Man on Wire

On August 7, 1974, a 24-year-old French high-wire artist named Philippe Petit committed one of the most astonishing performance stunts of the late 20th century: he strung a thin cable in between the two towers of the World Trade Center and not only walked across, from one building to another, but ...more

Not to be confused with Man on Fire, no, this is a movie that’s actually worth watching. But I guess the comparison’s not fair because Man on Wire is a documentary whose content is antithetical to that of the 2004 action film. It is an examination of famous tightrope walker Philippe Petit and the historic, death defying act he executed on August 7, 1974, in which he illegally walked a wire that he and his friends strung up between the World Trade Center towers. And they say Frenchmen are ...more

Back in the late '90s, a heartbreaking incident occurred involving a young American college student that made headlines in some local papers. In an attempt to win a "dare" with some of his friends, he made the hare-brained (and impetuous) decision to scale a radio tower atop a university building. The rungs were wet from rain, and he slipped off and fell to his immediate death -- a humiliating end, to be certain. The contrast between the circumstances surrounding that tragedy and those ...more

Man on Wire
Nominee - 81st Oscars®:
Best Documentary Feature