a walk in the clouds
I loveloveloved Man on Wire. Philippe Petit is now among my art heroes, alongside Christo and Jeanne-Claude. [Common elements of these artists include careful engineering and rigging, temporary installations on famous structures, and doing it for the sheer beauty of it. Christo and Jeanne-Claude did (and are still doing) their thing legally, going through years and sometimes decades to obtain the appropriate permissions, resulting in large-scale works installed for a few weeks.] Philippe Petit approached his "installations" as capers, resulting in arrest after risking his life on the high wire. The documentary was a wonderful telling of his story by those who assisted him in his most famous wire-walk, between the top of the two towers of the former World Trade Center, as well as the man himself, still evidently spry and full of joie de vivre.
For those who don't want to wait for the movie, there is at least one book.
Comments
It was pretty amazing to hear his story. He actually laid down on the wire at one point and also looked down at another, since he knew he'd never get that chance again. The stratagems he and his team of helpers went through to prepare and sneak up the equipment and not get caught was also impressive. And now those towers are gone ...
He has his own magical world !
I remember the first time I heard about him. It was not for his Twin-Towers ride but later, in 1989, I was just a child when he walked from the Trocadéro to the Eiffel Tower (second floor) to bring the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen to (ex-)president Jacques Chirac during the celebrations of the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
Here and here are some videos of the french TV news of 1989 (I hope you will be able to see them).
Thank you for noticing the movie !