This past weekend, I rewatched the Academy Awards winning documentary, Man On Wire. It had been awhile but since last Wednesday, August 7th, was the 50th anniversary of Philippe Petit’s coup – wire-walking between the World Trade Center, it felt like the perfect time.
Creating an engaging and entertaining film about an event that the audience knows the ending is a challenge. Director James Marsh successfully exceeded expectations through the use of interviews with Petit and his collaborators, existing film and photographs, and actor recreations. He skillfully created tension and suspense in the audience despite knowing the outcome.
The film is a testament to finding one’s passion and following your dream. It’s incredibly inspiring. The coup was a little nuts to try such a feat as so much could go terribly wrong.
There was also a movie adaptation, The Walk, directed by Robert Zemeckis with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit. It was shot in 3D but managed to avoid the cliché. It was good but I feel the documentary is better.
If you haven’t seen it, give yourself a treat and seek it out. It’s available through streaming. If you’re not a documentary fan, there’s always Petit’s memoir, To Touch the Sky.
