Film: Man on Wire by James Marsh

A documentary film about tightrope walker Philippe Petit's illegal high wire act between the twin towers in New York in 1974.

This film has some great archive footage of similar walks in Sydney at the Harbour Bridge and Paris at Notre Dame. The film also charts the planning and execution of what the team called "the coup". Phillippe himself is interviewed extensively and really brings the story to life. Members of the team and his girlfriend also provide interviews.

The earlier attempts have video footage but the WTC just has some still photos as evidence. This adds to the mystique of it all and the one off nature of the attempt.

There were clearly some creative tensions between the director and Philippe over details that could be included. He wanted much more description of the wire placing and setup, after all for him it was a matter of life and death; I think they get a reasonable balance between detail and story - although some may wish for more detail.

Good watching and an exceptional piece of history 8/10