Synopsis
On August 7th 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit stepped out on a high wire, illegally rigged between New York's World Trade Center twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour of performing on the wire, 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan, he was arrested. This fun and spellbinding documentary chronicles Philippe Petit's "highest" achievement.
Key facts
Cast
Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix, David Forman, Alan Welner, Barry Greenhouse, Jim Moore
Original language
French
First release
July 12, 2008 (Ireland)
Awards
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Sundance World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary
Setting
France
Crew
Screenplay
Philippe Petit
Producer
Simon Chinn
Cinematography
Igor Martinović
Editing
Jinx Godfrey
Trailer
Stills
Reviews
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Festival History
- Los Angeles Film Awards 2025
- Academy Awards 2009 academy_award
- Independent Spirit Awards 2009 generic
- Sundance Film Festival 2008 generic
- Village Voice Film Poll 2008 generic
Soundtracks
| CD | Man On Wire (2008) | 2 releases, 2008-2009: Decca |
Releases & classifications
| Streaming | Ireland | July 12, 2008 |
| Theatrical | Canada | August 1, 2008 |
| Theatrical | Denmark | August 1, 2008 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | August 1, 2008 |
| Theatrical | Sweden | August 1, 2008 |
| Theatrical | United States | August 29, 2008 |
| Streaming | Austria | October 21, 2008 |
| Theatrical | Germany | January 22, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Taiwan | February 6, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | March 5, 2009 |
| Streaming | Japan | June 13, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Greece | March 25, 2010 |
| Theatrical | South Korea | October 29, 2015 |
| Classification | Germany | 6 |
| Classification | United Kingdom | 12A |
| Classification | United States | PG-13 |
Versions & editions
| Home video | Norway | August 1, 2008 |
Full credits
| Director | James Marsh |
| Cast | Philippe Petit (Himself), Jean François Heckel (Himself), Jean-Louis Blondeau (Himself), Annie Allix (Herself), David Forman (Himself), Alan Welner (Himself), Barry Greenhouse (Himself), Jim Moore (Himself), Mark Lewis (Himself), Richard Nixon (Self (archive footage)) |
| Screenplay | Philippe Petit |
| Producer | Simon Chinn |
| Executive producer | Andrea Meditch, Jonathan Hewes, Nick Fraser |
| Cinematography | Igor Martinović |
| Editing | Jinx Godfrey |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
