Man on Wire
by James Marsh
(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Philippe PetitDirector: James Marsh
Brand: MAGNOLIA FILMS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-09
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Product features:
- 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 arti
Movie Reviews of Man on Wire
Movie Review: Overhyped, but still worth watching
Summary: 3 Stars
It's clear to me that the Oscar was granted due to the subject matter; the nostalgia for the time when the Twin Towers were brand new, and when America was free enough that a man could actually wire walk between them without being picked off by a police or military sniper in mid-performance or being sentenced to life after he walked off the wire. It's impossible for an American to watch this movie and not be constantly reminded of 9/11; this movie takes back the Towers from Bin Laden to some extent, and for that reason alone I think it won the Oscar for best documentary. I felt the nostalgia myself, being old enough to remember Petit's feat and the construction of the Towers.
It's great to see Petit perform; his enthusiasm is contagious; and as the participants admit, the planning and execution of the walk are like a heist movie where no one is robbed or hurt. The climax, where we see him walking between the Towers, is worth watching the entire movie to see. But the remainder of the film is flawed. Primarily, I wanted to know more about his friends who helped him in his guerilla wire-walking endeavors, particularly the Americans who he recruited in New York. How did he meet them? Why did they agree to help? I understand that artistically the choice may have been made to not tell us; it's Petit's life, and they're just along for the ride, and cut loose after he reached his lifelong dream. But I think it would have been a better documentary if we knew a little more about how he persuaded his friends and helpers to help with his epic feat. It's not like the movie didn't have enough time; even at 100 minutes, it felt awfully long.
"Man on Wire" is at least worth a rent; you will like it, even if you don't love it. But it probably won't be a movie you'll want to add to your permanent collection.
Summary of Man on Wire
On August 7th 1974, a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire and illegally rigged between the 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.Native New Yorkers know to expect the unexpected, but who among them could've predicted that a man would stroll between the towers of the World Trade Center? French high-wire walker Philippe Petit did just that on August 7th, 1974. Petit's success may come as a foregone conclusion, but British filmmaker James Marsh's pulse-pounding documentary still plays more like a thriller than a non-fiction entry--in fact, it puts most thrillers to shame. Marsh (Wisconsin Death Trip, The King) starts by looking at Petit's previous stunts. First, he took on Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral, then Sydney's Harbour Bridge before honing in on the not-yet-completed WTC. The planning took years, and the prescient Petit filmed his meetings with accomplices in France and America. Marsh smoothly integrates this material with stylized re-enactments and new interviews in which participants emerge from the shadows as if to reveal deep, dark secrets which, in a way, they do, since Petit's plan was illegal, "but not wicked or mean." The director documents every step they took to circumvent security, protocol, and physics as if re-creating a classic Jules Dassin or Jean-Pierre Melville caper. Though still photographs capture the feat rather than video, the resulting images will surely blow as many minds now as they did in the 1970s when splashed all over the media. Not only did Petit walk, he danced and even lay down on the cable strung between the skyscrapers. Based on his 2002 memoir, Man on Wire defines the adjective "awe-inspiring." --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Art House & International DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in This Week in Startups required reading & watching
Deep WaterWELLSPRING/GENIUS; Release date: 2007-12-18; DVD
Best price: $2.62
Price in other shops:
Man on WireMAGNOLIA PICT HM ENT; Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $12.50
Price in other shops:
The King of Kong: A Fistful of QuartersWarner Brothers; Release date: 2008-01-29; DVD
Best price: $11.92
Price in other shops:
How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give Inby Jim Collins
Jim Collins; Published: 2009-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.25
Price in other shops:
Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passionby Gary Vaynerchuk
HarperStudio; Published: 2009-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.88
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
Happy-Go-LuckyBUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-03-10; DVD
Best price: $4.36
Price in other shops:
No End in SightMAGNOLIA FILMS; Release date: 2007-10-30; DVD
Best price: $6.31
Price in other shops:
As You Think: Second Editionby James Allen, Marc Allen
New World Library; Published: 1998-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.93
Price in other shops:
Jesus CampMAGNOLIA FILMS; Release date: 2007-01-23; DVD
Best price: $12.99
Price in other shops:
The King of Kong: A Fistful of QuartersWarner Brothers; Release date: 2008-01-29; DVD
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
Cocaine CowboysMAGNOLIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2007-01-23; DVD
Best price: $7.85
Price in other shops:
Encounters at the End of the WorldUnknown; Release date: 2008-11-18; DVD
Best price: $7.47
Price in other shops:
The VisitorSTARZ/SPHE; Release date: 2008-10-07; Published: 2008-01-01; DVD
Best price: $6.60
Price in other shops:
Grizzly ManLIONS GATE HOME ENT.; Release date: 2005-12-26; DVD
Best price: $3.19
Price in other shops:
Man on Wireby Philippe Petit
Skyhorse Publishing; Published: 2008-11-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.91
Price in other shops: