OUT IN THE RING explores the rise and history of LGBTQ+ professional wrestlers and representation in the sport. Using a combination of interviews with LGBTQ+ wrestling talents (past and present), allies & historians, archival footage, and rare photos, OUT IN THE RING uncovers the history of the pro wrestling industry and the rise of visibility for performers and fans worldwide.
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Video Quality
Out In The Ring comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with an excellent HD source which presents this documentary in top form. This feature is comprised of a mixture of recent interviews along with older clips, pictures, and other archival material to help flesh out the history of wrestling and how queer talent fits into it. All older footage seems to come from the most stable source possible, leaving more recent footage looking the best and clips from the early days looking much more inconsistent.
The new talking head interview segments look crisp and clear with natural skin tones and some highly detailed facial features such as facial hair and makeup. The more recent footage broadcast or captured live is detailed with a nominal amount of inconsistency depending on the environment. The colors spotlighted in the footage such as costumes and pyrotechnics have an incredible vibrancy to them. The encode does not come up short when it comes to compression artifacts or unwanted digital nuisances. While not all the footage is made for an HD presentation, this documentary feels right at home on Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc comes with a welcome DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures this material just right. Dialogue is the focus in the center channel as you get these stories and passionate feelings delivered in a stable environment. The interviews invite an impressive array of talking heads to give context to the archival footage. Any music or clips of matches come through with striking fidelity that locks you into the energy of the exhibition. This may only be a stereo presentation, but the room feels capably saturated when you are viewing the film There are no notable digital anomalies or other issues spotted. This track delivers on all fronts. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Ry Levey and Editor Brad Webb provide a straightforward and informative commentary track in which they give additional background to the subjects, the interview process, the structure of the film, unused footage, and much more that is a great listen.
- Deleted & Extended Scenes: There are around 18 minutes of additional unused interview footage that provides some really interesting anecdotes that could not fit neatly into the finished film.
- Susan Tex Green (4:56)
- Pollo del Mar (4:40)
- Effy (3:10)
- Sonny Kiss (4:54)
- Official Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided.
Final Thoughts
Out In The Ring is an invaluable documentary that explores the institution of professional wrestling and how athletes in the queer community have been treated and represented within the sport. Not only do you get a pretty solid history lesson of landmark figures within the sport, but you also get numerous personal anecdotes from those who have gone and continue to go through the process as a queer athlete. The experience is often infuriating yet necessary to understand the context of certain portrayals, how the industry engages with these athletes, and how things are slowly evolving. It is straightforward but well-edited to keep one topic gracefully flowing into the next with no unnecessary detours. Whether you are the biggest wrestling fan or a newcomer to the sport, there is a lot to be gained from watching this documentary. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and some welcome special features. Recommended
Out In The Ring is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: ETR Media & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
