Man on Wire

I went to see this at the cinema the other day - I'd read the fantastic reviews and decided it must be seen. And the reviews were right, it was worth it.
Philippe Petit walked across a tightrope strung between the World Trade Centre's twin towers in 1974, and the film sketches the background, with interviews with Petit and the people who helped him. That's it, basically, but the film is so much more than that brief precis. The ultimate fate of the twin towers is never mentioned - it didn't need to be, but it's there in the background, all the time, especially as there is quite a bit of footage in the film of their construction.
The film gives a fascinating glimpse into life in 1974 - 34 years ago, a lifetime. No-one filmed Petit's feat; people didn't do that kind of thing then, the cameras would have been too difficult to conceal anyway. Now someone would pluck a mobile out of their pocket and capture the whole thing - if they could get up there in the first place, sceurity, although pretty tight then, would surely be impenetrable nowadays.
Petit is an engaging character, and it was easy to see how he managed to bring others on board to help him, but it was startling to see the contrast between his recollections and those of his friends. He told the story as a knd of personal challenge, but they remembered their terror of being discovered, the tension surrounding the whole affair. petit became a huge celebrity at the end, but the others disappeared into obscurity. Such is the nature of fame, I guess.
There was film footage of petit practising in what looked like a back garden, and of his other escapades, including his tightrope walk between the towers of Notre Dame in Paris. Yes, he's clearly a publicity seeker, but a very brave man. Self-obsessed, yes, but we still need people like that. The same applies to all those great Olympians, such as Steve Redgrave. You can ask 'what is the point?', as some journalists have written in the wake of the fantastic British success at the Beijing Olympics this month, but such killjoys deserve oblivion.
People like Petit add to the sum of human greatness, so thanks, Philippe.