I have heard about and have been recommended Man on Wire
for a long time now. After finally seeing it, I can say that it is even better than advertised.
It really is magnificent. This documentary tells the story about Philippe Petit’s unauthorized tightrope walk between the two World Trade Center buildings in New York. The film dabbles briefly into Petit’s previous exploits with Notre Dame’s cathedral and the Sydney Harbour Bridge but mainly focuses on the planning and execution of this notable stunt.
Sure some of the movie gets hokey, but the things that it does well far outweigh the negatives.
The documentary tells this story through various themes are not explicitly stated but rather are just allowed to sit. Yes, the film is sympathetic and admiring of its main subject, but we’re not told how to think and feel about him and his passion. It seeks to frame him in a certain light and calls upon the powers of film to make it happen.
The music must be highlighted as a key element to this documentary. There is also a mix of the very serious and the absurdly childish in its choice of scene transitions. The editing of the first-person interviews is especially strong. All this make Man on Wire a top-notch, well-made documentary.
It touches upon a greater humanity though, and that’s what makes it great.
First, there is something fantastic about seeing a solitary, unencumbered man dance about in mid air. Notre Dame is a monument to Man’s relationship with God. (Whatever that may be.) The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a monument to Man’s relationship with Nature. (Whatever that may be.) The World Trade Center in New York was a monument to Man’s relationship with himself. (Whatever that may be.) It was a hub of finance, commerce, trade, and work. These are worlds important only to us.
And over all these monuments, a speck of a man floated. Their size had nothing on him for he looked down upon them through the strength of his own power and authority. He had his body and his mind and that was it.
It is a powerful image and a powerful idea. So many people in the world press us down with their influence. For the people who actually saw one of Petit’s tightrope walks, they had to crane upwards and look to the skies… to see a man exist in pure space.
The feelings that such a scene inspired must have been fantastic. And not fantastic in the pedantic, every-day way that we now have dragged down the word. But fantastic in that something is mind-blowingly not of this world. Some of the interviewees try to explain their reactions, but I think the archival footage will do a better job of just letting the audience decide for themselves.
Secondly, the legacy of the World Trade Center towers has become dominated by its death. In many ways, the World Trade Center symbolized the United States so well. That’s why the 911 terrorists choose it as one of their targets.
And now that I have seen this film, it is a wonderful story to lend to the history of the World Trade Center, for Petit’s walk took place not just while the towers lived but while they were in the process of being born.
There is something great and lovingly symbolic about the US’s World Trade buildings inspiring a multi-national motley crew to attempt this ambition. When I think of the World Trade Center and see its image in the future, I’ll know not just of death… but of dreams and dreams fulfilled as well.
And finally, Man on Wire is a story of people’s influences on each other. Philippe Petit is the dreamer, the magical influencer who dares others to try things they would never attempt on their own. But pure dreamers rarely succeed on their own. Man on Wire also lets us know about the heart-breakingly pragmatic friend and the supportive but always second-fiddled girlfriend. That, in its micro, also says so much about us and how we progress, in the macro.
It is a bit embarrassing to let this go up with this length. At just 94 minutes, Man on Wire does all of the above and so much more with poetic brevity. It is a much better choice to simply watch the documentary. It is one of the best I’ve seen in years.
Tags: Movies by Ms. SP
Comments Off
Basically, Tolstoy says that we are fooled into thinking that sex is necessary. And we (meaning any culture that promotes monogamous marriages) are doubly stupid for creating the institution of marriage that simultaneously confounds and promotes the idea that sex is healthy. It’s a pretty eyebrow-raising read that is filled with a lot of interesting ideas.
It’s an internal examination and journey of the killer’s process of thought and state of mind. Because we are at the mercy of his narration, a lot of interpretations are possible. If this was a more contemporary work, I’d even question whether or not closet homosexuality played a role in his reactions. This section alone would make for a very good book club selection.
