James Marsh's engaging documentary Man on Wire (2008) tells the story--and what an incredible story it is!--of tightrope walker Philippe Petit, a jovial and animated Frenchman who recounts his experiences with such vividness that he brings them to life with just as much force as Marsh's consistently striking images. The film focuses on one particular instance of Petit's career: the dense and foggy morning of August 7, 1974 where he, after having broken into the World Trade Center with his collaborators the previous night, proceeded to walk back-and-forth for some forty-five minutes on a wire suspended between the two towers.
The structure Marsh utilizes in Man on Wire is quite simple, but suitable for his purposes here. In addition to recounting the events of August 6 and 7 with precision and detail, he includes in the first part of the film background information about the construction of the World Trade Center (which Petit first became aware of while in a dentist's office at age 17), as well as of the past conquests of Petit and his associates (including Notre Dame and the Sydney Harbour Bridge). Most miraculous, perhaps, are the depictions of the interactions between all of the people involved in the planning of le coup--a young, enthusiastic group drawn into and enthralled by Petit's vision. Marsh's use of footage from the time (some of it in color, other in black-and-white, all stunning) bring to his interviews the added dimension of all the years that have passed.
Petit's was truly an amazing achievement, and one from which Marsh fashions not only a loving and witty tribute to the unparalleled artistry of his subject, but also a very moving rumination on the wonders of the human imagination.
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