Man On Wire

[Stat Brother]

I can now add the film Man On Wire, to the list of films I thought I'd seem, but hadn't, and now have.

I really enjoyed it, and thought it was a very good film.

A mixture of stunning visuals and photography with existentialist noncy French bollox. What's not to love.


As an aside it was tricky watching the covert operation, to break into the WTC and have it not connected with 9/11.
It felt a if the buildings didn't have a 'life' before then.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

The whole project was lost in translation from the outset. Philip Petit (the man on wire) told his American pals in bad English that he wanted to stand on a tyre, and what started out as a walk across a 22inch Pirelli on 5th Avenue ended up with the poor bastard having to walk between the twin towers.

Back on planet Earth - how different the film 'Man on Wire' could have been if the guy who was supposed to film the crossing on the wire (they had cameras set up on the roof of one of the towers) hadn't been so tired from being up all night grappling with setting up the wires/supporting wires that he'd remember to actually film it! How pissed off must Petit have been to discover that the camera hadn't even been switched on - hence the few distant black and white stills (and one or two close-up stills) being the only visual evidence of his mind-blowing feat.

 

[Stat Brother]

The shot of him just sitting there, on the wire, looking down, is quite something.

 

[Stat Brother]

If this isn't an NSC film, I strongly recommend it, esp to those who like film documentaries or have a keen eye for visually striking REAL scenes.

 

[Lush]

I'm with you Stat Brother. In my top 5 favourite films ever. Trying not to sound poncey, but for me it goes some way towards showing what art really is, and that it can include specially created moments like this that inspire real depths of emotion. A very life-affirming film that shows what amazing and moving things humans are capable of.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Brilliant film, very well made, its almost like a Heist movie, and clever how they both celebrate the Twin Towers and achieved making a film without footage of the actual event.

Loads of great free documentarys on here;

Sports | Watch Free Documentaries Online

One of my top 5 documetarys is Grizzly Man, Wernor Herzog is a great film maker and Timmy is compulsive viewing..

Grizzly Man | Watch Free Documentary Online

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Previous NSC thread: Man On Wire

 

[Brixtaan]

A stunning film. It struck me how flimsy they are and how much of NY below was undeveloped in the mid 70s

 

[Brixtaan]

Previous NSC thread: Man On Wire

And I'm repeating myself like a boring pensioner

 

[brunswick]

bad film - the guy has a massive ego "i am such an artist, i am sooo french and amazing" - did you catch the bit where he puts in the film that he shagged someone he met afterwards - what a **** - his bird had stood by him for years. and he loved at the fame....sigh.

great at walking on wires, total knob, loves himself, better docs out there if your looking for human endevour.

 

[Lush]

bad film - the guy has a massive ego "i am such an artist, i am sooo french and amazing" - did you catch the bit where he puts in the film that he shagged someone he met afterwards - what a **** - his bird had stood by him for years. and he loved at the fame....sigh.

great at walking on wires, total knob, loves himself, better docs out there if your looking for human endevour.

I expect a lot of artists are complete tossers though. Doesn't mean that their stuff isn't good. I don't think it's about endeavour either.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

And I'm repeating myself like a boring pensioner

You and me both!

 

[brunswick]

I expect a lot of artists are complete tossers though. Doesn't mean that their stuff isn't good. I don't think it's about endeavour either.

maybe....don't get me wrong, what he did was great - it really dropped a bomb into "normal consciousness" (what i think it is about in essence) - i just really didn't like the bloke or the angle he wanted to take the documentary, or his ego.

 

[Stat Brother]

Back on BBC4 @9pm.

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Fantastic film, watch it if you haven't seen it.

 

[Sussax]

cheers for the heads up, how did you find this thread w/o the search bar?

 

[Stat Brother]

Well I knew I'd written it, so I just googled 'Man on Wire Northstandchat'.

 

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Really good film