Man on Wire

Last updated

Man on Wire
Man on wire ver2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by James Marsh
Produced by Simon Chinn
Starring Philippe Petit (as himself)
CinematographyIgor Martinovic
Edited byJinx Godfrey
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 22 January 2008 (2008-01-22)(Sundance)
  • 25 July 2008 (2008-07-25)(US)
  • 1 August 2008 (2008-08-01)(UK)
Running time
94 minutes [1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Languages
  • English
  • French
Budget£1.1 million (approx. $1.9 million) [2]
Box office$5.3 million [3]

Man on Wire is a 2008 documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. It is based on Petit's 2002 book, To Reach the Clouds, released in paperback with the title Man on Wire. The title of the film is taken from the police report that led to the arrest (and later release) of Petit, whose performance lasted for almost an hour. The film is crafted like a heist film, presenting rare footage of the preparations for the event and still photographs of the walk, alongside re-enactments (with Paul McGill as the young Petit) and present-day interviews with the participants, including Barry Greenhouse, an insurance executive who served as the inside man. [4]

Contents

Man on Wire competed in the World Cinema Documentary Competition [5] at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary and the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary. [6] In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary. As of 2022, it is one of only six documentary films to ever sweep "The Big Four" critics awards (LA, NBR, NY, NSFC) and the only one of those to also win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Production

The film's producer, Simon Chinn, first encountered Philippe Petit in April 2005 on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs , after which he decided to try to acquire the film rights to Petit's book, To Reach the Clouds. After months of discussion, Petit agreed, with the condition that he could actively collaborate in the making of the film.

In an interview conducted during the run of Man on Wire at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, director James Marsh explained that he was drawn to the story, in part, because it immediately struck him as "a heist movie", though, as Jean François, one of Petit's collaborators, said, "It may have been illegal...but it wasn't wicked or mean." [7] Marsh also said that, as a New Yorker, he saw the film as a gift to the city after the 9/11 attacks and hoped to hear people say after seeing the film that they would always think of Petit and his performance when recalling the World Trade Center's twin towers. [8] Responding to a question about why the towers' destruction in the 2001 attacks is not mentioned in the film, Marsh explained that Petit's act was "incredibly beautiful" and it "would be unfair and wrong to infect his story with any mention, discussion or imagery of the Towers being destroyed." [9]

Release

Box office

The film opened theatrically in the United States on 29 August 2008, earning $51,392 its first weekend and ranking 37th at the domestic box office. [10] By the end of its run on 5 March 2009, the film grossed $2,962,242 in the United States and Canada and $2,296,327 internationally, for a worldwide total of $5,258,569. [3]

Critical response

Petit at the 81st Academy Awards PhilippePetitAAFeb09.jpg
Petit at the 81st Academy Awards

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Man on Wire has a 100% approval rating based on reviews from 159 critics, with a weighted average score of 8.40/10; the website's critical consensus states: "James Marsh's doc about artist Phililppe Petit's artful caper brings you every ounce of suspense that can be wrung from a man on a (suspended) wire". [11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [12]

Accolades

Man on Wire won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the World Cinema: Documentary competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival; it is the sixth film to pick up both top awards at Sundance, and the first from outside the US. [13] It also won the Special Jury Award and the Audience Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, [14] the International Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and the Standard Life Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. [15] In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film, [16] the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, and the award for Best Documentary Film from the Australian Film Critics Association. At the 81st Academy Awards, the film won the award for Best Documentary Feature. [17]

Top ten lists

The film appeared on many American critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. [18] Movie City News found that it appeared on 76 of the 286 different American critics' top ten lists surveyed, which was a tie for the seventh "most mentions" on a top ten list out of all of the films released in 2008. [19]

Soundtrack

Much of the film's soundtrack is derived from the 2006 album The Composer's Cut Series Vol. II: Nyman/Greenaway Revisited, a collection of works by Michael Nyman for films by British director Peter Greenaway.

