man on wire

you must, must, must check out the film, man on wire.

on august 7, 1974, a young frenchman named philippe petit stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between new york's twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. after nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken for psycological evaluation, and brought to jail before he was finally released.
following six and a half years dreaming of the towers, petit spent eight months in new york city planning the execution of the coup. aided by a team of friends and accomplices, petit was faced with numerous extraordinary challenges: he had to find a way to bypass the wtc's security; smuggle the heavy steel cable and rigging equipment into the towers; pass the wire between the two rooftops; anchor the wire and tension it to withstand the winds and swaying of the buildings. the rigging was done by night in complete secrecy. at 7:15 am, philippe took his first step on the high wire 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of manhattan...
james marsh's documentary brings petit's extraordinary adventure to life through the testimony of philippe himself, and some of the co-conspirators who helped him create the unique and magnificent spectacle that became known as "the artistic crime of the century."
[taken from man on wire website - http://www.manonwire.com/]

philippe walking the wire above sydney harbour in sydney australia.

i can't explain the tears that came in see this image, philippe lying down between the towers of notre dame. on a wire.

philippe's first steps between the towers. my heart was beating out of my chest. the suspense built during this film was fantastic!

his girlfriend at the time said from the sidewalk that it looked like philippe was walking on the clouds.

i'm so glad i took the time to watch this film. it is absolutely stunning and i was greatly affected by it. it's told in a truly exciting fashion - sometimes philippe gets so excited in the retelling that he's up and re-enacting the moment. he and his accomplices mention several times that this is something they would never experience again and to just enjoy it in the moment. philippe is a true artist, delicate and beautiful up on a wire. living his dream, walking in the clouds.

[sister, i think the kids would love this film.]