Release Date: 12/09/2008
Label/Distributor: Magnolia
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price: $26.98
Genre: Genres Cast: Philippe Petit,Annie Allix
Director: James Marsh
Running Time: 94
DVD Video Options: Dolby,NTSC
DVD Audio Options: English;Unknown
UPC Code: 876964001564
On August 7th 1974, a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire and illegally rigged between New York's twin towers. After nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation, and brought to jail before he was finally released. This documentary complies Petit s footage to show the numerous extraordinary challenges he faced in completing the artistic crime of the century.
Man on Wire
By Cheryl Cheng -- Video Business, 10/27/2008
MAGNOLIAStreet: Dec. 9
Prebook: Nov. 11
> Inspirational documentary about a tightrope walker with a dream.
This fascinating film looks at the true-life story of Philippe Petit, a Frenchman who walked a tightrope between the two World Trade Center towers in 1974 New York. Filmmaker James Marsh uses archival footage and reenactments to depict the events, which play out like a classic heist film, as the men involved plot how to get access to the top of the towers and rig their equipment. Petit himself is an enthusiastic character who emphasizes the importance of having a dream and pursuing it, even more so than actually accomplishing it. An inspiring piece of entertainment, Man on Wire offers beautiful visuals, which are the closest thing to seeing a man walk on air.
Shelf Talk: This winner of the Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance will appeal to arthouse fans who enjoy human interest stories as well as those who remember the 1974 event. Filmmaker Marsh chose to focus only on Petit’s dream and doesn’t mention the destruction of the World Trade Center, so potential viewers looking for a 9/11 documentary should look elsewhere.
Documentary, color, PG-13 (sexuality, nudity, drug use), 94 min., DVD $26.98Extras: commentary, deleted scenes
Director: James Marsh
First Run: L, July 2008, $2.6 mil.
