Man on Wire

-Man on Wire’s title is evocative of a newspaper headline, simply stating the bare-bones story elements. To this end, it could be inferring that the documentary can be viewed as akin to a newspaper story, and the film’s dabbles into the realm of re-enactment and Petit’s fanciful narration are a form of journalistic license

-Almost immediate parallels between the actions presented of the film’s protagonists and basic guerilla warfare/terrorism. Many traits are shared between both, since the team’s plot to put a tightrope between the Twin Towers and then put a person on that tightrope is illegal. The opening sequence is shot almost like a robbery from a modern heist flick. The protagonists in such movies are often anti-heroes as well. This leads to some unfortunate new parallels between a popular Hollywood sub-genre and a national tragedy, parallels that had previously gone unnoticed due to lingering suspension of disbelief. Seems like perfectly reasonable Fridge Logic, come to think of it

-The whimsical portrayal of Philippe’s travels across the globe with an airplane zig-zagging over America is potentially unsettling. A large airplane in a movie about the World Trade Center is like the Texas judicial system in a movie about the mentally challenged.

-Philippe Petit in particular heightens the differences between American culture and European culture. The first instinctive reaction to his numerous eccentricities seems to as often than not be centered on his nationality rather than mental stability. This may be simple xenophobia rather than outright racism, sine the pervasive stereotypes of the French do not often depict them as particularly ambitious. Regardless of how much Petit works as a ‘come-an-get-it’ for those who would prefer their French in France, his ambition seems uncharacteristic for logical human beings in general

-Don’t go to Australia.