Saturday, October 10, 2015

The Walk

I have had cocktails on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. I have met Phillippe Petit. I think of the man outside the building at dizzying heights and I shudder. This is the reason I could not watch the documentary Man On Wire at the film festival where I met this charming man. He convinced me that I could handle the movie and encouraged me to watch. Years later, when I saw the first trailers for The Walk, Robert Zemeckis' version of this lunatic feat, all I could do is smile. The bonus? It would be in IMAX 3D. They were going to put the audience on the wire as well. I was thrilled! I am fascinated with this story for the obvious reason of the magnitude of the accomplishment of a man walking a high wire strung between the two towers of the World Trade Centers. The other is the time capsule of watching how easy it was to move around the world back in the mid-70s. Though the narration from the top of the Statue of Liberty was a but cheesy, it grounded you back to lower Manhattan in the midst of the caper. I had heard that there was a touching ending, but was not quite prepared for my reaction. I had to sit in the theater for a while after the film to pull myself together. I loved this film. I loved the effects. I loved the spirit. Merci Monsieur Petit, Monsieur Gordan-Levitt et Monsieur Zemeckis. Well done.

No comments: