Man on Wire.

Man on Wire

Saw the film on the 4^th November 2013, not really knowing what to expect, I understood the basic, that it was a film about a man crossing the Twin Towers on a Wire. What surprised me were how in-depth they went into and the planning that was involved.

Across Notre Dame

Philippe Petit a French high wire, he got the idea of high wiring the Twin Towers at the age of 17 even though they didn't exist yet he felt that they belonged to him. There was six years of planning involved this including getting the right equipment. He has to get a 450 pound cable and an 8 meter long, 25 kilogram balancing pole. To train himself he walked a wire across the Notre Dame. He repeatedly visited the Towers to get to understand them, he drew in the stairwells his idea and plans as he was there first hand. He noted down anything he could where ever he was. He rented a helicopter to get a bird eye view and to be higher than the towers themselves. He had to take into account the weather. He went to a field and replicated the towers and wind so that he knew what he was doing when he was actually doing it. One of the main problems was how to get the wire from one side to another, some of the ideas where a football, baseball, a remote control plane until they decided on a bow and arrow. He created models and played with them until he knew what he was doing when he got up there.

Many of his team left out of fear, fear that he would die and fear of being caught as it was against the law but Petit thought it was more beautiful than illegal. He felt like he was giving something back, and if he did die it would be a beautiful death, doing what he loved. When they started to arrange the wire to the towers they were faced with the challenges of the night. When he was on the wire he felt like he was on top of the world, he felt comfortable and began to play around. He did state after that there was no Why for doing it. He was given a psychic evaluation after he left the wire, and has said that the scariest part was being pushed by the police officers.

Throughout the experience they documented it, picture and video.

  

Across the World Trade Center

After watching this I have learnt that he is an artist there was plenty of planning involve. He did drawings and models to help him understand what he needed to do as well as physical; he made something that he could practice onto give him an experience before he does it. He was faced with multiple problems and setbacks thought the process, something that any artist has and has to overcome. He came up with solutions and if they then didn’t work tried something else. What came across the most was his passion, that he was one with the wire. He was flamboyant, he wanted everyone to know what he could do and nothing could stand in his way of his dream to walk between the towers.

Across the World Trade Center