Giving life to 'The Death Tour'

TORONTO – One thing I learned years ago about reviewing movies is that you can’t account for watching it with other people.

I’d gone to a press screening of the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker buddy flick, Rush Hour, and came away thinking it was okay. Then I went to see it with my wife, with a theater full of people, and it far more hilarious.

That long ago experience came to mind on Friday, August 2, as I went to a screening of the documentary, The Death Tour, about the Tony Condello-led wrestling shows in the dead of winter up in northern Manitoba.

Back in January, SlamWrestling.net was offered screeners of The Death Tour as it was being shown at a film festival. The Canadian Bulldog did a review, since he had reviewed a similar movie from a decade ago for the site. We also got a guest column from “Massive Damage” Sean Dunster about the experiences on the tour and having the filmmakers tagging along.

I watched the film at that point, streaming it on my computer, probably while I did a few other things at the same time, or I paused it to go do something. In short, it never got my full attention as it deserved.

Watching it in the Carlton cinema in downtown Toronto, a bag of popcorn in my lap, with one of the directors, one of the subjects and Condello with his family in attendance was something else entirely, and not just because I got to see people I know and like, such as Wavell Starr and Massive Damage on a big screen.

There are so many takeaways:

Canada is a big country.
The cinematography was incredible, and northern Manitoba is beautiful in winter, even if some of the story is heartbreaking.
The musical score means more in a theater than on a computer speaker.
We often hear about the issues in indigenous communities, but here it’s laid out in stark reality for the average person. There are problems with suicide and addiction, and there are differences of opinion about “the old ways” and keeping cultures alive and flourishing. Condello laid out the law early that no drinking or drugs were allowed on the tour.
Kids are the same everywhere, they want to be entertained, they want to be loved.
Hugs are universal.
No one can be sad when there’s a dog there to interact with.

Sunset as the trucks drive over the ice in The Death Tour documentary.

While The Death Tour is a wrestling movie, in many ways it isn’t. You will come away with respect for Condello and his crew, especially the select few performers that the movie hones in on, but you will also have a greater appreciation for the Great White North and the remarkable people who call it home.

During a post-screening question and answer session at the Carlton Cinema, hosted by Jay Nadler, a Toronto actor who also is wrestling personality Hutch Henries and involved with the Demand Lucha promotion, co-director Stephan Peterson said that the documentary “took a turn” from what he envisioned eight years ago, when he first approached Condello about filming a tour. Peterson ended up going up for a couple of stints along with his crew.

“When I first saw it, I was kind of blown away by the wrestling,” Peterson told the audience. “Then when I went up a second time for a couple of days, that was when I really saw the rapport between the communities, and the wrestlers, and the history they have. I mean, he’s been doing this for 50 years and so there’s generations of families there who’ve been coming to Tony’s shows, who have been impacted by the wrestling, impacted by the wrestlers, impacted by what it means that you guys come up to these towns year in, year out.”

Peterson gave props to co-director Sonya Ballantyne, who initially said no to the project — which made Peterson want her on the team even more. “I got to talk to her in person and after some time she agreed to do the film,” he said. “She’s the biggest wrestling fan and she’s from those communities. She grew up watching the tour. And I mean, she probably knew more of a wrestling than half the wrestlers on the tour. It was a great relationship. I never co-directed anything with anyone before so I was apprehensive about it at first. It actually worked, really, it was amazing. Nothing but love for Sonya.”

McKenrose the Scottish Warrior (Sarah McNicoll) and director Stephan Peterson with Tony Condello and his extended family at a screening of The Death Tour in Toronto on August 2, 2024. Photo by Greg Oliver

There was lots of love for Condello in the audience, and from more than just his daughters, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren (with another on the way). McKenrose the Scottish Warrior (Sarah McNicoll) hadn’t seen Condello since the tour and was very emotional.

McKenrose and Condello were seeing the film in its entirety for the first time.

“I cry all the time. … I remember every moment. I feel it really, just the kids with the smiles on their face. And I’m sorry, I lost my English,” McKenrose said in her halting English. “But it’s making me proud, really. I meet so great person up there. And I learned so much in myself with this tour, for make sure the people is happy when I was wrestling, listening to the people. And it’s helped me to be a better person right now. I’m feeling strong and I just want to show to every kids [what they they could they can aspire to].”

There were laughs too.

Asked about others who went on to success in wrestling after participating in The Death Tours, like Edge, Christian, Chris Jericho (one of the executive producers) and Kenny Omega, Condello took some credit.

“Well, I’m very, very proud of what they are today. And the only reason they’re where they are today because they listened to what I told them, it’s a fact,” he said, to much laughter.

There’s lots more on Condello out there, from the earlier documentary on The Death Tour, 2006’s Wrestling With the North, and the documentary, The Promoter: The Tony Condello Story, which can be seen on YouTube.

Peterson and company have lots more too. By his estimate they filmed roughly two terabytes of footage each day.

“So many, so many touching and funny moments that never made the film that still break my heart today,” said Peterson. “But it’s a special trip. The fact that we can just kind of be a fly on the wall and a roll on what was unfolding so easily with them and have so much magic happen in front of camera and in one one place for two weeks was special. I’d be lucky if anything like that ever happens again.”

For those that know Condello, his use of colorful language comes part and parcel with his personality. I couldn’t resist asking Peterson how hard it was editing around Condello’s swearing, and how much of that footage is Tony ranting.

“Most of it,” laughed Peterson.

Condello had a comeback: “That is not my fault. You told me to be myself.”

The Death Tour is screening in select Canadian cities in August. Down the road, it will air in its entirety in APTN and The Fight Network, and a shortened version will air on CBC. There will also be a version dubbed into French. Down the road, the distributions hope to find a streaming deal as well. Details at The Death Tour website.

TOP PHOTO: McKenrose the Scottish Warrior (Sarah McNicoll), Tony Condello and director Stephan Peterson at a screening of The Death Tour in Toronto on August 2, 2024. Photo by Greg Oliver

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