Sunday, September 6, 2009

Man on Wire (2008)



During the 2009 Academy Awards I had a great big smile on my face while watching Philippe Petit (the "Man on Wire") balance the Oscar on his chin. What he and his team pulled off in 1974 was perhaps the most insane, illegal stunt in history. Many viewers complain that there is no video footage of the actual tightrope walk. I couldn't care less about that. Because it's the idea of the whole thing that really inspires. By the way, he didn't just walk across a tightrope from one World Trade Center tower to the other. He spent 45 minutes walking back and forth, dancing, lying down, and taunting police who threatened to "pluck" him from the wire using a helicopter. And Petit may have a tendency to prattle but you have to give him credit for simply stating at one point that "there is no why".
IMDB

2 comments:

David said...

I haven't seen this one yet, but it certainly sounds intriguing. I saw it on the new release wall in Blockbuster and considered it more than once, but was worried that it would be boring and not very good. I will definitely check this one out now.

scituate said...

This guy is pretty long-winded sometimes but very entertaining. And what he pulled off is just mind-blowing.