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Man on Wire

2008 · 94 min

A spellbinding, suspenseful documentary that plays like a heist thriller, blending archival footage and interviews into a poetic celebration of daring.

Tagline: 1974. 1350 feet up. The artistic crime of the century.
Overview: On August 7th 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit stepped out on a high wire, illegally rigged between New York's World Trade Center twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour of performing on the wire, 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan, he was arrested. This fun and spellbinding documentary chronicles Philippe Petit's "highest" achievement.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
upliftingstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: ambition
obsession
art
freedom
friendship
Places: big city
Era: period
Audience: teen
Form: true story
nonlinear
documentary
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence none
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	4
Horror	1
Humour	6
Realism	9
Romance	2
Tension	7
Darkness	2
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	6

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Where to watch in the UK

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Details

Genres: documentary
Directed by: James Marsh
Written by: Philippe Petit
Starring: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix, David Forman, Alan Welner, Barry Greenhouse, Jim Moore
Cinematography: Igor Martinović
Runtime: 94 min
Country: United Kingdom
Languages: English, French

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Man on Wire

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