Man On Wire

Man On Wire. Dir. James Marsh.

      Feat. Philippe Petit (as himself).

Magnolia Pictures, 2008.

A zealous, daring wire walker — the French word funambule is a more lyrical, as well as a somewhat more ridiculous-sounding term — he conceived a passion for the structures even before they were built."Man on Wire," directed by James Marsh , has access to all of Petit's film, video and photographs of the assault on the towers. But there is more than that. Ingeniously using actors and restaging events, Marsh fleshes out the story with scenes that could never have been filmed, such as the episode when Petit and a partner crouched motionless under tarps on a beam near the top floor as a security guard nosed around. Petit has gathered a motley crew, including a pot-addled musician and an executive who actually works in an office in one tower. He trains these amateurs on how to rig a high wire. Properly, he hopes. Even as a child, he liked to climb things. No telling why. He taught himself to walk on a wire, practiced endlessly, dreamed of conquering the clouds. He rehearsed on wire strung up in country fields. His first great feat was to walk on a wire between the two bell towers of Notre Dame. Then he walked between the towers of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. As the World Trade Center was growing, so were his ambitions. He never just "walked" on a wire. He lay down, knelt, juggled, ran. Every wire presented its own problems, and in rehearsing for the WTC, he built a wire the same distance in France. To simulate the winds, the movements of the buildings and the torsion of the wire, he had friends jiggle his wire, trying to toss him off. His balance was flawless. He explains how a wire can move: Up and down, sideways, laterally, and it also can sometimes twist. The installation of a wire between the two towers was as complicated as a bank heist. He and his friends scouted the terrain, obtained false ID cards, talked their way into a freight elevator reaching to the top -- above the level of the finished floors. Incredibly, they had to haul nearly a ton of equipment up there. Their plan worked. And on the morning of that Aug. 7, Petit took the first crucial step that shifted his weight from the building to the wire, and stood above a drop of 1,350 feet. Many people know he crossed successfully. I had no idea he went back and forth eight times, the police waiting on both sides. His friends shed tears as they remember it happening. It was dangerous, foolhardy, glorious. His assistants feared they could be arrested for trespassing, manslaughter or assisting a suicide. Philippe Petit was arrested and eventually found guilty. The charge: Disturbing the peace.

By drawing a line between the world’s largest towers, Philippe achieved an action many wouldn’t even imagine possible. The Twin Towers were a dream in themselves, and with Philippe wire walking between the two was like a dream being accomplished on a dream. Him and his friends were able to pull off a stunt that completely defied expectations and redefined what is possible. Petit also had a strong urgency overflowing with obsession.  In order to pull off his tightrope walk, Petit had to convince many people that it was possible. Surely his talent helped persuade them, but Petit’s passion was so enchanting, it motivated others to believe in his vision. His obsessive drive helped him achieve his goal, but perhaps also explains why he cast off his friends after his goal was achieved. Petit’s dreams could not have been realized without a band of friends who were with him every step of the way. This film rejects the myth of the “solitary artist” and reminds us that achieving something of such greatness requires loyalty and partnership. Petit’s accomplices put their egos aside to make way for Petit. After the project was realized, many of these friendships faded away, perhaps because Philippe no longer found them useful and he let the fame get the best of him. The film examines the collateral damage of great art and amazing feats. It asks the viewer to consider where an artist’s true loyalties lie—are artists beholden only to their art, or also to the people who help them achieve their vision?

I believe that anyone striving to achieve something should watch this film, for not only will they be inspired but they’ll also see what it took one artist to achieve the unimaginable. “Man On Wire” has received 26 awards worldwide including the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and is a must-see for anyone who finds the poetic pleasure in seeing a French man do what makes him content.