Man On Wire

"Man On Wire"
James Marsh, 2008

"Man On Wire" opens with the all-too-familiar shot of construction crews milling about Ground Zero's demolished landscape. But then, we realize that this is only stock footage of workers laying down the foundations for the World Trade Center, a moment that also inaugurates the life-long passion of a young French adventurer named Philippe Petit. From there, the buildings' construction and Philippe's skill at tightroping develop until finally, in 1974, Philippe accomplishes his life-long goal of tightroping between the twin towers.

This is a wonderful documentary that centers on this very eccentric and engaging individual, who doesn't have a "why" as to why he tightropes. The best reason he can come up with is that it's illegal (which means that it's a lot of fun) and that it doesn't really hurt anybody - unless, of course, he falls off the wire. The director James Marsh sprinkles the interesting narrative with several very amusing, tongue-in-cheek reenactments, a number of revealing and often hilarious interviews, and a collection of excellent footage.

It is rare for a film to capture the magic of its subject's endeavors, but "Man On Wire" manages to accomplish just that. Yet there is a bittersweet undercurrent that gives this documentary an unusually haunting quality. "Man On Wire" poses the question: What is there to do when you've accomplished all of your life-long goals? After Philippe walks between the towers, he and his friends naturally go their separate ways, and Philippe doesn't appear to have accomplished much since.There is also the nature of the twin towers, whose fate Marsh wisely leaves out of his film. Still undergoing construction at the time of Philippe's feat, the complex feels like a character in its own right, and we can't help but wonder if, when the towers were destroyed, a part of Philippe, and his idealism, died along with it.

Rating: 9

First Viewed: 8/5/09, in 35 mm projection - IMDb