Man on Wire (2008)
Documentary, Biography, History |.
Man on Wire is a British-American biographical 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 had lasted for almost one 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 and present-day interviews with the participants, including Barry Greenhouse, an insurance executive who served as the inside man.
Man on Wire competed in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary and the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary. In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Director: James Marsh
Writer: Philippe Petit (based on the book “To Reach the Clouds” by)
Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix, David Forman, Alan Welner, Mark Lewis
►Cast:
| Philippe Petit | … | Self |
| Jean François Heckel | … | Self (as Jean-François Heckel) |
| Jean-Louis Blondeau | … | Self |
| Annie Allix | … | Self |
| David Forman | … | Self |
| Alan Welner | … | Self |
| Mark Lewis | … | Self |
| Barry Greenhouse | … | Self (as N. Barry Greenhouse) |
| Jim Moore | … | Self |
| Guy F. Tozzoli | … | Self (as Guy Tozzoli) |
| Paul McGill | … | Philippe – Drama Reconstructions |
| David Demato | … | Jean-Louis – Drama Reconstructions |
| Ardis Campbell | … | Annie – Drama Reconstructions |
| Aaron Haskell | … | Jean-François – Drama Reconstructions |
| Shawn Dempewolff-Barrett | … | David – Drama Reconstructions (as Shawn Dempewolff) |
| David Roland Frank | … | Alan – Drama Reconstructions (as David Frank) |
| Megan Delay | … | The Admirer – Drama Reconstructions |
| Laurence Gates | … | Dentist |
| Bruce Kocher | … | Security Guard on First Tower |
| Joel Ney | … | 1970s Police Officer #1 |
| Robert Sciglimpaglia | … | Pedestrian / Ford Mustang Driver |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia