In 1974, Frenchman Phillipe Petit strung a cable between the twin towers of Manhattan’s World Trade Center in an attempt to cross via tightrope. How he and a group of confederates accomplished this is the subject of this inspiring documentary, adapted from Petit’s memoir.
Director James Marsh, whose last movie was the indie drama called The King, structures the movie like a thriller, cutting back and forth from the day of the attempted crossing to its predicate. Assembling a motley team of friends and acquaintances from France and the US, as well as one called “The Australian,” Petit took years to overcome obstacles that included wind and getting the wire from one building to another, but mostly illegality. Money, apparently, was sufficient. It helps that Marsh apparently got all of the significant persons to participate, including Petit, and that they apparently thought to document their efforts as they proceded. (Re-created footage is also used to show the logistical difficulties.)
My worry before seeing this was that the story might supply enough material for a newsmagazine segment, or a Discovery Channel half hour, but maybe not an entire feature. In the end, there is enough for the film’s 90 minutes. All questions are answered about the event (though not about Petit, like what he’s done for the last 30 years), except the why. As Petit said over 30 years ago, “There is no why.”
IMDB link
viewed at Ritz 5 (screening) and reviewed 8/6/08
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