Accessibility Links
Skip to Main Content
Skip to Main Navigation
Skip to Footer
Magazine subscription offer
Holidays
Money
Newsletters
RT shop
RT Puzzles
Daily Deals
Sign In
Register
Sign In
Register
Settings
Sign out
My account
On TV
On TV
Now
On TV
Tonight
Search
On TV
On TV
Now
On TV
Tonight
TV Guide
News
News
View all News
Soaps
Soaps
View all Soaps
Coronation Street
EastEnders
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks
Streaming
Streaming
View all Streaming
Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Drama
Comedy
Entertainment
Sci-Fi
Fantasy
Sport
Documentary
Film
Gaming
Technology
Streaming
Streaming
View all Streaming
Disney+
Apple TV+
UKTV Play
Netflix
Britbox
Acorn TV
Amazon
NOW TV
Sky Box Sets
Film
Film
View all Film
Film news
Film picks
Sport
Radio
Mag Offer
Magazine subscription offer
Holidays
Money
Newsletters
RT shop
RT Puzzles
Daily Deals
Man on Wire
James Marsh
(2007)
93min
12A Certificate
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Pinterest
Share on Reddit
Email to a friend
Review
Our Score
by
Damon Wise
One man's determination to walk a tightrope between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York is detailed in this jaw-dropping blend of traditional talking-head interviews, archive footage and meticulous period re-creation. Its subject, charismatic Frenchman Philippe Petit, is a joy to watch, an ebullient mix of elegant mime artist Marcel Marceau and cartoon dervish Road Runner, and the film offers a deceptively sturdy sounding board for his often crazy ideas. This is not so much a documentary as a true-life heist movie in which the "crime" is a death-defying conceptual art event: Petit and his accomplices spent months planning their "coup", and his boyhood dream finally came true 1,350 feet above the streets of Manhattan in 1974. Sadly, no video footage exists of Petit's 45-minute walk, but director James Marsh expertly captures the vertiginous thrills of that incredible day, leaving one not just with a sense of wonder but a profound sense of admiration for the rigorous preparation and heady commitment that made it all possible.
Summary
Oscar-winning documentary about French street performer Philippe Petit. In 1974 he undertook a daring 45-minute tightrope walk and acrobatic routine on a wire stretched between the two towers of the World Trade Centre. Featuring re-creations of his earlier stunts at Paris's Notre Dame cathedral and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Cast & Crew
Philippe Petit
Philippe Petit
Jean-Louis Blondeau
Jean-Louis Blondeau
Annie Allix
Annie Allix
Jean-François Heckel
Jean-François Heckel
Philippe Petit
Paul McGill
Jean-Louis Blondeau
David Demato
Annie Allix
Ardis Campbell
Jean-François Heckel
Aaron Haskell
Director
James Marsh
see more
Other Information
Language:
English, French +subtitles
Colour
Theatrical distributor:
Icon
Guidance:
Contains some nudity.
Available on:
DVD and Blu-ray
Released on:
1 Aug 2008
Documentary
Full Episode Guide
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest News
Save up to 34% on a bathroom house plant bundle!
-1h ago
25% off KINN's Vegan Eco Cleaning Bundle
-1h ago
Rob Brydon hints at "one more' Gavin & Stacey special: "It would seem strange if they didn't"
1h ago
Who was Crystal Theobald? Netflix's Why Did You Kill Me? explores her murder
1h ago