Synopsis:
In 1974 New York's Twin Towers were nearing completion, and for some years previous it was one man's dream to walk a tightrope between them.
Man on Wire is the hugely entertaining tale of the irrepressible Philippe Petit, the man who astonished the world by walking a tightrope across the Twin Towers, completely illegally and without a safety net.
Set up as a heist movie and seamlessly interweaving archive, interview and reconstruction, the film sets the stage with a young Petit teaching himself the wire in a French field and follows his daredevil stunts as he walks between the Notre Dame and Sydney Bridge towers. But it is in the recounting of Petit and his raconteur band of followers adventures in New York that the film truly comes in to its own.
Dizzying, electrifying and superbly told, Man on Wire is a cinematic treat.
Festivals
Britdoc Festival 2008
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2008
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2008
Los Angeles Film Festival 2008
Tribeca Film Festival 2008
Sundance Film Festival 2008
Awards
Winner Best British Documentary - Britdoc Festival 2008
Special Jury Award and Audience Award - Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2008
Audience Award for Best International Feature- Los Angeles Film Festival 2008
Standard Life Audience Award - Edinburgh International Film Festival 2008
World Cinema Jury Prize and World Cinema Audience Award - Sundance Film Festival 2008
Related Pages
Read Duncan McDowall's review in DFGDocs/Reviews
Synopsis:
In 1974 New York's Twin Towers were nearing completion, and for some years previous it was one man's dream to walk a tightrope between them.
Man on Wire is the hugely entertaining tale of the irrepressible Philippe Petit, the man who astonished the world by walking a tightrope across the Twin Towers, completely illegally and without a safety net.
Set up as a heist movie and seamlessly interweaving archive, interview and reconstruction, the film sets the stage with a young Petit teaching himself the wire in a French field and follows his daredevil stunts as he walks between the Notre Dame and Sydney Bridge towers. But it is in the recounting of Petit and his raconteur band of followers adventures in New York that the film truly comes in to its own.
Dizzying, electrifying and superbly told, Man on Wire is a cinematic treat.