Man On Wire

6th Oct 08
Man On Wire Watch

What:
Man On Wire

When:
Out Oct 16

Where:
Dendy Portside

Watch the trailer:
Here

Win:
We have 3 dbl passes to give away! To enter, email win@fourthousand.com.au with the subject line ‘No, not McNulty, the tightrope guy.'

Print Email Share Link

In 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit strung up a cable between two corners of the World Trade Centre buildings in New York and went for an awe-inspiring stroll. Suddenly, the up-til-then ambivalent public response to the new constructions was converted into a fever of art-fuelled patriotism.

In Man on Wire, director James Marsh combines interviews with the triumphant Petit and his collaborators with archival footage and non-cheesy re-enactments -resulting in a documentary that ultimately plays out like an Errol Morris-directed remake of Rififi starring the cast of Cirque de Soliel.

There's something genuinely spooky about watching a whole 90 minute film about the World Trade Centre that doesn't once mention the events of September 11, 2001. The strength of Marsh's film is that he doesn't have to: Petit's obsession with the buildings themselves is contagious, and somehow we find ourselves completely immersed in the intriguing logistics that lead to a moment of stunning performance art dare-devilry.

Man on Wire celebrates the Twin Towers' birth instead of their demise, showing with dazzling force that the personal is, as always, the political.

By Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Format: Cinema

Mood: Epic

Keywords: Documentary, Film, America

Random Entries: