Movie Review: World Trade Center tightrope walker defines passion

"Man on Wire"

Directed by: James Marsh

Starring: Philippe Petit

Rated: PG-13

The bad news is by the time you read this, "Man on Wire" will no longer be showing at the new (and very cool) Moxie Cinema. The good news is, it became available on DVD on Dec. 9 and will be a great Christmas gift for yourself or anyone who loves movies.

It's a fascinating story that is, on the surface, a documentary. But director James Marsh uses reenactments and relies on elements of the heist/caper genre to make this film a compelling, affecting piece of storytelling. It works on so many levels and contains elements that are conspicuous even while absent. One can't watch a movie having so much to do with the twin towers of the World Trade Center without thinking about Sept. 11, 2001.

"Man on Wire" contains an eerie still photo of Philippe Petit on his high wire with a plane framed in the background that evokes many memories and emotions. And it's not the only scene to have that effect on the viewer.

Petit is a man possessed. His arresting officer describes him as a "tightrope dancer." The officer goes on to say you can't call Petit a tightrope walker, because he goes so far beyond that. He spent 45 minutes doing a ballet of insane (in the good way) performance hundreds of feet in the air on a wire he and his buddies had rigged in the hours before the show.

I tend to think of extremes in terms of Jimi Hendrix, the best player who ever picked up an electric guitar. Petit is the Jimi Hendrix of wire walkers and a man driven by a dream. Anyone who sees this film will walk away knowing that. You may not understand his dream completely - as one who is pathologically afraid of heights, I didn't ¬- but you will leave with an understanding of the word "passion."

Director Marsh doesn't delve much into Petit's background. I wondered how one made a living being a wire walker if not in the circus, and there is no mention of anything along those lines. There's footage of Petit riding a unicycle in the streets of Paris, so maybe that's a way a person with his rare talents can make a franc or two.

The interviews with those who took part in the caper that took place on the morning of Aug. 7, 1974, tell the tale, while the stills and home movies from various archives provide a sense of the act itself.

Petit himself still appears to be a man possessed. As he tells his tale, simply seeing a drawing of how the World Trade Center was going to look, many years before construction even started, and knowing he HAD to conquer it, his joy and passion resonate. His accomplices are no less compelling. One of them breaks down and cries - and it's not histrionic, it is passionate - when recounting the setup.

The group had a major task ahead of them, but before Sept. 11, security was a bit more lax. When Petit found out that while on crutches he was never questioned by guards at WTC, he used that modus operandi to enable him to suss out the logistics.

Running a tight rope between the two towers was no mean feat, and fishing line, a bow and arrow, increasing sizes of rope and finally a steel cable were passed between the tops of the buildings.

After spending a night doing that, Petit does his act for 45 solid minutes high above New York City before finally coming to the end of his rope. He knew as long as he was on the wire no one could apprehend him. The joy on his face - both on the wire and when he recounts the story - is nothing short of magical. He's crazy as a loon, but that's not always a bad thing.

"Man on Wire" is as compelling as moviemaking gets.

It made me laugh, cry and filled me with utter amazement. It also made me dizzy.

I still have a fear of falling, but watching "Man on Wire" filled me with wonder and made me wonder what I might be able to do.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.