Thursday, April 2, 2009

Man on Wire

Movie intro- Multiple people in a van cruising through Manhattan, NYC. They obviously have a common goal that could get them all arrested. Terrorism? They are all tense.
Not terrorism, tightrope walking in Manhattan, more specifically, the World Trade Center. 
Phillipe Petit- French tightrope walker. Not all there mentally. 
Annie- Petit's girlfriend. Also crazy 
Jean Louis- Petit's bestfriend. 
Petit's upbringing- Raised by strict and proper parents. Despite the way he was raised he still acted out in his own way. IE- walking on tightropes. 
He knew his girlfriend for most of his professional tightrope walking career. along with his buddy Jean Louis. 
Learned about the WTC through a magazine in some doctor's office and instantly realized his dream, to tightrope walk the WTC. 
They started planning the mission before the WTC was even finished being built. He made contact with useful people. People who helped him walk other ropes, people who worked at the WTC and people who had ins and outs in that area. 
Petit made many trips to and from the WTC while under construction to survey and learn more about his ultimate goal. He went in undercover posing as the press or a construction worker. 
They brought two American burn outs who loved adventure onto the squad. They just wanted to help.
They worked out all the logistics and technicalities as far as the wire and infiltrating the WTC with all their gear. It would take them all night to string up the wire they planned to be done by dawn. 
Phillipe spent about 30 mintues crossing between the two buildings with a smile on his face the whole time. He was arrested right afterwards and charged with disorderly conduct. 
He met a promiscuous young woman on his way down and ditched his long-term girlfriend Annie. 
When asked why he tightrope walked the WTC he said "i have no why"  
John DeGirolamo

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