw it several times in New York when it played there in March 2005. I have been a fan of Fabulous Moolah since 1984, and I always thought she deserved a lot of credit for what she did over the years. People who know her and Mae Young as the two silly characters they play on WWE tv don't know the real story. This movie tells the tale of the two of them as well as the other ladies who paved the way for women wrestlers. Nowadays, a woman can be called a "wrestler" if she wins a "Diva Search" contest, but back then the women really trained very hard to become true athletes. You don't have to be a wrestling fan to love this movie. I bought two copies...one for myself and one to loan to people. As the Daily News wrote, "Dynamite is the perfect word to describe this film".

What a knockout documentary this is! It should be right up there with the best of the best. Forget the current trendy, hip "anti-establishment," "subversive" documentaries (no names shall be mentioned). This film is a direct descendant of the works of Albert Maysles, Ross McElwee, and Bruce Sinofsky. It's about incredible women who broke the mold and found their own unique way in the world. It takes a director like Leitman to so perfectly capture the many complex sides of these incredible creatures. There is no resolution to their stories, no pat answers. They are muddling their way through life just like the rest of us, and Leitman catches the horror, the triumph, and the wonderful strength and sense of humor many of them possess. This doc is as engrossing as any terrific feature -- it lets you into a world you've never known and changes you as a result. Kudos to Leitman. I can't wait for her first narrative feature film. She's a director to watch!!

This is an excellent documentary about the women who were the pioneers of lady professional wrestling. It is an interesting story and tells about their struggles against sexism and against each other in a cruel and dirty business. Great interviews with the ladies as they are today in their mid 60's, 70's and above mixed with wonderful clips of them as young ladies in their prime.

You don't have to be a wrestling fan to like this great documentary.

This movie is a must for any serious fan of professional wrestling, or American cultural history. Ruth leitman has done us all a service in recording the stories and reflections of these wonderful women: Penny Banner, Lillian Ellison, Gladys Gillem, Ida May Martinez, Ella Waldek and mae Young.

These women display a lot of class, and plenty of sass! Most of them came from hard scrabble beginnings and experienced plenty of abuse, and neglect en route to the wrestling ring. They also endured abuse, and exploitation by male promoters along the way. Indeed one of the sadder undercurrents to the film is that such strong, vibrant women were often on the receiving end of violence themselves.

The real theme though is, ultimately, triumph. These women (and their peers), can look back at everything, and say "we did it." They triumphed over exploitatation, over the resentment of male wrestlers, who were resentful of the attention that the women received--even though women on the card meant bigger payouts for everybody!

Mildred Burke does not get as much attention as her place in wrestling history warrants, and it is clear that resentment lingers among some of the ladies featured, but those are part of the ongoing story. Sadly, many of the featured women have since passed away, but thankfully we will always have this movie to remind us why we cherish their memories, and celebrate their lives,

As a somewhat closet pro wrestling fan, I decided to check out Ruth Leitman's documentary on women's wrestling from the 40's to the 60's. The film chronicles the lives and careers of several former stars of the ring in anticipation of a wrestling reunion. They include the late-great Fabulous Moolah, who skyrocketed to fame as a wrestler, promoter, and manager; the Great Mae Young, who continues to perform for World Wrestling Entertainment and vows to celebrate her 100th birthday with a match; Ella Waldek, whose upbringing in a farm and the roller derby made her the perfect candidate for the ring; and the late Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem, who eventually left the business to wrestle bears and alligators.

The in-ring footage featured in the film shows how different women's wrestling was back then, as these ladies had literally beat, bit, scratched, and eye-gouged their way to the top. But the business proved to be as tough as the women, as they faced sleazy promoters, life on the road, financial exploitation, and a world where career women weren't welcome. What's especially perplexing is how what is said in the interviews (especially concerning Moolah) contradicts what happens when the women reunite. You'll just have to watch "Lipstick & Dynamite" to find out.

This film is unrated: Violence, Adult Language.

This is a loaded DVD which contains the 83 minute documentary about the girl wrestlers of the distant past as well as a bucket load of extras. I found the bonus stuff to be just as equally informative and entertaining as the main feature. There are 7 seperate interview segments. These include Men-Talk-Ladies(Ox Baker/Nick Bockwinkel/Red Bastien/Stan Kowalski/Karl Layer), Butcher Vachon(talks about Vivian Vachon), Reunion, Billy Wicks talks about Penny's love of Elvis, Elephant Boy on Moolah, and Anthony, wrestling super fan.

There are two seperate Radio Interviews. These include: To the Best of our Knowledge(12 min) and Coincidence in a Half-Nelson(7 min). There are five featurettes. These are IFC at the "Angelika" segment, Atlanta Q & A, Chasing Moolah, NYC Premiere, and Tribeca Q & A. There are also 8 deleted scenes as well as theatrical trailers of various independant and foreign movies. Lastly there is the commentary from the director herself, Ruth Leitman. Ruth added further insight about the girl wrestlers, her experience with these wrestlers, as well as info about making the documentary.

While I did not find all of the past female wrestlers in this feature to be the most compelling nor entertaining, I still appreciated the blood and guts that they spilled in order to tell/sell a story and further the art and craft of their chosen profession. While watching the documentary and listening to the commentary, I could not help but feel that Ruth Leitman really put her heart and soul into making this film. For Ruth Leitman and all the girl wrestlers of the past, their "labor of love" is much appreciated.

i saw my first wrestling match when i was eight years old
i seen fred blassie wrestle el olypico live
i love old school wrestling and i thought the dvd was great
i met moolah and even called her house on moolah way in columbia south carolina-i saw her wrestle many times in lowell, ma. and boston
the dvd brings the legends of wrestling back to life
todays wrestling does not compare to moolahs time-it never will
if your a real fan buy this dvd -its worth it -wwwf forever

It's good to know a little about everything. People are out there with the ability to teach you. Just watch and listen. Best specific job related documentary after MAU-MAU-SEX-SEX.

Don't you just hate Moolah.