Man on Wire (***)

Directed by: James Marsh
Starring: Phillipe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix
Seen: May 31st 2009

*** Out of ****

Man on Wire chronicles Phillipe Petit’s wire-walking career, with most of its focus set on his 1974 feat of walking on a wire between the two towers of the World Trade Centre, the only time the two towers were ever connected. Quick mention is made of two other big acts of high wire walking by Petit, being his first big public walk traversing the towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral in France, and also a walk between the towers of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia, but this is only as a precursor for the big event.

Producer Simon Chinn bugged Petit for months before Petit decided to allow the film to be made based on his book, To Reach the Clouds. This was also only in return for a lively collaborative part in the documentary for Petit. Director James Marsh was drawn to the film as it struck him as a heist movie, and that is also the way in which the film is made, as some scenes are shot in black and white, showing only shadows and silhouettes of the characters as they move equipment and hide from guards and the police, almost bringing about the expectation the Charlie Chaplin might walk into the frame. There is, however, one major difference between this film and the usual heist film. The usual heist movie has the characters trying to get something out of some building, but in this one the story is all about Petit and his group of friends helping him to get all his equipment into the building and to the roof.

The team planned quite extensively, since the amount of tools and equipment they needed to accomplish this extraordinary feat was staggering. It is amasing to see how easily everything was done, with security and terrorism not yet such a major concern in the early 70’s as it is today. Fake work orders and ID’s were easier to get by with in those days, and this is definitely not something that will ever be repeated again. The film is infused with Petit’s energy and passion for high wire walking, and this is at times funny and at times slightly over the top and almost a little bit annoying. But it is interesting, and when the big act starts one can’t help but cringe from the screen if you have even the slightest issue with heights, as this guy was simply not afraid of them, and thus continuously challenged them.

Documentaries are not usually my forte, but this was entertaining enough, and presented in such a way that at times you forget that this is merely the re-telling of historical events. The viewer gets involved, and this is usually the mark of a good documentary.