Man on Wire (2008) - Documentary

⁣Man on Wire tells the story of how Philippe Petit planned and carried out what has been called the greatest artistic crime of the 20th century. On 7 August 1974, Petit strung a 60-metre tightrope wire 450 metres above the ground between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre and walked across it, nine times.

Through interviews and re-enactments, the movie depicts the relationships between Philippe and his then girl friend Annie Allix, close friend Jean-Louise Blondeau and co-conspirators David Forman, Barry Greenhouse, Jim Moore and Alan Welner. The movie shows archival footage of Philippe walking between the spires of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and between the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Philippe and his co-conspirators describe how they spied for weeks on the Twin Towers, tricked their way in using fake ID cards and hauled nearly one ton of equipment to the top floor.

The movie contains no live footage of the walk or re-enactment of it. Instead, the event is represented through still images and commentary by Philippe and the team members. Following the walk Philippe is arrested, taken for psychiatric evaluation and then released. The media hail Philippe a hero. We hear accounts from eyewitnesses telling how watching Philippe walk the wire was a once-in-a-lifetime gift. The movie ends with the main characters discussing how both the event itself and the resulting fame caused the breakdown of friendships and relationships.