It’s not very often that I’d pick up a documentary movie, but I’ve been hearing so much about Man on Wire in recent weeks that I had to find out what all the hype was about. It’s a 2008 film that tells the audacious tale of a tightrope walker that tiptoed from one tower of the World Trade Center to the other. It’s been receiving plenty of awards of late, most notably the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prizes for World Cinema at the Sundance Film Festival, while several of my regular reads included it in their top 10 lists of 2008.

The tremendous feat was achieved in 1974, and attracted such significant attention that President Nixon commented upon his resignation, “I wish I had the publicity of that French guy.” That French guy was Philippe Petit, a 24 year old performer whose other tricks included juggling, unicycle riding and acrobatics. Having conceived the idea in 1968 (prior to the WTC construction), Petit successfully hitched a wire between the two towers, and in the space of 45 minutes crossed it 8 times performing a couple of tricks along the way before being arrested and launched into legendary fame.

Man on Wire is based on Petit’s own publication “To Reach the Clouds” and has been pieced together by UK documentary director, James Marsh. It’s a mixture of actual footage, re-enactments and interviews. The film deals more with the planning of the event, which took 6 years, than it does with the actual walk itself. Being such a difficult event to plan, there are no video cameras for the walk which is depicted through a series of photographs. Similarly shots of Petit’s team sneaking around the WTC had to be re-enacted.

With limited resources, Marsh does manage to put all of this together in a cohesive, artistic and entertaining fashion. Most intriguing is the heist style ambiance. In a fashion what they were doing was very similar to a bank job. They had to falsify papers, disguise themselves, get themselves and their equipment to the top floor (of both towers) and figure out how to get a wire from one side to the other. The height itself was the least of Petit’s concerns. More worrying was the swaying of the towers that would cause the wire to move and a looser wire than he would have desired due to the impossibility of securing it as he normally would. We see amusing footage of practice attempts as Petit reconstructs a practice wire in France, which his friends shake around to simulate the difficult task.

The movie is sequenced in a non-chronological order, using flashbacks to Petit’s earlier life, most notable being his crossing of the spires of the Notre-Dame cathedral and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Interviews with his long time accomplices, his girlfriend and a trio of clueless New York accomplices help us gather a feel for the danger and anxiety of what was happening. Petit didn’t care if he died in achieving such a beautiful feat. His entourage were concerned for Petit’s safety but also their own exposure to involuntary manslaughter or assisted suicide. In one of the final scenes, close friend Jean-Louis Blondeau breaks to tears as he recalls his fears and the ultimate relief. But it’s Petit himself that maintains the pace of the movie with his animated eccentricity and articulation. He jumps out of his seat in interviews as he recalls 30 year old events as if they happened yesterday. He’s captivating viewing, a natural that could probably bring excitement to the most mundane of subjects.

The artistry of the highwire footage is impressive viewing in itself. When viewed from the ground, Petit’s crossing is a breathtaking feat. The greatest shot however is of a photograph taken from the top of the tower pointing down, one that had me saying “oh my god.” Marsh implements his own little spots of artistry to maintain the pace. We see shots of black and white bank job movies, dream sequences, a musical performance and a classical score, which when all put together in black and white give the feel of classic European cinema.

There’s also extensive footage of the construction of the World Trade Centre which is touching material given recent events. There’s no mention of the terrorists attacks, which is fitting because it might have distracted the mood of the movie. But in a way the movie is as much a tribute to the WTC as it is to Petit’s achievement. At the time his achievement was scorned upon by the authorities but amid great public interest welcomed widely for the publicity and attention it brought to the WTC which had been met with mixed feelings of skepticism.

As varied as the footage may be however, this is a documentary. The feel of a bank heist is there in pieces but it’s essentially about the photography of the event and the interviews of those involved. The editing and direction is an interesting achievement in that it manages to maintain the pace of the film. But it’s more Discovery Channel stuff than mainstream theatre that makes this more suited to casual viewing than a night at the cinema. I wouldn’t recommend it to mainstream audiences, but it’s certainly interesting, casual viewing.

Verdict: 3 Stars Recommended

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older