Man on Wire romantically
retells the story of wire walker Philippe Petit as he waltzed between the twin
towers in 1974. The cinematic qualities
of Man on Wire such as the violins and
constant soft music that played as people spoke, and their genuine tear filled
testimonies, were unique compared to other documentaries. The producers created a film that not only
recalled a story, but led people forty
years later to share in the experience; this kind of truth is hard to recreate. Like Hands on a Hard Body, the best elements of human nature are shown because of the uniqueness of each task.
Man on Wire displays
an “ecstatic truth” which Herzog describes as “mysterious and can only be
grasped with effort; one attains it through vision, style, and craft.” Philippe’s feat and preparation were illegal,
but the task was viewed as extraordinary rather than psychotic or dangerous. Philippe is comparable to Walter Steiner at
the end of Herzog’s “On the Absolute, the Sublime, and Ecstatic Truth” in
their pursuit of fulfillment and independence in their acts. Philippe acts with the help of his
acquaintances, but acknowledges that the journey is his. He intentionally distances himself from his
long time lover so not to break her heart if he falls to his death and to truly
experience the beauty of his craft as an individual.
Wire walking also draws feelings similar to the opera: as
Herzog describes, “The feelings are so abstracted; they cannot really be
subordinated to everyday human nature any longer, because they have been
concentrated and elevated to the most extreme degree and appear in their purest
form.” Even through a documentary, the
retelling of Philippe’s wire walking creates natural, unexplainable feelings. Witnessing a human achieve something he
dreamt of throughout his life and with aspects seemingly impossible to
overcome, is an “out of this world” experience.
I can only imagine what it would be like for people who saw firsthand.
As his friends and those who helped recalled years of knowing
Philippe and preparation for the event, there was minimal regret (fortunately,
he completely the event safely – it would have been a different documentary had
he fallen). Even those who broke the law
in their workplace to assist him, had no remorse; the beauty of the act was more
important to them than the risk.
Philippe himself claimed that dying doing what he loved would be a
beautiful death. Even at the height of the Twin Towers, he danced, knelt, and laid on the
wire: his wire walking was not a show, it was a journey, and an art.
I am glad that another person watched the Man on Wire movie. For me it was very awe inspiring and captured my attention the whole time, which usually doesn't happen in a documentary. This was about just an ordinary guy with a dream which is why i think that we can relate to it so well. I did like the music that they played in the movie as you stated. It played with the mood perfectly but there were also many breaks where there was silence that build the tension for a dramatic part of the story. Amazingly enough what i found to be interesting was that once the journey and accomplishment of walking between those two buildings was finished. Him and his girlfriend went their separate ways never to get back together.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to watch this documentary, but I look forward to watching it for my next blog. Your post made me think of a quote from "Hand on a Hard Body," "There are not a whole lot of triers out there anymore." Philippe was clearly a trier. It is difficult to pursue such lofty ambitions as to walk a wire between the twin towers. You're right in recognizing it as a journey. It was a journey in that the ending was not predetermined. In tasks such as his there are numerous opportunities to fail, and for this reason most people do not chase dreams as big as his. Reading about Philippe's story makes me excited to watch "Man on a Wire," and gives me a greater appreciation for documentaries, the stories they tell, and the way they tell their stories.
ReplyDeleteAfter having watched the documentary, I think it's safe to assume that we were all left in awe. This is no ordinary achievement, this was a life-long dream from the moment he pictured it, to the moment he exercised it. Sometimes what we see as "impossible" may not truly be impossible, the line that separates that from being accomplish can be very thin sometimes, but we choose not to see it, simply because we are not willing to try that hard. I think it was a beautiful documentary that has so much to offer! aside from the main purpose, which alone is unbelievable!
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