Update February 2009
Good news! Man on Wire picked up an Oscar as Best Documentary 2009 at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.
End Update. Now, my take on it.
My daughter came home from school and we were talking. On Christmas Eve I had a job at 7 World Trade Center in NYC. That's the building that came down after the Twin Towers did. It was rebuilt and kept the same name. I believe that's what brought up the conversation about a man Philippe Petit and his quest to cross from one tower to the next via a wire. She told me she saw a preview somewhere saying a film was made in reference to that feat. I immediately had to find it. As a young man in my twenties I was mesmerized by Philippe Petit's conquering of the Twin Towers. Being a sort of juggler and enjoying and delving into much of the magic and such he performs, I believe I felt a kinship toward him.
When I looked on-line for Man on Wire it showed it could be viewed in a art theatre in lower Manhattan's village area. I started making plans when my wife asked if it was out in DVD. I wasn't sure, didn't think so. The film, I just learned came out in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. I continued reading and found out that it won the Grand Jury prize at the festival and also picked up the Audience Choice award in the World Documentary category. WOW! This added to my own quest of having to see the film "NOW!"
Following my wife's suggestion I first saw that Amazon had it for $18and I quickly called Blockbuster and sure enough, it was in DVD. After a call to couple of their branches I found a copy, went and picked it up, came home, took out some snacks from the fridge and enjoyed the film.
Man On Wire
At films end when Philippe Petit was taken into custody for his clandestine walk between the towers there was a note on a summons with the charge, Man On Wire. That's where the film picked up its title.
This is a documentary that comes across as a bank robbery with all the planning and suspense of the actual caper. Director James Marsh uses interviews with Philiipe Petit and others who supported him that day. The quest started when Philippe first heard the building were to be constructed. From then on it was something he had to do. For years he thought about it and then for months he cased the World Trade Center as it was till under construction. He made many clandestine trips to the top studying the roof and figuring the best way to get hundreds of pounds of equipment there and how to rig the line and eventually pull it all off. He wore the clothes of construction workers, made false ID tags, and figured out how to do this deed. At one point he called ahead to see if he could interview the builders saying he was from a French magazine. He got the interview and made further observations when there.
We get to meet his then girlfriend and his close French confidant. We also meet an assortment of others who helped and those who bailed out of the assignment. It's a wonder after meeting some of them how he ever accomplished the feet.
The film was also quite enlightening in how much detail really had to be gathered in order to perform up there. This was quite a caper he pulled off and is fittingly noted by many as "The Artistic crime of the century."
Meeting Philippe Petit
One day in 2002 my wife and I were in NYC to see an opera at Lincoln Center. We were early and decided to have a cup of coffee at the nearby Border's Book store. As we were riding the elevator up my wife spied a sign saying that Philippe Petit would be there doing a book signing. It was that night!
We made our way to the area and we found Mr. Petit by himself. We engaged him. At one point my wife mentioned the loss of the Twin Towers. He welled up in tears.
Though he knew we would have to leave he insisted on us listening to his talk. We did listen a while and left. At the first intermission at the opera I told my wife I had to go. She knew I was returning to see Philippe and purchase a copy of his "To Reach The Clouds" (an incredible read). He autographed it to the both of us.
pops Take
The interviews give us the information and suspense from a first person view as we follow Philippe and his confidants on their mission. The director James Marsh used those interviews intertwined with archived film and new additions to weave a story that holds one to the edge of the seat even knowing the ending to it all.
Marsh's use of corny graphics to show plane rides back and forth from Europe and the states was actually a warm welcome of a time when life was a bit simpler.
The music used as background filled in well. Some seemed familiar and most not. The new filming was melded with old archive film seamlessly. There were no abrupt, "This is old looking and this polished". I liked that smooth feel from scene to scene.
Man on Wire has a PG rating for some nudity, (it was actually quite humorous the way the director put those parts together) sexual references and drug talk.
The film gets its headiness from Philippe Petit. He comes across as a calculating, con-artist thief who stole the skies between the towers. Even with his outward faults that we find out about he is still endearing. There's something about the man that actually stands as tall as the feat he accomplished.
I believe Man on Wire will do well in receiving awards this coming 2009. It's deserves accolades.
Update February 2009
Man on Wire did capture the Oscar for Best Documentary by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences.
Well Done! It was good to see Phillipe Petit on the stage too.
