Hitman Hart:

Wrestling with

Shadows (1998)

It’s 1997, and the World Wrestling Federation is facing fierce competition from Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling. When the legendary Bret “The Hitman” Hart is offered a lucrative opportunity to jump ship to the WCW, WWF mastermind Vince McMahon appeals to his sense of loyalty and lures him back with a 20-year contract. But when McMahon abruptly reneges on the deal, Hart reconnects with the competition, paving the way for one of the most notorious events in the history of professional wrestling: the Montreal Screwjob.

Widely hailed as the greatest wrestling documentary of all time, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows is an engrossing look at the life and career of Bret Hart and the Hart dynasty. Granted unprecedented access to the secret world of wrestling, director Paul Jay presents a real-world narrative far more dramatic than any story created for the ring. Expanding on the film’s eye-opening perspective, this disc also includes the potent companion doc, The Life and Death of Owen Hart – co-directed by Jay and Sally Blake – which explores the tragic death of Bret’s brother Owen.

Special features

• Transferred and restored from the Betacam master

• Audio commentary featuring Bret Hart and Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer

• Anatomy of a Screwjob (2022, 23 min.) – New interview with Bret Hart

• Directing with Shadows (2022, 23 min.) – New interview with director Paul Jay

• Screwjob-specific commentary (2022, 13 min.) featuring Bret Hart

• Archival interview with Bret Hart (2008, 22 min.)

• Archival interview with Paul Jay (2008, 22 min.)

• The Life and Death of Owen Hart (1999, 47min.) with an intro by co-director Paul Jay

• Booklet featuring an interview with producer Sally Blake

• Reversible cover artwork

• English SDH subtitles for both films