Man on Wire, Petit in NYC

In August of 1974, a 24-year-old Frenchman named Philippe Petit snuck into the World Trade Center, reached the top, and walked across a wire cable that was strung between the Twin Towers. New York watched captivated below. Some fun facts: it took 6 years to plan the stunt, the gap between the towers was 140 feet, and even though it was illegal, charges were dropped and Petit was merely sentenced to entertaining kids in Central Park (where he walked over Belvedere Lake).

James Marsh’s documentary, Man on Wire, follows the legendary high-wire stunt, from preparation to repercussions (check out the trailer, and some stills, below). Next Friday, July 25th, the doc will open in New York, but the night before it will be screened at the Times Center at an event that will put you face to face with Petit (spoiler alert: he didn't die during the stunt!), as well as Marsh; the two will be interviewed by Dick Cavett.

Petit's stunt was documented in a children's book published after 9/11, and the man himself is admired by author Paul Auster (who wrote a story about him in his book The Red Notebook). Auster says he "saw Philippe years before I ever met him. When I was living in Paris. I used to watch him juggling on the Boulevard Montparnasse. I’d never seen anyone quite like him before. One night I was coming home quite late, it must have been 2 in the morning, and I see him — ‘the Juggler’ — walking with coils of ropes and a few people, and I thought, ‘That young man is up to something.’ Sure enough, the next day I opened the papers and saw that he’d walked between the two towers of Notre Dame. He became a kind of hero to me.”

Today, New York has seen stunt attempts by Jeb Corliss, and of course the three NY Times building climbers -- but Queens Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr. is currently trying to put an end to them all.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on July 17, 2008 1:54 PM

Comments [rss]

chenhongjuan

Saw this at Tribeca in April and it was really well done. Definitely worth the price of admission.

http://www.linkslondonsale.com/

Papercutninja

@#12 They used a crossbow to shoot a fishing line across the gap. At night. AWESOME.

NannyState

#2, the bell bottoms were during his "David Bowie Period". After the massive publicity from this stunt, he retreated to a brief isolation and then emerged as a chain-smoking rockabilly tightrope walker. Those pictures, however, have been supressed.

Fritzdecat

I'd like to hear the story of how he got that wire between the buildings?

savedbyzero

Rockenrope, you're thinking of Karl Wallenda.

ereene

Saw this at Tribeca in April and it was really well done. Definitely worth the price of admission.

Bottomless Chips

If I remember correctly, he was fined a penny for every floor in the trade center and forced to do community service - which was teaching kids how to tight rope walk in central park.

I think there were two different people. This guy who tightroped, and another guy who just scaled the building with special climbing gear to wedge himself in.

books

oh man - what an incredible feat. I have nothing but respect for him. amazing

JoeyCircles

Saw a documentary on this guy. If I remember correctly, he was fined a penny for every floor in the trade center and forced to do community service - which was teaching kids how to tight rope walk in central park.

Gregoire

I can't even look at those pictures without cringing. Isn't it really windy up that high?

Snoopy

I hope he learned his lesson.

He wont be doing that stunt again.

Rocknrope

Does anyone remember someone else trying this stunt and falling? I remember as a little child watching the news and seeing an old tightrope walker tightrope walking between two buildings (may have been the Twin Towers) with the winds gusting, and he lost his footing and fell.

Am I going crazy or does anyone else born in the 70s recall this?

groovehouse

I can't wait to see this. Very cool.

WorksInDUMBO

he did it while wearing BELL-BOTTOMS??

Kevin Walsh

It was a more innocent time. These days, if another building had been destroyed and the WTC was still there, he'd probably be in Sing Sing and the Post and News would be calling him an idiot, a terrorist or worse.

www.forgotten-ny.com

(down but up soon)