By Scott Essman

If one was, say, seven years old in the summer of 1974 in the New York City region, the new documentary MAN ON WIRE would trigger a distant memory of this crazy European person who decided to wire walk between the two newly erected towers of the World Trade Center.  And the film does just that, though it sheds considerable light on not only that fascinating phenomenon, even outrageous by 1970s New York standards, but also the eccentric magnetic figure behind the stunt.

As craftily assembled by director James Marsh, this documentary, which is part interviews with the participants, part re-created footage by dramatic performers, and part archival footage which is remarkably unearthed and integrated throughout, MAN ON WIRE tells the story of Philippe Petit, a French acrobat, juggler, and magician, who saw a photo of the towers being planned in 1967 when he was just 17 and decided his future then and there.  While most would look at the plan of the tallest proposed buildings in the world with awe for their intended size and might, Petit looked at them and spontaneously assessed them as something to conquer.

With compelling imagery from throughout Petit's various high-wire stunts around the world, including a walk across Notre Dame in Paris and a notable bridge in Sydney, Australia, the film paints a formidable portrait of Petit as a free artistic spirit and ethereal daredevil.  Building to the detailed and clandestine preparation of the twin towers wire walk, timed to the debut of the World Trade Center in 1974 after five years of construction, the film creates due tension and suspense, especially for a documentary in which we already know the outcome of both the stunt man and the fated structures.

Among the better bits in the film are its sidebars, such as the detailing of a freewheeling sexual encounter that Petit fell into after his release from custody following the walk, and a policeman's admiration rather than disgust for Petit's breaking the laws and subverting New York's authority figures for his own gain.  In point, Petit's minor charges were eventually dismissed in exchange for his performing for children on the city's streets.  In a wholly ironic turn, on one summer morning, the obscure clown figure went from a French nonentity to full celebrity status in the world's most media savvy marketplace.

In some circles, this documentary has been called one of the great achievements in the genre, and though it's far from essential viewing, such as with an Errol Morris, Robert Greenwald, or Michael Moore film, it supports the theory that it is in the telling and not in the subject itself which constitutes a powerful piece of cinema.

And certainly, though the outcome of this story is hardly world-changing, the plight of Petit and the manner in which it is presented situate this film as a thoroughly engrossing work and further make the case for some of the best world cinema this decade coming from documentary filmmakers.

Scott Essman
VISIONARY MEDIA
scottessman@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 1722
Glendora, CA 91740
Ph 1 (626) 963-0635
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