Man on Wire (2008)
84%RT Audience Score: 68%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
46 wins & 13 nominations total
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
Man on Wire is a documentary that will have you on the edge of your seat, even though you know how it ends. The film tells the story of Philippe Petit, a French high-wire artist who walked between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. The tension builds throughout the film, and the climax is truly dizzying. But what makes this documentary so special is the way it captures the beauty and mystery of Petit’s obsession without ever trying to explain it. It’s an astonishing, adorable, playful, and unforgettable film that reminds us that dreams can come true and men can fly.
Production Company(ies)
Black Mandala Onetti Brothers Productions, Rusty Robot
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and nudity, and drug references
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 30m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 25, 2008 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2008
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
Man on Wire, Philippe Petit, James Marsh, Simon Chinn, Nick Fraser, Andrea Meditch, documentary, PG-13, English, Twin Towers, World Trade Center, high-wire, acrobatics, suspense, crime, box office, budget, reviewed by Nell Minow, Ben Kenigsberg, Catherine Wheatley, Ann Hornaday, Jonathan F Richards, Peter Rainer, Graeme Tuckett, Mattie Lucas, Leigh Paatsch, Annie Wagner, Brian Costello, Josh Larsen, starring Annie Allix, Jean François Heckel, directed by James Marsh, written by James Marsh, produced by Simon Chinn, Magnolia Pictures
Worldwide gross: $5,258,569
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $7,243,478
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,064
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 789,910
US/Canada gross: $2,962,242
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,080,375
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,865
US/Canada opening weekend: $51,392
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $70,791
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,077
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): £1,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jean François Heckel – Self
James Marsh – Director
Simon Chinn – Producer
Nick Fraser – Executive Producer
Andrea Meditch – Executive Producer
Director(s)
James Marsh
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
46 wins & 13 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (159) | Top Critics (61) | Fresh (159)
February 18, 2012 | Rating: B+
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The tension builds incrementally, reaching almost unbearable heights at its dizzying climax.
July 6, 2010
Catherine Wheatley
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
It all makes for an absorbing, mischievously amusing yarn, whose climax unfolds with unexpected emotional force.
May 7, 2009
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
In this exhilarating, palm-moistening documentary by British filmmaker James Marsh (Wisconsin Death Trip), the twin towers are back to celebrate one of their finest moments.
November 10, 2008
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
By any rational gauge, Petit’s WTC obsession was flat-out crazy, but Marsh takes a limpid, nonjudgmental view of it all.
October 18, 2008 | Rating: A
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
TOP CRITIC
Man On Wire is an astonishing, adorable, playful and absolutely unforgettable film.
September 27, 2021
Graeme Tuckett
Stuff.co.nz
Reminds us that dreams can come true and men can fly, through the heights of the imagination and the triumph of the human spirit – this a film for all those who ever dared to dream.
July 7, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Some of the on-the-spot footage of the eccentric French thrillseeker’s exploits truly boggle the mind (including a controversial stroll Petit once took across the Sydney Harbour Bridge).
May 25, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Man on Wire is 80 minutes of white-knuckled suspense followed by a surprisingly emotional climax.
August 21, 2017
Annie Wagner
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Exhilarating docu about high-wire feat has some edgy scenes.
November 3, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media
…captures the mysterious beauty of Petit’s obsession, without ever being so gauche as to ‘explain’ it.
October 1, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm…
Plot
On August 7, 1974, Philippe Petit, a French wire walker, juggler, and street performer days shy of his 25th birthday, spent 45 minutes walking, dancing, kneeling, and lying on a wire he and friends strung between the rooftops of the Twin Towers. Uses contemporary interviews, archival footage, and recreations to tell the story of his previous walks between towers of Notre Dame and of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, his passions and friendships, and the facts of the night before the walk: getting cable into the towers, hiding from guards, and mounting the wire. It ends with observations of the profound changes the walk’s success brought to Philippe and those closest to him.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Man on Wire on Fresh Kernels.
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