In French & English with English subtitles during French dialogue
Genre: Documentary
Director: James Marsh
Cast: Philippe Petit, Jean Francois Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Ardis Campbell, David Demato
RunTime: 1 hr 34 mins
Released By: GV
Rating: NC-16 (Some Nudity)
Official Website: http://www.manonwire.com/

Opening Day: 4 June 2009

Synopsis:

On August 7, 1974, Philippe Petit, a French wire walker, juggler, and street performer days shy of his 25th birthday, spent 45 minutes walking, dancing, kneeling, and lying on a wire he and friends strung between the rooftops of the Twin Towers. Uses contemporary interviews, archival footage, and recreations to tell the story of his previous walks between towers of Notre Dame and of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, his passions and friendships, and the details of the night before the walk: getting cable into the towers, hiding from guards, and mounting the wire. It ends with observations of the profound changes the walk's success brought to Philippe and those closest to him.

Movie Review:

What is it about the French for them to have a famed daredevil for every generation? In recent years, we have Alain Robert a.k.a. the French Spider-Man, who made headlines regularly for his exploits in climbing skyscrapers barehanded. Unless for commercial publicity purposes, these stunts are always attempted illegally, resulting in his frequent arrests by the authorities. Some may question the motive behind these death-defying feats, but there is no doubt they can be awe-inspiring.

Before Alain Robert came to the fore, there was Philippe Petit. The name may not ring a bell to most of us now, but in New York City of 1974, Petit was a celebrity in his own right. Ever the consummate French high wire artist, Petit made his name by performing a high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the then-standing World Trade Centre. His feat, later dubbed as 'the artistic crime of the century', was first chronicled in his book "To Reach the Clouds", which was later adapted into a 2008 documentary film known as "Man on Wire".

Taking its title from the police report made after Petit's high-wire walk, "Man on Wire" provides an insight into the event from how it was conceived to the aftermath of its occurrence. Realizing that the inclusion of archived photos, stock footage and interviews with Petit himself would not suffice, director James Marsh has cleverly structured the depiction of the proceedings like a heist film (think "Ocean's Eleven") by using lookalike actors to reenact key moments. This gives the film a light-hearted feel while staying faithful to its central theme of hope and inspiration.

The film is clearly defined into three acts. The first deals with Petit's humble beginnings as a street performer when he had already 'conquered' the towers of Notre Dame as well as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Determined to seek his next challenge, he eventually found his target at the most unlikeliest of circumstances in 1968. While sitting in his dentist's clinic in Paris, he discovered a newspaper article on the World Trade Centre which was still under construction. Recognizing the fact that the building's twin towers would become the tallest in the world, Petit devoted all his energy and time into researching the building and planning the high-wire walk for six years.

The second act focuses on the actual accounts of Petit and his accomplices on 6 August 1974, specifically the night before the high-wire walk took place. This is where the film starts to shift into heist-film mode and the fun begins. You would be amused by the painstaking efforts that Petit and his gang had to go through to set up the wires on top of the towers. From disguising themselves as construction workers to hiding underneath a cloth for hours to avoid being spotted by the security guards, it is evident that they were serious in achieving their goal. Still, the seriousness was somewhat dampened by the unintentionally hilarious moments such as when Petit had to desperately strip himself naked in the dark to find a cable attached to an arrow.

The highlight of the entire film is in its final act where Petit actually attempted his high-wire walk which lasted for about an hour. It is difficult not to feel the intensity of the situation. Even seeing a piece of clothing drop down from hundreds of meters above ground would send chills to the people watching from below, and perhaps the film's audience as well. At that instant, Petit's feat was not viewed as madness, but as a symbol of passion and inspiration. Eventually, Petit was arrested once he was off the wire. He was later released however, due to the formal charges against him being dropped as a result of public appreciation and news coverage of his performance. When asked about his thoughts if he were to die during the walk, Petit simply said that it would be a beautiful death, since he would have died while doing what he loves.

It is fully justified that numerous film awards, including this year's Academy Award for best documentary, have been bestowed upon "Man on Wire". Philippe Petit's story is a truly inspiring one which should be seen by everyone, especially in this time of downturns and uncertainty. Director James Marsh does a great job in injecting energy into the film with his creative handling of the reenactment scenes and interviews. With regards to the eventual fate of the Twin Towers after 9-11, there is no mention of it whatsoever in the film, which is for the better as well. As explained by Marsh in response to this, Petit's feat was 'incredibly beautiful' and that it 'would be unfair and wrong to infect his story with any mention, discussion or imagery of the Towers being destroyed.'

Of course, the film's biggest star is undoubtedly Petit himself as the film would not be the same without his contribution. His enthusiastic account of the high-wire walk coupled with his quirky sense of humour avoids the film from being dull and lifeless. Credit must also be given to his friends and accomplices for providing their viewpoint of the event through their interviews. My only minor gripes about the film were that it was over rather quickly at the end just when the film had captivated me and also its NC-16 rating. Granted, there are nude scenes which are purely for comic relief, such as the aforementioned one where Petit strips himself to find a cable, but I feel the scenes can be filmed in a more discreet manner so that a general rating can be achieved to allow more viewers to appreciate this inspiring film.

I end this review with Philippe Petit's own words which truly represents the essence of "Man on Wire": 'To me, it's really so simple, that life should be lived on the edge. You have to exercise rebellion. To refuse to tape yourself to the rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge. Then you will live your life on the tightrope.'

Movie Rating:



(A powerful documentary about living life to its fullest without giving in to conformity)

Review by Tan Heng Hau