Philippe Petit is a man of incredible charisma, grace, and focus. We are told in the documentary "Man on Wire" that as a young man sitting in a dentist's office, Petit saw an artist's rendering in a newspaper of the not yet built Twin Towers and became fixated on one day walking from one to the other on a line suspended between the two. He steals the newspaper from the office in what will become a pattern of committing petty crime to serve his passions.
"Wire" is a heist film and performance piece. Petit engages in guerrilla ballet as he breaks into buildings and then suspends wires from them in order to perform tightrope feats high in the air. His object is not to get from one end to the other, but to dance, play, and perform while high above the ground. The trespass of the buildings is an integral part of the performance and the thrill of this along with his charisma and persistence of vision allows him to gather a group of willing collaborators.
We get the impression that Petit pursued these stunts not so much for the notoriety as it was his passion. But his biggest performance--an attempt to walk between the Twin Towers--because of its audacity brought him fame and it is interesting to see how Petit and his band of collaborators deal with the newfound notoriety. In order to succeed in their feat, however, his crew must devise away to reach the top of the towers and suspend a wire between them without being noticed.
Director James Marsh's film is light on its feet and surprisingly touching. When Petit is performing, he moves with such grace and audacity. You will be surprised by the beauty of his feats. Marsh's film consists of talking head interviews, dramatic reenactments, and actual video and photos of Petit and his crew. Marsh's use of an insistent score and talking heads against dark backgrounds at times recall the films of Errol Morris.
"Wire" avoids being a mawkish remembrance of the World Trade Center, but still finds a way to honor it through recalling the performance of Petit. The film ends on a surprisingly bittersweet tone as old friends recall their lost youth and wild exploits. And as the film closes, Petit once again walks across a wire suspended above the ground, alone.
"Wire" is a heist film and performance piece. Petit engages in guerrilla ballet as he breaks into buildings and then suspends wires from them in order to perform tightrope feats high in the air. His object is not to get from one end to the other, but to dance, play, and perform while high above the ground. The trespass of the buildings is an integral part of the performance and the thrill of this along with his charisma and persistence of vision allows him to gather a group of willing collaborators.
We get the impression that Petit pursued these stunts not so much for the notoriety as it was his passion. But his biggest performance--an attempt to walk between the Twin Towers--because of its audacity brought him fame and it is interesting to see how Petit and his band of collaborators deal with the newfound notoriety. In order to succeed in their feat, however, his crew must devise away to reach the top of the towers and suspend a wire between them without being noticed.
Director James Marsh's film is light on its feet and surprisingly touching. When Petit is performing, he moves with such grace and audacity. You will be surprised by the beauty of his feats. Marsh's film consists of talking head interviews, dramatic reenactments, and actual video and photos of Petit and his crew. Marsh's use of an insistent score and talking heads against dark backgrounds at times recall the films of Errol Morris.
"Wire" avoids being a mawkish remembrance of the World Trade Center, but still finds a way to honor it through recalling the performance of Petit. The film ends on a surprisingly bittersweet tone as old friends recall their lost youth and wild exploits. And as the film closes, Petit once again walks across a wire suspended above the ground, alone.