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MAN ON WIRE explores tightrope walker Philippe Petit’s daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between the twin towers of New York City’s World Trade Center in what some consider “the artistic crime of the century”.
Director: James Marsh
Share this film. Give others the opportunity to be moved and provoked by a personality as unique as Phillippe Petit’s.
Dare to go out of your comfort zone. Identify a fear or phobia and commit to overcoming it.
Learn how to tightrope walk. You could start the Philippe Petit way and just string up a wire in your backyard, or your could take a class. You might also get some help and hints from Phillippe’s YouTube videos.
Commit to realizing a dream of your own – you may not dream of walking the tightrope, but Petit’s message is that no one should be afraid to simply go out there and do what they dream of doing.
When MAN ON WIRE was first released, many critics described it as “a heist movie.” And yes, many elements of a real-life heist were present in the way Petit carried out his audacious plot.
What is the definition of “a heist movie,” and why is MAN ON WIRE likened to Hitchcock’s film, Vertigo?
Find out more on The Guardian.
“Balance is an important design element… I created a hanging chair out of thick rope that I looped over a beam… Guests twist back and forth and swing a lot on it. But you must hold both sides of the rope to stand up. Otherwise you lose your balance and stumble.”
Read more about Petit’s house, which he and Kathy O’Donnell purchased in 1992.
Philippe’s memoir, To Reach the Clouds, tells his high-wire walk with lyrical urgency.
Read Stephanie Merritt’s review on The Observer.
RUN ALONG THE EDGE OF MADNESS…
The following six films allow us a view of the world detached from logic through the eyes of dreamers and madmen.
Listen to our playlist with music from the film on Spotify.
A million people skipped a heartbeat as Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner embarked on a record-breaking free fall jump. Fearless Felix skydived an estimated 39 kilometers and landed on earth at a speed of 1,342 kilometers per hour (834 mph).
Felix’s stunt is not the only daredevil act that got our hearts in our mouths. Click here to see 5 other daredevil acts.
In 2013, Nik Wallenda, who calls himself “King of the High Wire,” took an untethered walk across the Grand Canyon. This achievement made him the first person to cross the canyon without a tether or a safety net.
Learn more on CBC News.
"...ABOUT THE VANQUISHING OF THE TOWERS BY BRAVERY AND JOY, NOT BY TERRORISM."
Roger Ebert.com
"PERFECTLY POISED BETWEEN ARTISTRY AND AUDACITY. IT'S BEAUTIFUL."
Chicago Tribune
"RAISES THE BAR FOR [DOCUMENTARIES] TO SKYSCRAPER HEIGHT."
Wall Street Journal
