Man on Wire (2008)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

James Marsh

Writer:

Philippe Petit (book)

Release Date:

1 August 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Crime

Tagline:

1974. 1350 feet up. The artistic crime of the century.

Plot:

A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century."

Plot Keywords:

Tower | Rooftop | Friend | Dancing | Tightrope

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 27 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Philippe Petit	...	Himself
Jean François Heckel	...	Himself (as Jean-François Heckel)
Jean-Louis Blondeau	...	Himself
Annie Allix	...	Herself
David Forman	...	Himself
Alan Welner	...	Himself
Mark Lewis	...	Himself
Barry Greenhouse	...	Himself (as N. Barry Greenhouse)
Jim Moore	...	Himself
Guy F. Tozzoli	...	Himself (as Guy Tozzoli)
Paul McGill	...	Philippe - Drama Reconstructions
David Demato	...	Jean-Louis - Drama Reconstructions
Ardis Campbell	...	Annie - Drama Reconstructions
Aaron Haskell	...	Jean-François - Drama Reconstructions
Shawn Dempewolff-Barrett	...	David - Drama Reconstructions (as Shawn Dempewolff)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and nudity, and drug references.

Runtime:

USA:94 min | USA:90 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Ireland:12A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Australia:PG | UK:12 | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva)

Company:

Discovery Films

Trivia:

The helicopter reporter heard describing the tightwire walk (at 1:20:50 on the DVD) is Neil Bush, traffic helicopter pilot/reporter for WCBS NewsRadio88.

Quotes:

Philippe Petit: To me, it's really so simple, that life should be lived on the edge. You have to exercise rebellion. To refuse to tape yourself to the rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge. Then you will live your life on the tightrope.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Memorial

Outstanding psychological journey

For me, this is what cinema is all about, and this film is striking in that it encapsulates so much in a documentary. Man On Wire has more suspense, thrills, wonder, imagination, human spirit and inspiration than any other film I have seen in recent years. The music, composition and photography, structure and editing are all superb. Some of the shots are simply breathtaking. Some scenes in the film are incredibly atmospheric, and they will be forever burned in your mind. The film captures a human sense of achievement, drive and determination better than any other film I know. Heres the ultimate proof of this films power - the audience didn't shift until a good couple of minutes into the credits.