In 1974 crowds gathered below the World Trade Center to witness a seemingly impossible feat: French performer Philippe Petit traversing the space between the two structures on merely a wire.
What the people below didn’t witness was just how insane and stomach-turning the views from above Petit were.
In his new film “The Walk,” director Robert Zemeckis recreates this magnificent event and gives audiences the ability to experience the exceptional heights from overhead the high wires. Though the story leading up to the Twin Towers walk was pleasant and interesting, the real marvel of this film is the cinematography used to give viewers accurate visuals of high-wire walking, and just how mad this man Petit was.
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Petit, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“The Interview”), narrates the movie and tells the story of how and why he walked in-between the World Trade Center. While living in Paris as a young street performer, he came across a magazine that held a picture of two enormous, soon-to-be built towers located in New York City. Petit knew right then what he wanted to do.
After determining his destiny to walk between the Twin Towers, Petit gathers several accomplices to achieve his goal, including his biggest supporter and lover Annie (Charlotte le Bon, “The Hundred-Foot Journey”) and official photographer Jean-Louis (Clement Sibomy, “Summer Nights”). Critically-acclaimed Sir Ben Kingsley also plays a minor, yet appropriately impressive role as Petit’s mentor Papa Rudy.
This surrounding crew become essential to “The Wire’s” backstory, providing the narrative suspense required to make Petit’s suspenseful feat all the more meaningful.
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Throughout the film, Petit is portrayed in a terrific acting job by Gordon-Levitt. The French accent, enthusiasm and outgoing personality are all displayed, particularly when Gordon-Levitt dazzles children with magic tricks and approaches airport customs with the killer one-liner:
“I’m going to tie a wire on the top of the World Trade Center and walk across it.”
Though the beginning of the film doesn’t keep viewers on the edge of their seats, the planning of the walk and all of the work that had to be put into it to make Petit’s dream possible is all truly astonishing.
But, the greatness of this film is the visuals shown from above the World Trade Center out on the high wire. Manhattan and the many different iconic buildings such as the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty can all be viewed from where Petit walked.
Despite most audience members already knowing the outcome of this walk, the heights that are experienced even in a theater worries audiences. These visuals also help people appreciate just how focused wire walkers need to be.
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“The Walk” is a triumph in cinematography and does a terrific job portraying the story behind Petit’s walk. Though there are a few events that were not covered in the film such as Petit’s walk in Sydney, which was his warm-up to the World Trade Center, Zemeckis includes most of the important details and takes viewers on a visual trip that won’t be forgotten.
Everyone should be familiar with the story of Philippe Petit, not only because it was such an iconic event of the 20th century, but because his story is truly about finding a dream, overcoming doubters and dedicating one’s life to success.
To truly appreciate how passionate Petit was, and just how hard he worked to be able to walk in between the Twin Towers, audiences need to watch this film.
