Man on Wire is a biographical film that was featured in a 2008 British-American documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film tells the story of Philip Petty's 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. It is based on Pettit's 2002 book, Reaching the Clouds, which was released in paperback titled Man on Wire. The film's title is taken from the police report that led to the arrest (and release) of Betty, which ran for about an hour. Made like a heist, the film offers rare footage of event preparations and walking still images, along with reenactments (with Paul McGill as the youngster) and current interviews with participants, including Barry Greenhouse, the insurance manager who served as the inside man.
Man On Wire competed in the World Documentary Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary for World Cinema and the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary. In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Film production:
Film producer Simon Chen met Philip Petty for the first time in April 2005 on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, after which he decided to try to acquire the film rights to his book, Reaching the Clouds. After months of discussion, Beatty agreed, on the condition that he could actively collaborate on the making of the film. In an interview during the run of Man on Wire at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, director James Marsh explained that he was drawn to the story in part because it immediately struck it as a "stealing movie." As Jean-François, one of Pettit's aides later put it, "It may have been illegal...but it was neither evil nor malicious."
Marsh also said that, as a New Yorker, he's seen the film as a boon to the city since the 9/11 attacks. He said he hopes to hear people say they will now always think of Betty and his performance when they think of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. In response to the question of why the destruction of the towers in the 2001 attacks was not mentioned in the film, Marsh explained that Betty's act was "incredibly beautiful" and that it "would be unfair and wrong to convey his story with any mention., discussion or images of the destruction of the towers."
Box office and revenue:
Man on Wire opened theatrically on August 29, 2008 in the United States, earning $51,392 in its first weekend, ranking 37th at the domestic box office. [10] By the end of its run, on March 5, 2009, the film had grossed $2,962,242 in the United States and Canada and $2,296,327 in international for a worldwide total of $5,258,569.
International acclaim for the film:
Petit at the 81st Academy Awards, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% based on 158 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.39/10. The site's critical consensus states, "James Marsh's document on the wonderful artist Phililppe Petit It brings you every ounce of suspense that can be plucked from a man on a (hanging) wire." On Metacritic, Man on Wire has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."
Film Awards:
The film won a Special Jury Award and Audience Award at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, an International Audience Award at the Los Angeles Festival and a Standard Life Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film also won the Jury Prize and the Audience Award in World Cinema: Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Man On Wire is the sixth film to receive both awards at Sundance, and the first from outside the United States. In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, and the Best Documentary Award at the Australian Film Critics Association Awards. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 81st Academy Awards.
Best Appearance Lists:
The film appeared in the top ten lists of many American critics for the best films of 2008. City News shows that the film appeared on 76 different top ten lists, out of 286 different lists of American critics surveyed, and is the seventh joint "most mentioned" On the list of the top ten films released in 2008.