  1. "Fish Beach" – Michael Nyman (from Drowning by Numbers )
  2. "History of the Insipid" – Michael Nyman (from The Libertine )
  3. "Albatross" – Fleetwood Mac
  4. "Dreams of a Journey" – Michael Nyman (from The Piano )
  5. "Time Lapse" – Michael Nyman (from A Zed & Two Noughts )
  6. "The Disposition of Linen" – Michael Nyman (from The Draughtsman's Contract )
  7. "A Fifth of Beethoven" – Walter Murphy
  8. "Chasing Sheep Is Best Left To Shepherds" – Michael Nyman (from The Draughtsman's Contract)
  9. "An Eye For Optical Theory" – Michael Nyman (from The Draughtsman's Contract)
  10. The Lark Ascending – English Northern Philharmonia (composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams)
  11. "A Ramble in St. James's Park" – Michael Nyman (from The Libertine)
  12. "Passage de L'Egalité" – Michael Nyman (from La Traversée de Paris )
  13. "In the Hall of the Mountain King" – Philadelphia Orchestra (composed by Edvard Grieg)
  14. "Drowning By Number 2" – Michael Nyman (from Drowning by Numbers)
  15. "Trysting Fields/Sheep 'n' Tides" – Michael Nyman (from Drowning by Numbers)
  16. "Memorial" – Michael Nyman
  17. "Leaving Home" (Opening Titles) – J. Ralph
  18. "Leaving Home Sunday Exploration" (End Credits) – J. Ralph
  19. "Gnossienne No. 1" – Gheorghe Constantinescu, pianist (composed by Erik Satie)
  20. "Gymnopédie No. 1" – Anne Queffélec, pianist (composed by Erik Satie)

Film adaptation

Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred as Petit in the film The Walk , which was written, directed, and produced by Robert Zemeckis and released on 9 October 2015. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Greenaway</span> British film director

Peter Greenaway, is a British film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Mannerism painting in particular. Common traits in his films are the scenic composition and illumination and the contrasts of costume and nudity, nature and architecture, furniture and people, sexual pleasure and painful death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Nyman</span> English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist (born 1944)

Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer, pianist, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film scores, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano. He has written a number of operas, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat; Letters, Riddles and Writs; Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs; Facing Goya; Man and Boy: Dada; Love Counts; and Sparkie: Cage and Beyond. He has written six concerti, five string quartets, and many other chamber works, many for his Michael Nyman Band. He is also a performing pianist. Nyman prefers to write opera over other forms of music.

<i>Drowning by Numbers</i> 1988 British film

Drowning by Numbers is a crime comedy-drama 1988 British-Dutch film directed by Peter Greenaway. It won the award for Best Artistic Contribution at the Cannes Film Festival of 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Petit</span> French highwire artist (born 1949)

Philippe Petit is a French highwire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized highwire walks between the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City in August 1974.

<i>The Man Who Walked Between the Towers</i> 2003 picture book by Mordicai Gerstein

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is an American children's picture book written and illustrated by the American author Mordicai Gerstein. Published in 2003, the book recounts the achievement of Philippe Petit, a French man who walked on a tightrope wire between the roofs of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in August 1974. Gerstein won the 2004 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations. The book has been adapted into a film and a ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Marsh (director)</span> British film and documentary director (born 1963)

James Marsh is a British film and documentary director best known for his work on Man on Wire, which won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and The Theory of Everything, the multi-award-winning biopic of physicist Stephen Hawking released in 2014.

<i>Son of Rambow</i> 2007 comedy film

Son of Rambow is a 2007 comedy film written and directed by Garth Jennings and inspired by First Blood. The film premiered on 22 January 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was later shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and Glasgow Film Festival. The film was also shown at the 51st BFI London Film Festival. Son of Rambow was released in the United Kingdom on 4 April 2008 and opened in limited release in the United States on 2 May 2008. Set over a summer during Thatcher's Britain, the film is a coming of age story about two schoolboys and their attempts to make an amateur film inspired by First Blood.

Michael Victor Sporn was an American animator who founded his New York City-based company, Michael Sporn Animation, in 1980, and produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots.

<i>Ballast</i> (film) 2008 American film

Ballast is a 2008 film directed by Lance Hammer. It competed in the Dramatic category at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography. The film received six nominations at the 24th Independent Spirit Awards.

<i>Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired</i> 2008 American film

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is a 2008 documentary film directed by Marina Zenovich. It concerns film director Roman Polanski and his sexual abuse case. It examines the events that led to Polanski fleeing the United States after being embroiled in a controversial trial, and his unstable reunion with his adopted country. A follow-up to the film, also directed by Zenovich, titled Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out was released on 26 March 2013, detailing Polanski's successful legal battle to avoid extradition to the US, a battle that took place after Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired came out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malik Bendjelloul</span> Swedish film and documentary director

Malik Bendjelloul was a Swedish documentary filmmaker, journalist and actor. He directed the 2012 documentary Searching for Sugar Man, which won an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award.

<i>The Walk</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film by Robert Zemeckis

The Walk is a 2015 American biographical drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Browne. It is based on the story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit, alongside Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, and Steve Valentine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Heineman</span> American documentary filmmaker

Matthew Heineman is an American documentary filmmaker, director, and producer. His inspiration and fascination with American history led him to early success with the documentary film Cartel Land, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, a BAFTA Award for Best Documentary, and won three Primetime Emmy Awards.

