by Peter Danish
On August 7, 1974, the sky was dark and threatening, the winds were approaching ten knots and the chance of rain was sixty percent. Despite these harbingers of bad-tidings, at 7:15 a.m., Philippe Petit stepped off the South Tower of the still not quite completed World Trade Center in New York onto a 3/4″ in diameter steel cable.
“I observed the tightrope ‘dancer’-because you couldn’t call him a ‘walker’-approximately halfway between the two towers. And upon seeing us he started to smile and laugh and he started going into a dancing routine on the high wire….And when he got close to the building we asked him to get off the high wire but instead he turned around and ran back out into the middle….He was bouncing up and down. His feet were actually leaving the wire and then he would resettle back on the wire again….Unbelievable really! Everybody was spellbound in the watching of it.” Thus reported Port Authority Police Department Sgt. Charles Daniels, who was dispatched to the roof to bring Petit down.
Those of us old enough to remember the event probably have no idea the kind of subterfuge and intrigue that went into the planning and daring execution of the stunt.
Man on Wire is a new documentary film directed by James Marsh which chronicles Philippe Petit‘s 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center and the more-than-military precision of the strategy and execution. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary and the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary.
At the core of the documentary is the question: “what in God’s name would every possess someone to try such a certifiably insane stunt?“ Unfortunately, that question remains unanswered. The 24-year-old Petit made eight crossings between the towers, a quarter mile above the sidewalks of Manhattan, in an event that lasted just short of an hour; during which time, in addition to walking, he sat on the wire, danced, while lying on the wire, chatted amiably with a seagull circling above his head. (the gull no doubt as confused by his presence as the bewildered onlookers below) The extraordinary and audacious high wire performance made headlines around the world, but when asked why he did it, Petit would only reply in the most banal way: “When I see three oranges, I juggle; when I see two towers, I walk.”
At its best, the film is more than simply a documentary; it’s a thriller, as Petit’s entourage plans the stunt as though it were a major international jewel heist. At its worst, the film degrades to some unexplainably cheesy “low-fi” reenactments of incidents that look like something left over from the History Channel. But the biggest problem with the film is its main character who is essentially a mime and not a particularly compelling one. One almost wished Petit would come out with some charming witticism or deep thoughts about the death-defying act, something, anything – but instead he merely clowns and mugs for the cameras, leaving the audience not cheering for him or even terribly worried about him but rather thinking: “What’s wrong with this guy? I wouldn’t be surprised if he kills himself.”
Despite all its flaws the film is ultimately very entertaining and especially in light of the 9/11, the film’s glorious shots of the Trade Center add a deep-rooted sense of nostalgia for New Yorkers. The story reaches and touches a soft spot on the concept of “creating art,” juxtaposed against mortality; the idea of creation versus risk. Through the film, the viewer realizes that to make such a stunt come to life, the performer needs the support of a great number of people who share his vision (however inarticulate it may be) and that to bring such a group together, to plan and execute, requires a person of some incredible vision or personal charisma – to say nothing of his talent! How he convinced his team to sneak a half-ton of equipment up 100 flights of stairs is amazing enough. But the look on his technical supervisor’s face when he learns that they plan to get the cable from one tower to the other using a bow and arrow is worth the price of admission alone. “An arrow? An arrow? Like a bow and arrow?” The audience cannot help but go along for the ride when face with such unbridled imagination and audacity.
In the end, what kind of man risks his life “dancing” on a cable one quarter of a mile above the earth? Crazy? Arrogant? Conceited? Foolish? You must draw your own conclusions, in that respect, Man on Wire leaves you hanging.
Man on Wire was presented by the Rivertown Film Society as part of their ongoing mission to bring off-beat, high quality films to audiences outside of NYC. The series runs every Wednesday night at Riverspace Arts In Nyack. The Rockland County arts center has taken a page from James Lipton’s popular TV celebrity interview show with their “Conversations at Riverspace” series. WQXR radio host Elliott Forrest does live Q&As with Hollywood superstars. Last month, Forrest grilled Alec Baldwin; previous guests have included comedian Lewis Black, playwright Edward Albee, and actors Bill Irwin and Kathleen Turner. And on October 18, director Jonathan Demme took over the host’s chair to discuss the art of acting with none other than Ms. Meryl Streep. Check out Riverspace.org.
(Editor’s note – Man on Wire is released on Region 2 UK DVD on 27th December following its theatrical release earlier this year)
Outstanding review Peter.. this film was a rather unique experience in the theater..
This is truly an outstanding debut at WitD for lifelong friend, network member and composer Peter Danish, who is as diversified a person as you’ll meet in the field of the arts.
I didn’t personally have abig problem with Petit hamming it up, or the almost unavoidable use of re-enactments, but I can certainly see Peter seeing it that way.
In the end I saw this as a triumph of the human spirits and a film that soared to the heights of human aspirations.
But I think Pete did a great job in relaying the film’s main seeling points.
A enticing review Peter. One wonders whether the frustration with Petite’s muteness is more our problem than his. We all expect adventurers to have some sublime motivation for such audacious acts, but sometimes we have to accept that their reasons may be banal and that thinking deeply or being articulate are not necessary corollaries of audacity.
Well, it’s a very well-written and insightful piece, no doubt. I did like the film, but I can see where Mr. Danish is coming from with those flaws. I’ll have to see it again soon to make a further judgement.
Several key phrases stick with the reader of Mr. Danish’s review: “Certifyibly insane” and “when I see two towers I walk.” Sounds like the kind of film I would have watched on LSD if there were any LSD around. Ever since my best friend offed himself years ago I can’t find any. And speaking of LSD, I would have liked to have spiked this guy’s Perrier with some an hour or so before he pulled his ridiculous stunt. Now that would have been a stunt.
To each his own.
Andrei:
That last comment is an instant classic!!!
LOL!!!
Wonderful review. I saw this film and was moved, but I know it’s construction was rather questionable. Perhaps we could have benefited from knowing Petit better as a person, rather than just a man on a mission.
Thorough and perceptive consideration of a top-flight documentary. There will always be a sadness attached to this, as it always invoke the memories that many of us keep hidden in our hearts. The story has nothing to do with the events that shattered so many people’s lives, but the fact that the Towers are no more will always dwarf the matters at hand. Still it’s an accomplished documentary.
……….I’ve already read a few other reviews of this film, but this one seems to yield even further insights. A great documentary film……
when you look back at this feat, you do ask yourself just how crazy anyone was to even consider such a crazy venture. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I have seen that many people are giving their highest recommendations. This is an excellent review.
“One almost wished Petit would come out with some charming witticism or deep thoughts about the death-defying act, something, anything – but instead he merely clowns and mugs for the cameras, leaving the audience not cheering for him or even terribly worried about him but rather thinking: “What’s wrong with this guy?”
Mr. Danish, I’m one of the “audience” who saw this film, and I’d ask you to refrain from telling others what I’m “thinking” — especially because it’s different from what you apparently think.
As a documentary, this film goes about as far as one can go into the personality and motivations of the central character. I’m satisfied with that.
As a film, “Man on Wire” gives audience members an opportunity to experience the taste and feeling of something they’ll most likely never encounter literally. The point of all this, in my view, is that we can take this experience and translate it into our own lives.
My guess is that Mr. Danish was unwilling to do this.
Great review, Peter. I had some similar thoughts and longing for more when I saw this in August. The feat was absolutely breathtaking, but what I went home with was the feeling that Petit had more of a relationship to himself and his wires than he did with any other humans, most notably his girlfriend at the time. Some people saw his work as the celebration of the human spirit, which it was, but I think one could make a case that his obsession was unhealthy – and not just in the physically dangerous sense.
I’m afraid Tony D’Ambra has called me out – and rightly so. He very succinctly points out that “the frustration with Petite’s muteness is more our problem than his.” Precisely. Petit is what he is – and he is the single most extraordinary practitioner of his trade that the world has ever known. But as Tony accurately states ” We all expect adventurers to have some sublime motivation for such audacious acts, but sometimes we have to accept that their reasons may be banal and that thinking deeply or being articulate are not necessary corollaries of audacity.” Amen -with one caveat. I believe we don’t necessarily “expect” them to have sublime motivations, more accurately I think we “hope” they do . Quite often when we meet our heroes face to face, they disappoint. Sometimes they cannot help but disappoint because of the lofty perches we’ve constructed for them in our own minds. Bobby is probably better equipped to explain the reasons than I. In the end, I think we are all fascinated by human nature and it is only “human nature” to want to know more about the man, the human part of the story than about the stunt. Just my two cents.
I’m going to have to agree with Pierre on this one, though in less stern terms.
With art, sometimes it doesn’t matter what the artist was intending, it’s in how the art is received. What Mr. Petit did was more than just a stunt, it was a work of art and he’s no more going to reveal his secrets than a Stanley Kubrick would have.
The art is in the very reaction of the people who saw him do it and it’s even in the emotion of the participants three decades later.
This crazy Frenchman humanized those towers and he assaulted the very symbols of capitalism in a more peaceful, embracing way than those who would do the same more destructively 30 years on.
Looking back through the tragedy of 9/11, Petit is a symbol of the better parts of human nature: the desire for adventure, a challenge, exploring the unknown, the quest for a better way. These are the same traits that brought Europeans to America and put a man on the moon.
