The film documents the 1974 wire-walking stunt between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. This is not the best movie ever, but with the attack of 9/11 it certainly makes the story seem more relevant. Besides that it isn't a bad story.
Philippe Petit is a crazy street performer who became obsessed with walking a tightrope between the twin towers when he saw a conceptual drawing of the buildings when he was only 17 years old. Five years later, he was in New York walking back and forth between the towers, 450 meters above the ground for 45 minutes. The film retraces the road to this event with his tag-alongs, by way of similar wire-walking adventures at Notre Dame in Paris and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
What is also interesting about the film is that is traces the history of the towers with some great looking footage of the groundbreaking and even the topping-out ceremony. Each person in the story is a real character all on their own from the nutty Petit to his French assistants Blondeau and Heckel, his doubtful girlfriend Allix, the American collaborators Foreman and Welner, the Australian planning expert Lewis, and the colourful inside man Greenhouse. There is more than one journey going on in the film and the vivid personalities really make this film fresh.
Philippe Petit is a crazy street performer who became obsessed with walking a tightrope between the twin towers when he saw a conceptual drawing of the buildings when he was only 17 years old. Five years later, he was in New York walking back and forth between the towers, 450 meters above the ground for 45 minutes. The film retraces the road to this event with his tag-alongs, by way of similar wire-walking adventures at Notre Dame in Paris and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
What is also interesting about the film is that is traces the history of the towers with some great looking footage of the groundbreaking and even the topping-out ceremony. Each person in the story is a real character all on their own from the nutty Petit to his French assistants Blondeau and Heckel, his doubtful girlfriend Allix, the American collaborators Foreman and Welner, the Australian planning expert Lewis, and the colourful inside man Greenhouse. There is more than one journey going on in the film and the vivid personalities really make this film fresh.