Man on Wire (2008)

Directed by

James Marsh

Genre

documentary film, biographical film

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Runtime

1h 30m

Rated

PG-13

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 971 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary tells the story of Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. It shows how he and his team planned and carried out the illegal feat. The film uses interviews and reenactments to capture the tension and beauty of the event.

suspensefulaudaciousawe-inspiringintimatenostalgicelegantbreathtakinginventive

What happens

Man on Wire is a 2008 documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. It is based on Petit's 2002 book, To Reach the Clouds, released in paperback with the title Man on Wire. The title of the film is taken from the police report that led to the arrest (and later release) of Petit, whose performance lasted for almost an hour. The film is crafted like a heist film, presenting rare footage of the preparations for the event and still photographs of the walk, alongside re-enactments (with Paul McGill as the young Petit) and present-day interviews with the participants, including Barry Greenhouse, an insurance executive who served as the inside man. Man on Wire competed in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary and the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary. In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary. As of 2022, it is one of only six documentary films to ever sweep "The Big Four" critics awards (LA, NBR, NY, NSFC) and the only one of those to also win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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