His act was deconstruction without destruction. It was a celebration of the possible and to those of us who tuned into its wavelength, Man on Wire was deeply moving and inspiring.
Best. Movie. Of the year.
To All of you, this is one of the most fascinating threads we have ever had here at WitD!
To Tony, Pierre, Craig Kennedy, Dan Getahaun, Kaleem, Bobby, Andrei Scala, Frank A., Frederick, Bill and Carol…….thanks for sustaining this enlightening discourse. And of course Peter himself, who wrote the review!
Please forgive my bluntness, but we can sit at our computers, hashing ad infinitum over Petit’s motivations and issuing judgments about his character while missing the forest for the trees.
Indeed Pierre, indeed. And as far as bluntness, that is really what makes a meaningful discussion more than just ‘blanket endorsements!’
I admit I liked this film, and found the unfolding of the plot suffused with some unexpected humor, but I’m not sure I would consider it the best film of the year. Maybe best documentary.
A most interesting review, Peter, and a very fascinating discussion that follows it. This is a film that clearly inspires many passionate opinions and we can all thank it for that!
I’m not the “Peter” who wrote this review, by the way!
This is one film that seem destined from the beginning to fan a number of reactions at all ends of the spectrum. The place it all happened is now hallowed ground, and any allusion to it will speark some level of poignancy. I was satisfied that the film was as deep and as textured as it needed to be.
Man on Wire is about the desire for transcendence and the related question to be raised is whether such a desire can ever really be grounded in the completely ‘rational’ or is always by definition a kind of leap of faith?
There is always something obscure about this desire. Even when poets and philosophers have used the idea of ‘transcendence’ as a cornerstone in their thought there has nonetheless been an element of ‘mystery’. In other words ‘transcendence’ cannot merely be the culmination of a ‘logic’.
On a different note though (and this is a personal reflection) I do find something problematic about ‘transcendence’ when it is linked (as it often is) with notions of ‘flight’ and ‘air’. Many of the moments in Man on Wire are breathtaking. The walk across the Trade Center towers is properly climactic. Perhaps ‘transcendence’ is always a trope of ‘upward movement’ and yet the film literalizes it too much. Of course there is a marvelous tension here because the film also involves lateral movement. No matter how high up the tightrope walker is he always walking ‘across’.
The other superb feature about this film is the way in which it is also about ‘art’ (in this case architecture). A work of architecture changes the space that surrounds it, defines it in so many ways, becomes a monument of culture and so forth. The tightrope artist seeks transcendence for sure but he is always tethered to buildings and structures. His ‘walk’ is always across a very risky bridge. This is the wager offered to those who would seek transcendence. The journey always involves great risk..
hey, are you guys serving up some popcorn here? This is exciting!
I have to agree with Peter (Danish) that ‘hope’ is a more apt description of the feelings I spoke about.
Thank you Kaleem Hasan for your valuable insights.
The fact that this film addresses the imperfections, paradoxes and mysteries of the central character broadens and deepens the theme while at the same time making it more relevant and accessible to all of other working (or nonworking) stiffs.
Thanks Pierre..
Very nice ideas here Mr. Hasan.
Peter Danish said,” the end, what kind of man risks his life “dancing” on a cable one quarter of a mile above the earth? Crazy? Arrogant? Conceited? Foolish? You must draw your own conclusions, in that respect, Man on Wire leaves you hanging.”
After watching half (I must finish watching the rest of this documentary later this evening. Because of my work with Alexander and painting, I’am “hurried!”) of this documentary, I have reached the semi-conclusion so far, (That he is very brave, very determined and highly intelligent, but so far I admire his wife the most because of her “patience” and bravery.)
Do anybody think that Monsieur Phillippe Petit will be the perfect choice to portray (Scottie) in the “remake” of director Alfred Hitchcock ‘s 1958 remake of “Vertigo.”
I don’t think so…because I wouldn’t believe him (Petit) when murmured the words…”I have a fear of height!”
P.S. Sam Juliano, thank-you! for providing me with a very nice copy of this film.
Merci! Beaucoup!
dcd
F is for Finition…I have finally watched the documentary The Man on Wire.
I must admit it was very interesting and I also discovered that the lady with the “big green eyes” was his (Petit) long suffering girlfriend Annie Allix, and not his wife.
I would probably watch this film (documentary)
again. (I’am quite sure that I will watch this documentary again.)
But, before I call it a day!…Princess Oops!…Strikes again!… I must make a correction…This should have been phrase as a question, but of course!…
…Do anybody think that Monsieur Phillippe Petit will be the perfect choice to portray (Scottie) in the “remake” of director Alfred Hitchcock ’s 1958 remake of (“Vertigo.” ) “Vertigo?”
…Bonne nuit! “Merveilles de la Fonces”
membres.
DarkCityDame