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Let's get physical >> Montreal bodybuilders Ben and Joe Weider flex for Men of Iron by MATTHEW HAYS
The lives of the Weiders couldn't be more fitting fodder for documentary filmmakers. Born into a poor Jewish family in Montreal, the two scrawny kids decided to get fit at a young age in order to stave off neighbourhood bullies. The two became fitness pros, promoting and changing the face of bodybuilding worldwide and developing a multi-million-dollar empire specializing in the sales of sports equipment and nutritional supplements. At 75, Ben--like brother Joe--continues to travel and promote physical fitness. The documentary, titled The Weider Brothers: Men of Iron, must have presented the filmmakers with a daunting task: how do you cram both these life times into a mere 40-odd minutes? Co-directors Marrin Canell and Ted Remerowski begin with the Weiders' childhood reminiscences; living in a rougher Montreal 'hood, the two were taunted because of their small size and Jewish ethnicity. "There were signs at the time that read, 'NO DOGS AND NO JEWS,'" Ben recalls. "I took up boxing, Joe took up wrestling. We learned the techniques of our sport, but couldn't win--at the time we weren't strong enough. We then worked to make strength conditioning part of athletic training." The film credits the Weiders with more than just raising the profile and respectability of bodybuilding; Men of Iron suggests the entire contemporary fitness craze was the invention of the Montreal natives. What with abundant media reports of steroid abuse, liposuction, cosmetic surgery and implants, does Weider ever feel that he and his brother have created a bit of a monster? "The fitness craze is the best thing that ever could have happened," he insists. "When people used to exercise, doctors thought it was a bad thing to have an athlete's heart. Now we know it's the best thing in the world. Life expectancies have expanded considerably due to the fitness craze." As for steroid use, Weider says that while the use of performance enhancement drugs is certainly a bad thing, he adds it's probably an inevitability in light of a typical athlete's personality. "If you asked a group of athletes if they'd take drugs that could make them champs now, but would give them a terminal illness in 15 years, they would probably take them anyway. Athletes are competitive--they want to win. The IOC has been having this problem for 20 years." The film also explores Ben's fascination with all things Napoleonic--"A misunderstood man, way ahead of his time," insists Weider--and also notes that the Weiders were the ones who discovered a young Austrian bodybuilder named Arnold Schwarzenegger. Despite the rumours, Weider says Schwarzenegger is no fascist. "He's an ultraconservative and a Republican. But he's not a fascist or a Nazi. He's got too many Jewish friends who've helped him get ahead in life." The Weider Brothers: Men of Iron airs this Monday, February 22, at 9pm on CBC
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"I'm on pins and needles," says bodybuilder Ben Weider, anticipating the premiere of the documentary made about himself and brother Joe. "I haven't seen it yet, and I'm dying to know what it's like."