<i>Whose Streets?</i> 2017 American film

Whose Streets? is a 2017 American documentary film about the killing of Michael Brown and the Ferguson uprising. Directed by Sabaah Folayan and co-directed by Damon Davis, Whose Streets? premiered in competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, then was released theatrically in August, 2017, for the anniversary of Brown's death. It was a nominee for Critics' Choice and Gotham Independent Film awards.

<i>Welcome to Chechnya</i> 2020 documentary about the anti-LGBT purges in Chechnya

Welcome to Chechnya is a 2020 documentary film by American reporter, author and documentarian David France. The film centers on the anti-gay purges in Chechnya of the late 2010s, filming LGBT Chechen refugees using hidden cameras as they made their way out of Russia through a network of safehouses aided by activists.

<i>Feels Good Man</i> 2020 US documentary film

Feels Good Man is a 2020 American documentary film about the Internet meme Pepe the Frog. Marking the directorial debut of Arthur Jones, the film stars artist Matt Furie, the creator of Pepe. The film follows Furie as he struggles to reclaim control of Pepe from members of the alt-right who have co-opted the image for their own purposes. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker. It was also nominated in the U.S. Documentary Competition at Sundance. Sometime in the 2020s, ranging from 2023 to 2024, the film was added to FAST service Pluto TV in Canada.

<i>Time</i> (2020 film) 2020 American film

Time is a 2020 American documentary film produced and directed by Garrett Bradley. It follows Sibil Fox Richardson and her fight for the release of her husband, Rob, who was serving a 60-year prison sentence for engaging in an armed bank robbery.

<i>Flee</i> (film) 2021 animated documentary film

Flee is a 2021 independent adult animated documentary film directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen. An international co-production with Denmark, France, Norway, and Sweden, it follows the story of a man under the alias Amin Nawabi, who shares his hidden past of fleeing his home country of Afghanistan to Denmark for the first time. Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau serve as executive producers and narrators for the English-language dub version.

<i>Navalny</i> (film) 2022 American film

Navalny is a 2022 American documentary film directed by Daniel Roher. The film revolves around Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and events related to his poisoning. It was produced by HBO Max and CNN Films. The film premiered on January 25, 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical and audience acclaim and won the Audience Award in the US Documentary competition and the Festival Favorite Award. It also won the Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards, won the award for Best Political Documentary at the 7th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards and picked up best documentary at the 76th BAFTA awards ceremony.

<i>Fire of Love</i> (2022 film) 2022 film

Fire of Love is a 2022 independent documentary film about the lives and careers of volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft. Directed, written, and produced by Sara Dosa, the film had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2022, where it won the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award. It was released on July 6, 2022, by National Geographic Documentary Films and Neon. It received acclaim from critics, and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards.

References

  1. ↑ "MAN ON WIRE (12A)". British Board of Film Classification . 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Case study – Man on Wire's soaring success | News | Screen". screendaily.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Man on Wire (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  4. ↑ A.O. Scott (25 July 2008). "Walking on Air Between the Towers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "2008 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Competition" (PDF). 28 November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2008.
  6. ↑ "2008 Sundance Film Festival Announces Awards" (PDF). 26 January 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2008.
  7. ↑ "Man on Wire, Magnolia Pictures" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Jerney Makoa (24 July 2008). "On The Circuit: Man on Wire | Zoom In – News, Events, Training and Community for Creatives". Archived from the original on 31 May 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
  9. ↑ Neil Smith (2 August 2008). "BBC NEWS: Wire walk film omits 9/11 tragedy". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  10. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for July 25-27, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Man on Wire". Rotten Tomatoes. 25 July 2008. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "Man on Wire Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Wall to Wall Takes Two at Sundance Film Festival". Archived from the original on 11 December 2008.
  14. ↑ "Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Announces Festival Award Winners". fullframefest.org. Archived from the original on 14 July 2008.
  15. ↑ "Man on Wire Wins Again". walltowall.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008.
  16. ↑ "Film Winners in 2009". bafta.org. BAFTA. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
  17. ↑ "Nominees for the 81st Academy Awards". Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Metacritic: 2008 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  19. ↑ David Poland (2008). "The 2008 Movie City News Top Ten Awards". Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  20. ↑ "Joseph Gordon-Levitt set to star in TriStars To Walk the Clouds" . Retrieved 28 April 2014.
Awards
Preceded by Sundance Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary
2008		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.