ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

PHILIPPE PETIT is the man who committed what has become known as the artistic crime of the century. In 1974, the irrepressible Frenchman defied the laws of gravity to repeatedly traverse a high wire cable stretching between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.

The story of how and why he undertook this challenge of a lifetime is told in Man On Wire, a hugely entertaining documentary that is just as enthralling as any slice of fiction.

Petit has spent most of his adult life attempting the kind of death-defying acts that that cause fear and trembling in every vertigo sufferer. The film includes footage of his high wire walks in Notre Dame and at the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

In a lengthy interview, Petit displays all the passion of a true enthusiast as he describes all the planning and preparations that went into his New York escapades. His accomplices are equally good value as they paint vivid pictures and manage to make yesterday’s news feel as exciting as today’s headlines.

Director James Marsh made his reputation in documentaries and, like Petit, he never puts a foot wrong in the way he assembles interviews, home movies, still photographs and dramatised reconstructions of key events that give the film the feel of a cleverly plotted heist thriller.

Interestingly, the fate of the Twin Towers in 2001 is never mentioned but there is an added poignancy to the film knowing that the images of Petit calmly suspended in the Manhattan sky can never be repeated.

Marsh makes extremely effective use of Michael Nyman’s music to underline the nailbiting tension and unique beauty of the forty five minutes in which Petit appeared to be walking on a cloud. Man On Wire is an extraordinary salute to the incredible spirit of Petit and deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Selected national release

Director: James Marsh
Cast: Philippe Petit, Jean-Francois Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix, Mark Lewis.
Certificate: 15
Running time: 94 mins
Country: UK
Year: 2007

© Allan Hunter, 2008