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DVD Review: Man on a Wire |
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| Written by Trent Daniel | ||||||
| Wednesday, 16 December 2009 | ||||||
 Man on Wire is a documentary by James Marsh. It seems that, for many people, the moments when they are closest to death are when they feel the most alive. To die taking a bold risk is to die a glorious death, far better than to simply grow old and wither away like other mortals do. I myself am not a daredevil-yet I sometimes envy those who are. They often feel what few others feel, or see what no one else sees, or will ever see. Philippe Petit is one such daredevil. On August 7, 1974, this infamous tightrope walker crossed not once, not twice, but eight times between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Man on Wire, the engrossing, moving documentary about his feat, masterfully meshes current interviews, actual footage and reenactments in thrilling fashion in order to understand how and why P We first meet Monsieur Petit as a young Parisian street performer and tightrope walker. One day, while sitting in a dentist office, he comes across an article about the construction of the towers. Almost instinctively, he drew a line between the illustrated towers-and became obsessed with the notion of walking between them. From this moment on, most of the film plays like a great bank heist such as Ocean’s Eleven. Petit recruits a diverse, ragtag team of helpers from both sides of the Atlantic, including an executive who actually works in one tower. (Note: It seems amazing the loyalty he instantly earns from his helpers in such an outlandish scheme. Maybe they are drawn to his passion and determination to pull this off.) There are also reenactments of how the crew came more than once within a hair’s breath of being discovered (Petit and an assistant had to hide for hours under a tarp to keep from getting caught from a security guard; the other crew actually walked by accident right in front of a seated security guard, who simply did not see them in the shadows). The film does address how they got the wire across (any guesses?) The highlight of the film brought tears to my eyes. Actual footage and photos show Petit walking perilously on the wire, 1350 feet above ground. Ground footage shows a small speck seeming to walk in the sky. In one breathtaking moment, he actually lay down on the wire, staring into the heavens. He saw sights, experienced sensations no else ever had (or ever will). I admire Phillipe Petit. Yes, he and his cohorts broke the law. What he did was foolhardy, perhaps borderline insane. Yet who did they hurt? Think about the gift he gave his cohorts, even to the people gazing below. Much of life is about experiences and who would ever forget what they experienced that day? Note: to address the “elephant in the room,” the film never addresses the tragic fate of the towers. I think it is the right decision. The film is about a personal triumph and the joy of living, not tragedy and murder. Extras:
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