Good news! Man on Wire picked up an Oscar as Best Documentary 2009 at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.
End Update. Now, my take on it.
My daughter came home from school and we were talking. On Christmas Eve I had a job at 7 World Trade Center in NYC. That's the building that came down after the Twin Towers did. It was rebuilt and kept the same name. I believe that's what brought up the conversation about a man Philippe Petit and his quest to cross from one tower to the next via a wire. She told me she saw a preview somewhere saying a film was made in reference to that feat. I immediately had to find it. As a young man in my twenties I was mesmerized by Philippe Petit's conquering of the Twin Towers. Being a sort of juggler and enjoying and delving into much of the magic and such he performs, I believe I felt a kinship toward him.
When I looked on-line for Man on Wire it showed it could be viewed in a art theatre in lower Manhattan's village area. I started making plans when my wife asked if it was out in DVD. I wasn't sure, didn't think so. The film, I just learned came out in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. I continued reading and found out that it won the Grand Jury prize at the festival and also picked up the Audience Choice award in the World Documentary category. WOW! This added to my own quest of having to see the film "NOW!"
Following my wife's suggestion I first saw that Amazon had it for $18and I quickly called Blockbuster and sure enough, it was in DVD. After a call to couple of their branches I found a copy, went and picked it up, came home, took out some snacks from the fridge and enjoyed the film.
Man On Wire
At films end when Philippe Petit was taken into custody for his clandestine walk between the towers there was a note on a summons with the charge, Man On Wire. That's where the film picked up its title.
This is a documentary that comes across as a bank robbery with all the planning and suspense of the actual caper. Director James Marsh uses interviews with Philiipe Petit and others who supported him that day. The quest started when Philippe first heard the building were to be constructed. From then on it was something he had to do. For years he thought about it and then for months he cased the World Trade Center as it was till under construction. He made many clandestine trips to the top studying the roof and figuring the best way to get hundreds of pounds of equipment there and how to rig the line and eventually pull it all off. He wore the clothes of construction workers, made false ID tags, and figured out how to do this deed. At one point he called ahead to see if he could interview the builders saying he was from a French magazine. He got the interview and made further observations when there.
We get to meet his then girlfriend and his close French confidant. We also meet an assortment of others who helped and those who bailed out of the assignment. It's a wonder after meeting some of them how he ever accomplished the feet.
The film was also quite enlightening in how much detail really had to be gathered in order to perform up there. This was quite a caper he pulled off and is fittingly noted by many as "The Artistic crime of the century."
Meeting Philippe Petit
One day in 2002 my wife and I were in NYC to see an opera at Lincoln Center. We were early and decided to have a cup of coffee at the nearby Border's Book store. As we were riding the elevator up my wife spied a sign saying that Philippe Petit would be there doing a book signing. It was that night!
We made our way to the area and we found Mr. Petit by himself. We engaged him. At one point my wife mentioned the loss of the Twin Towers. He welled up in tears.
Though he knew we would have to leave he insisted on us listening to his talk. We did listen a while and left. At the first intermission at the opera I told my wife I had to go. She knew I was returning to see Philippe and purchase a copy of his "To Reach The Clouds" (an incredible read). He autographed it to the both of us.
pops Take
The interviews give us the information and suspense from a first person view as we follow Philippe and his confidants on their mission. The director James Marsh used those interviews intertwined with archived film and new additions to weave a story that holds one to the edge of the seat even knowing the ending to it all.
Marsh's use of corny graphics to show plane rides back and forth from Europe and the states was actually a warm welcome of a time when life was a bit simpler.
The music used as background filled in well. Some seemed familiar and most not. The new filming was melded with old archive film seamlessly. There were no abrupt, "This is old looking and this polished". I liked that smooth feel from scene to scene.
Man on Wire has a PG rating for some nudity, (it was actually quite humorous the way the director put those parts together) sexual references and drug talk.
The film gets its headiness from Philippe Petit. He comes across as a calculating, con-artist thief who stole the skies between the towers. Even with his outward faults that we find out about he is still endearing. There's something about the man that actually stands as tall as the feat he accomplished.
I believe Man on Wire will do well in receiving awards this coming 2009. It's deserves accolades.
Update February 2009
Man on Wire did capture the Oscar for Best Documentary by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences.
Well Done! It was good to see Phillipe Petit on the stage too.
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