Preview

How One Might Find Philippe Petit, “Inspiring.” the Film " Man on Wire"

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1167 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How One Might Find Philippe Petit, “Inspiring.” the Film " Man on Wire"
In August 1974, Philippe Petit, a Frenchman with a passion for walking on wires, captivated New York City as he stealthy made his way to the top of the World Trade Center. Once there, he walked across a cable strung between the Twin Towers, a historic feat that 's vividly depicted in a new documentary, Man On Wire (which will be screening tonight). The famous walk turned a void 1/4 mile above the streets into a stage, and made Petit into an instant "folk hero." He now lives upstate in Woodstock, and yesterday we talked with him about those 45 minutes between the towers, that first daring step onto the wire, and the ones that followed.

When did the idea for the walk between the Twin Towers come to you? In 1968 I was 18 years old and I saw an article about those towers. There was a photo of a model, and the article said that they would be built one day, and they would be the finest in the world. And here I was, a completely new self-taught wire walker, and I thought, "What a fabulous thing to transform the top of those towers to a theater for one morning." And that 's how the idea came.

Do you remember one particular moment from that 45 minutes more prominently than any other? Well, yes and no. Of course the very first step, as you can imagine, was a giant first step. But a few moments during those crossings I remember perfectly. But that first step was a giant moment for me: I was finally stepping in to my dream. So I remember that vividly. And at some point I stopped on the wire and I sat down, and I looked down all the way – a 1/4 mile to the empty plaza below – and I stopped and saw the crowd gathering around that plaza. Yes, I remember very well many, many moments in those 45 minutes.

Can you describe at all what you were feeling when you took that first step? Yeah, I was extremely happy after all those years of dreaming and months of working on it, that now the dream was reality. And I was very concentrated and focused, in an open way, listening to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    During the process I felt confident and excited for the opportunity me and my family were to receive in America.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    After all the ups and downs in my life none of those things stopped me in achieving my dreams in 2012 the year that I received my associates the most emotional moment in my life when I had walked and made my family proud of me. I know it doesn’t seem a lot to many people but to me was the beginning of a very successful life and making a difference in my life and many others. Not only I did this for myself but for my nephews (my brothers kids) to show them that it takes a lot of hard work to achieve for our dreams but anything is possible in life as long as we don’t give up, hopefully inspire them to go far in life. I want to make a change in my family’s lives and make things better for all of us.…

    • 146 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The informative documentary The Tall Man aims to give some insight on the tragic death of Cameron Doomadgee and role of Senior Sargent Christopher Hurley and how it shows bias towards him, writes Tyler Young.…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    I went down the slide and walked towards my car. As I drove home I passed by the same bridge and remembered about being in conflict with my emotion doing that short time. But just like before I forgot all about it once I passed under it. When I finally walked inside the house which was greeted by yelling from my mother, I had an…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Those experiences offered endless amounts of reward. In 2013 my youngest child was ready to enter kinder, and it was time for me to reenter the workforce. I started back and worked for a few different companies anything to keep myself busy and put food on the table but then I decided I was finally ready to chase my dreams. I knew it was time to take a leap of faith. At this stage I had gained the confidence to reenter school and pursue my passion for nursing.…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    People always say that in a near death experience, your life always flashes before your eyes. I waited for that moment to happen, but all I saw was the series of decisions that led me to the situation I was in.…

    • 2223 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Let the Great World Spin

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “Let the great world spin” by Colum McCann is a subtle, pre-9/11 novel; It is not the story of the tight rope walker, Philippe Petit, but rather the story of the characters on the ground and how they are affected by the “Man on Wire” from different point of view. We understand how it’s like for them to be involved in a freedom they can never have.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    think of a time when you worked extra hard for something and you accomplished it. What did you feel? a sense of joy and accomplishment? well that’s what I felt in these next few stories Imma gonna tell ya.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    It all seemed to happen so fast. I had so many questions running through my head and experienced so many emotions at once; fear, excitement, confusion. It felt unreal.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Who would have ever thought walking across a wire a certain distance from one point to the next would be considered illegal? Or psychotic? Most people tend to think it is a daring activity that is suspenseful and entertaining to watch, but the police think different. Police consider it trespassing and disorderly conduct and possibly an act of someone who is insane, at least that was the case for Philippe Petit in the 1974. Philippe Petit, a French man who is known to be quirky, adventurous, and charismatic, makes a very brave move as he decides to follow his dream of walking back and forth several times on a simple wire connecting the New York World Trade Center’s twin towers. Petit spends his time preparing with his crew of 10 people which…

    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    All my goals lead into each other helping me grow and develop into a better person that can now be ready for change. By having the right mindset and setting out to do the goals I said I would I have overcome so much in such a little amount of time. Just like how William Pollard said it best in his quote that I had quoted earlier in my paper about those who are not ready to make that change will be left behind and I for sure do not want to be left…

    • 2822 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Man on Wire

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What do you think when you imagine a man walking on a wire higher than 10 stories high? A French wire walker named Philippe Petit walked over many structures from Notre Dame to Sydney, Australia, to New York. Through the things he has done, people may think he is crazy. However, Petit and I think that there is nothing crazy about what he has done.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In 2003, Roaring Brook Press published Gerstein’s children’s book “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.” this story opens, French aerialist Philippe Petit is dancing across a tightrope tied between two trees to the delight of the passersby in Lower Manhattan. Gerstein places him in the middle of a balancing act, framed by the two unfinished World Trade Center towers when the idea hits: "He looked not at the towers, but at…

    • 1479 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In fact, in the beginning, I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so. I…

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It's been an immense and really intense ride for me and I couldn't be happier…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics