Why?
That is the question people ask me most.
Why? For what? Why do you walk on the wire?
Why do you tempt fate?
Why do you risk death?
But I don't think of it this way. I never even say this word death.
Okay, I said it once,
or maybe 3 times just now, but watch.
I will not say it again. Instead I use the opposite word.
Life.
For me, to walk on the wire is life.
Life.
So, picture with me. It's 1974, New York City, and I
am in love with two buildings. Two towers. Or as everyone calls them,
the twin towers of the World Trade Center.
They call to me, these towers. They stir something inside me,
and inspire in me... a dream.
My dream is to hang a wire between those twin towers, and walk on it.
Of course, this is impossible.
Not to mention illegal.
So why attempt the impossible? Why follow your dream?
I cannot answer these questions. Not with words.
But I can show you how it happened.
So we must go back in time and across the ocean.
Because my love affair with these towers did not begin in New York.
In case you couldn't tell, I'm not from here. No.
My story begins in another of the world's most beautiful cities.
So now picture Paris.
Here I am, a self-proclaimed wirewalker nobody cares about.
Surviving as a troubador, performing in the streets
I created a character with a top hat. I wear only black.
I teach myself to draw a perfect circle on the ground,
and within this circle I never speak. Not one word.
The circle is my domain. I don't allow even half a toe inside it.
And if spectators continue to violate my sacred space
I must employ more drastic measures
I perform for anyone who'll watch me, and the people love it.
Men, women, young, old. Everyone.
Except of course the police
I don't believe in getting a permit.
But no matter where I was going or what I was doing,
I was always searching, looking for
the perfect place to hang my wire.
[Speaking French.]
Suddenly, I freeze.
The pain in my tooth is gone.
The magazine has an article with an illustration of the towers.
They're not finished, but the magazine says once they are,
they will be the tallest in the world.
And with this tiny pencil stroke
My fate was sealed.
This was the beginning of my dream.
The first time I saw a wirewalker, I was 8 years old.
The circus had come to my town,
and it featured the Omankowski family troupe, one of the
greatest wirewalking troupes in the world.
The white devils.
And I taught myself to walk on that rope.
It turned out I had a talent for climbing, balancing, even juggling.
But I wanted to know more.
[Speaking French.]
This is how I met Rudy Omankowski senior,
The patriarch of the White Devils wirewalking family,
who everyone called Papa Rudy.
He never said exactly where he was from. He was certainly not French.
Papa Rudy was a supreme wirewalker, acrobat and juggler.
And in that moment I suppose he saw something in me.
Philippe!
[Speaking French]
- Oh. I speak English. - Okay.
Today,
you'll learn how to make an entrance.
You need to learn how to 'complement'.
A 'complement' is a silent message, an order to the audience to
pay attention, and after the performance
a 'complement' is also an offering of gratitude.
No, Philippe. That was terrible.
You're doing too much.
Do nothing. Now try again.
No. I told you to do nothing. You're still doing too much.
You look like a coward.
The audience must always feel you are in control.
Stop trying so hard.
Do nothing. Do it again.
Where's your respect? You didn't do anything.
- You said to do nothing. - Yes. Nothing on the outside.
Inside, in your heart, you must salute.
In my heart?!
The performer must have an honest respect
and gratitude for the audience.
Why should I respect the audience? It's me on the wire.
You will salute the audience and pay respect.
Unless you understand that, you'll never perform in the circus.
Good. I don't want to perform in the circus.
I'm not some ridiculous circus clown, I am an artist.
So just like that, Papa Rudy threw my artistic ass out into the street.
And a short time later...
[Speaking French]
The carrots were cooked. There was nothing left to do,
so I set off on my way.
I didn't even know what I was looking for, but
I figured I might find it in Paris.
[Speaking French]
I'd be much obliged if you could mosey along. This is private.
Well hush my mouth! We thought you were putting on a show!
Well it ain't.
- This here's for y'all. - Well thank you kindly.
Oh, I love your English. It sounds so American.
- [Speaks French] - I think I like better the English.
- [Speaks French] - Yes, I certainly prefer the English.
Listen, juggler. You stole my best audience in weeks.
And for what? Some cheap stunt?
I'm sorry, but people love my high wire.
You call that a high wire?
That's the lowest high wire I've ever seen.
That's right, but it's because the two tallest trees in the square
were in your performance space
and I would never invade the space of another artist.
It's about to rain.
Hey, angry street musician.
I would like to make an arrangement.
I'll only play in that square when you're not there.
Oh, that's every weekend and every 2nd Tuesday.
Okay. Deal.
My name is Philippe.
- Annie. - Annie is a nice name.
- Why all the English? - Ah, because I'm
practicing. I'm going to New York.
Ah, New York. That's very exciting.
- Yes. Maybe you'll come with me. - Ha ha. Maybe
I like how you sing. It's very good.
You weren't listening to me sing. You were playing with fire on the rope.
No, before that. I was here earlier.
Maybe you didn't see me, but I saw you, and heard you sing.
- It was beautiful. - Well thank you.
May I buy you a glass of wine?
- I don't think that's a good idea. - I'll make you an arrangement.
If you let me buy you a glass of wine, I'll never hang my rope
anywhere in the Latin Quarter ever again.
You don't give up, do you.
No. I'm very... persistent.
My dream.
- And this is you. - Yes.
To be the most glorious highwire walker in history.
And how high must the cable be to reach such glory?
Over 100 stories high.
And where do cables like this go?
These are not trees.
Two magnificent towers.
100 meters taller than the Eiffel tower itself.
I see.
What do you think?
I don't know. It looks so...
Beautiful?
Beautiful, yes.
And dangerous, and...
completely insane. Are you a madman?
Yes, I am mad with this. It is my dream.
Then if it's your dream you must do it.
- Even if everyone says I'm mad? - Don't care about what people think.
But I care what you think.
- I got lucky. - Yes?
- Yes. - Want to know what I think of you?
- No. - No?
- Not even a little bit? - No.
OK, but I'm going to tell you anyway.
You can tell me but I won't care.
I know a place where there are two beautiful trees.
I didn't realize it, but Annie had become my first accomplice.
- Annie. - Yes?
I was thinking you should come up here with me.
No, I don't think so.
It would be your baptism of the wire.
- No. - Come on, Annie. Trust me.
Okay.
And there were two beautiful trees growing
in the park of Annie's art school,
and she arranged for me to hang my wire there.
It was perfect. I could practice every day, and see Annie as well.
Then one day, while I was on my wire,
I was approached by a very serious-looking young man.
[Speaking French]
- Jean-Louis, do you speak English? - Yes, why?
I must practice, because I'm going to America.
- To perform? - Exactly.
But my performance will not just be a show.
- It will be a coup. - A coup?
Yes. I intend to rig my wire...
in secret, on the most spectacular stage in the world.
And then without warning...
I'll appear, and will perform my surprise:
An illegal wire walk.
If it works, it'll be the artistic coup of the century.
Wow! Well you, my friend, can see my photographs anytime.
- They are rebellious. - So you're not just a
photographer, but an anarchist as well?
All artists are anarchists to some degree.
Don't you agree?
Yes. And you, my artist anarchist friend...
can be my... official photographer.
This is how I made friends with Jean-Louis, my second accomplice.
If that happened during your coup, it'd be the artistic disaster of the century.
I need to know more.
[Speaking French]
I need you to teach me how to rig a high wire.
What for? You're a street juggler.
I need to know how to tie the correct knots.
I need to know the kind of cable to use. The weight, the thickness...
- the load strength. - So,
You want me to just give you my secrets.
Secrets I've spent a lifetime learning.
Secrets I've only given to my sons.
You want me to just hand them over to you.
I can pay you. I have money. I don't care what it costs.
Meet me at the circus. At sunrise.
Bring your juggling money.
Place the blocks between the cable and the mast.
Okay.
The blocks act as buffers,
So when the mast flexes, the wire won't snap.
And always, always check the rigging yourself.
Never step on a wire if you've not checked all the rigging yourself.
- Capisce? - Okay.
There was this great Polish guy, a wire walker. Roman.
He said he could tell when a cable as at the correct tension
through his arse and though his ear.
Under the ring, through the ring, lock it off, tighten and... pay.
- You give me broken money! - It's fine.
So Papa Rudy let me travel with his troupe.
Of course, I never did any performances.
But any time the big top was empty, I would practice on the wire.
Most wirewalkers die when they arrive.
They think they've arrived, but they're still on the wire.
If you have three steps to do,
Take those steps arrogantly.
If you think you're invincible, you'll die.
This one I give to you for free.
A few weeks later, I did my first official public walk,
in a tiny little village, so small it's not even on a map.
But the mayor of this village, every spring he puts on a festival,
and Papa Rudy convinced him to hire me to do a walk
over this little lake, which was more like a swamp.
- OK? - Through your arse and feet, you tell me.
Annie came, and set up a turntable for music,
and Jean-Louis came to take pictures.
And so I began my performance. Everything was going very well.
But then I started to hear these murmurs, and laughing.
Turns out there was also a fishing contest that afternoon,
on this lake (more like a swamp), and
these fishermen are drinking wine, yelling insults, laughing at me...
while I'm trying to work!
Now working on the wire is as much mental as physical.
If you lose your concentration, you lose your balance!
Philippe!
So here I am, in the mud to my knees, doing the Papa Rudy 'complement'.
This was my first performance.
A failure!
And after this...
I didn't feel so good.
Then one day, I was walking along the Seine, feeling sorry for myself,
when I looked up and saw the towers of Notre Dame.
And I said, "This is where I must put my wire."
This is how I will redeem myself.
And so, under the cover of darkness and with a false key,
Jean-Louis and I sneak into the cathedral.
I tie a fishing line to one of my juggling balls,
and throw it to the other side, where Jean-Louis is waiting.
Then we attach the line to a small rope,
and pass it between the towers. Then we pass a larger rope,
Then we attach the larger rope to the steel gable.
So Jean-Louis and I stay up all night,
installing the wire between these two ancient towers,
And when the first tourists start to arrive in the morning...
I begin.
And I succeed. I perform my first illegal surprise highwire walk.
This was also the first time I get the taste of this sensation;
this feeling that I'm crossing into a truly different world.
And I was redeemed.
Or so I thought.
Parisians know nothing but contempt. They refuse to appreciate beauty.
Every other country; Germany, Spain, England - even Russia - salutes me.
They call me a maestro, a valiant young poet.
But no, not the French!
They call me a delinquent, a vandal.
Look.
This is a sign.
The same paper as my Notre Dame story. This is providence.
It's almost finished. The lower floors are already occupied.
Annie, we need to pack.
- They'e enormous! -Yes.
They're monstruous.
They're a lot taller than I imagined.
It's absurd.
Completely absurd.
It's not real.
These towers aren't scaleable.
They just rise and never stop. It's not human.
It's over. It's over. It's finished.
- What's over? - The coup! My dream's destroyed!
You see this monster?! Beasts! Beasts!
- Calm down! It's not possible!
There's no sign of possibility; nothing telling me it can be done!
Yo. How ya doin'?
Thare are stairs going up. Go back to the hotel.
If I'm not back in five hours, look for me at the police station.
I make my way to the top. Nobody stops me.
I find myself standing on an island, floating in midair
at the edge of the void.
Of course, I automatically look across at the other tower.
But then, I have to dare to look...
down.
Now I think I know the void. I'm a wirewalker. The void is my domain.
Yes. Well not this void.
But still I gather the courage to whisper.
I whispered so the demons won't hear me.
Its impossible.
But I'll do it.
English. Only English. We must sound like New Yorkers.
Your so-called coup is a ridiculous job.
- There. In English. - I have it all planned out.
Who are you kidding? You have no idea what's on the other roof.
You don't know when the crews arrive, or when they quit.
You've no idea of the distance between the towers, or how to anchor cavalettis.
How? There's no place to attach them to the facade.
And by the way, how long did it take you to build this model?
Oh come on. It's beautiful, huh?
- What are cavalettis? - These guy-wires.
Papa Rudy calls them cavalettis. They stabilize the walk cable.
The walk cable.
So how will you pass the cable across the void?
As we did at Notre Dame. We start with a fishing line,
attached to a rope that's attached to a cable.
And how do we pass the fishing line between the towers?
Yes, it's too far to throw the juggling ball. But I was thinking
we could get a radio- controlled airplane,
and fly the line across. It will be fantastic.
It takes years to learn to fly an airplane. Do you understand that?
We must accomplish this!
The towers are almost buit! We're running out of time!
I need you to help me pull this off. Think if we succeed!
This could be the most audacious work of art ever!
Audacious?! It's madness!
Yes, it's madess. No one in his right mind
would attempt this. But that's why I must do it.
Because it's never done. And yes, I admit, I'm mad.
- Yes? - Yes, I'm mad!
[Speaking French]
You love me because I'm mad! I'm insane! Totally crazy!
I have to go. I'll figure out
- how to get a wire across. - Yes!
You figure out how to anchor the cavalettis.
- Do we have a deal? - Deal.
The cavalettis cannot be vertical.
They must be horizontal; parallel to the walk cable.
- Parallel? - It won't be pretty,
but it'll keep the cable from swaying.
And you must use three bolts on the cavaletti clamps, not two.
A span this wide will put tremendous pressure on the brace plates.
When you walk, your weight could crack a bolt.
And wood. You must remember to put wood blocks between the wire
and the building struts.
That way, when the building breathes,
the wood will break but the wire won't explode and tear you in half.
Okay.
Wood. Also,
here's what you will do, Philippe:
You'll wear a safety belt under your costume, attached to a safety line,
connected to a carabiner.
A safety line? A carabiner?
I won't do this walk with a safety line!
From that height it will be invisible! No one will have any idea!
And what do I do when I get to the first cavaletti?
You're a performer. You kneel down on the wire. You unhook from one
side and clip it on the other. They'll think you're saluting.
- This I will never do! - So why'd you come here?
Because you know so much! Your tell me I'm wrong?
No! Because I need you to tell me how to rig this wire,
not do a funny walk, like a coward!
He does not comprehend what I'm trying to do.
His highwire and my highwire have nothing in common.
Go talk to him.
- Do I need to? - Yes. Go talk to him.
- Go and apologize. - I will not apologize!
Yes you will. You have no choice. You know that.
Look, Papa Rudy. I'm sorry,
but if I do the walk with the safety line,
it becomes meaningless.
Philippe, my sons are consummate wirewalkers.
But I'd never allow them to attempt such a walk without a safety line.
Yes, but you. Would you walk with a safety line?
Yars ago, when you started to teach me in this house,
I was a stupid little kid, and I never listened to you.
But you taught me something I will always remember.
You said, "You can not lie on stage;
"The audience always knows what's in your heart."
I think I understand now.
You know, Philippe...
what you're doing, I may not understand it...
But it's...
it's...
something.
Something beautiful.
It was my grandfather's.
You'll need this.
And you'll need this.
Now my secrets are our secrets.
Thank you.
Faster. Stronger.
Faster.
Stronger.
I'm trying!
You are the terrible hurricane winds that howl between the towers!
Hello! How are you?
Hello Hello.
This is my good friend Jean-Francois.
Hewants to be an accomplice in the coup.
He comes in search of adventure.
[Speaking French]
Jeff! An English name! I like this!
Welcome, Jeff. Welcome to the coup.
Unfortunately, Jeff doesn't speak English.
[Speaking French]
6 times 6 is 36 for example.
- Ah, so his English isn't bad. - Yes. but only numbers.
He teaches high- school mathematics.
He's also...
He's also terrified of heights.
Perfect.
I'm terrified at algebra.
[Speaking French]
Tell me, what is 81 divided by 27?
- Three. - Exactly.
[Speaking French]
Now what is 11 times ten?
- 110. - Exactly.
[Speaking French]
Hey, guys. I belive I've kept my part of the bargain.
What is it, a bow and arrow?
OK, it's not as sensational as a radio-controlled airplane,
but it's a lot quieter.
It works! It works!
So now I have enough money, I have my accomplices, I have somewhat of a plan.
The only thing left was selecting a date.
It had to be before the weather turned cold,
and before the towers were completed.
- So I chose August 6th. - I choose August 6th.
That's three months from today.
Jeff and Jean-Louis fly to New York at the end of July.
Meanwhile, we start to look for American accomplices.
So...
August 6th.
Polypropylene ropes, hemp ropes, block and tackle with three sheaves,
block and tackle with single sheaf,
slings, steel wire, .25 inch cable,
pulley plugs, construction gloves, monkey wrenches,
a tape measure and a balancing pole in four sections.
And what's all this for?
I'm going to hang a wire between the World Trade Center towers and walk on it.
Huh! Go walk. Next!
As soon we got back to New York, I started my spy work.
I went to the towers every day, sometimes at 6am.
And every day I'd wear a different disguise.
I took photos of everything, and notes on every inch of the towers.
As you know. the north tower has been completely finished for two years,
and the south tower is completed up to the 80th floor.
- Both towers are open for business. - Mr Tozzoli, excuse me.
I'm from the magazine l'Architecte. Could you please tell me
the exact distance between the north corner of the South Tower
and the south corner of the North Tower?
What?
The exact distance between the towers.
Lou?
140 feet.
I rode the elevators. The local, the express to the
upper sky lobby, the express to
the lower sky lobby, I took hundreds of rides.
I spied on the maintenance men, the loading docks, I watched
the trucks as they made their deliveries, I noted what time
they arrived, how long they stayed, how much paperwork was exchanged.
My best disguise was that of an architect. I wore a tie and carried a blueprint,
and tried to look important. They gave me access to everything.
Philippe, that looks really bad. Maybe you should go to the hospital.
- and get it stiched. - No, it'll be fine.
Look at the date.
The coup is three weeks away, and Jean-Louis and Jeff arrive next week.
And I still have no access to the North Tower roof.
You'll be able to walk on the wire with that foot?
Yes, it'll heal by then. But what am I going to do tomorrow?
How can I continue my spy work with this ruined foot?
- Do you need crutches? - No, I don't need...
Hey, yes! Crutches!
- Let me get that door for you. - Oh, thank you.
Yey, let me help you with them crutches.
- There you go, sir. Express elevator. - Thank you.
I hope you heal up soon.
I'll feel much better in a few weeks.
- What floor? - 85, please.
Pardon me, but I have to ask. What are you doing here?
You don't belong here.
Yes. In fact I'm quite right.
You don't belong here at all,
do you... Philippe.
I knew it! Philippe Petit, the daredevil wirewalker.
I saw you in Paris, on the Notre Dame.
- Oh yes, yes. - Wow.
The cops had no idea what to do with you.
They never do.
- Barry. Barry Greenhouse. - Hello, sir.
That's my name. Yeah.
So you'll be performing here in New York?
- Yes, Yes. Do you work here? - Yes.
White Insurance.
This man works on the 82nd floor.
This could be very important, if I can somehow seduce him into
becoming an accomplice. He works in the North Tower.
He has access to the stairwell, and the North Tower roof.
Wait! Barry! One moment!
So Annie and I invite him to dinner.
I bring my book of spy work, and my Notre Dame clippings,
which he'd already witnessed, so he knew I was serious.
And little by little I paint him a picture.
And when the sun comes up,
I walk.
Well it's certainly illegal, that's for sure.
And extremely subversive, not to mention dangerous. This is something only a
twisted, antisocial, anarchistic, pissed-off malcontent would have anything to do with.
You have your inside man!
Philippe!
Welcome. Welcome, Jeff.
Very good. How are you?
- My friend! - Hey.
- So there we are. - Wow.
This could be a disaster. Why are we waiting for night to climb to the roof?
In the day we're more likely to run into people.
But at night we have no excuse to be there.
During the day, we'll run into people
who'll ask where we're going.
During the day you say, "I'm going to 'X' office," but at night you have no excuse.
[Speaking French]
And what about the guard?
There's only one guard. At night he stays on the floors under construction.
So there's no problem avoiding him.
- He never goes to the roof. - Philippe,
- Philippe, where are you going? - We need an interphone.
This is what you want.
- You want a walkie-talkie. - No, I want an interphone.
- Like this one, with a wire. - This one?
- Yes. - This one here?
Yes, please.
You don't want that.
The wire's old-fashioned. What you want... look at this.
- Wireless, eh? - No, I want this interphone.
Buddy, you're not listening to me. I'm trying to do you a favour.
This thing is discontinued, which means I can't get you a warranty.
I don't care. I want this one, with the wire.
Please
- Yes. Whatever you want. - Thank you.
- You're the boss. - Okay.
[Speaking French]
Oh, you thought you were the only ones who spoke French in New York?
It's okay, by the way.
[Speaking French]
I say we invite him to dinner.
- I'm Philippe. - Jean-Pierre.
JP in America.
Welcome to Fisher Industrial Fence Company of New Jersey.
- Looks real. Who made it? - It'a long story.
- I bet. So do I get a job title? - Yes. You've lived here the longest.
- You're Personnel Director. - Cool. I like that.
- What do I have to do? - Find more accomplices.
I got just the guy.
I can help with the wire.
I'm unbelievable at tying knots. Worked on a shrimp boat.
Yeah, man. Count me in, too.
Especially if the wire's really... high. Get it?
You get it! Really high!
Why the World Trade towers?
Everbody hates those ugly boxes. They're like two big filing cabinets.
You know what? Why not climb the Chrysler Building, huh?
That would be a trip, right?
[Speaking French]
Tomorrow. The coup is on for tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the big day. You all know the plan.
The workers arrive at 7am,
So I must be on the wire at 6am. You're not listening.
Why is nobody listening to me? Are you paying attention?
We've gone over the plan 20 times.
Well here comes number 21.
At 2 pm we load the van. JP drives.
We drop Jean-Louis, Annie and Adolf at the North Tower.
You rendezvous with Barry. He hides you on his floor
until he can sneak you up the stairwell to the roof.
The rest of us - that's you, JP, you, Jeff and you, David -
in our worker disguises we bring up the cable and equipment
in the construction elevator.
We should be able to reach the 82nd floor.
When the coast is clear, as fast as we can,
We bring everything to the roof and start rigging.
By midnight we're finished.
You hear me? At midnight!
This gives me time to sneak over to the North Tower and check the rigging.
I must have time to check the rigging on both towers.
Then at dawn - 6am -
I take my first step.
- Philippe. - Yes.
- I think we shoud wait. - No!
[Speaking French]
The carrots are cooked.
Cooked carrots? What's that about?
French. Culinary metaphor.
It's a country with 365 different types of cheese, one for each day of the year,
so of course they use a vegetable metaphor.
[Speaking French]
The die is cast. There's no going back now.
Guys, what're we doing here? Listen, what we're doing is cool,
but I'd rather not go to jail.
Especially not because some French guy is obsessed with vegetables.
That's a buzz-kill, man.
The man is obviously crazy.
Are we just here to watch him die? Does he even know how to walk a tightrope?
He knows how to walk a wire, that's not the problem.
The problem is, he's losinghis mind.
He might be losing his mind, but he won't give up.
He never gives up.
He just needs our help.
I think he can do this,
It would be very... beau?
Beautiful.
Oh,yeah. It would be very... beautiful.
It was the night before the coup, and of course I couldn't sleep.
I'd forgotten something very important. I'd forgotten to nail shut the coffin.
Actually, there was no coffin. It was the crate holding the cable.
But in my mind I had changed this crate into a coffin.
What are you doing? You'll wake the whole neighborhood!
- I forgot to shut the coffin. - Stop calling it that!
- A coffin's what this may be. - That's not funny! What's wrong with you?
- You have a death wish or something? - Don't say this word!
Never say this word!
Come on. Death, coffin, die, it's all the same thing.
Why are you doing this? Why are you suddenly against me?
Against you? No one is more supportive!
Then why do you say this word?
Why put this in my head on the night before my most dangerous work?
- Why are you so uncaring? - Uncaring?
- You're the most selfish, arrogant- - Yes, I'm arrogant! I have to be!
To walk on the wire, to command the wire.
And what about your partners, your accomplices?
You don't offer them a simple thank you in appreciation!
- They know I appreciate them! - Do they.
Yes! You want me to go in there now and say thank you?
I can wake them up and say, "Thank you, everybody."
- Just go to bed. You're exhausted. - Annie.
My head is full of doubts. I don't know if...
When I look into void, when it's time to step on the wire,
I don't know if I'll be able to take the first step.
Your heart will tell you what to do.
Annie.
You're the only one who really knows me.
It's because of you that I can do this walk. You give me the strength,
the ability. Without you I couldn't do it.
You'll be fine.
Everybody wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
There's something I have to tell you,
that I've not said before. It's important.
Thank you.
Now get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow.
You see?
He has lost his mind.
Now as soon as we're all in the van
I think to myself: Okay.
Now it starts.
The coup has begun.
My life is no longer in my command.
Come on, make it snappy! I'm in a red zone!
With the help of Barry, our inside man, we unload Albert and Jean-Louis
at the North Tower. The plan was to
hide them in Barry's office until nightfall.
Red zone.
Au revoir.
- Red zone! - A bientot.
Je t'aime.
I love you too.
Albert and Jean-Louis dress like impeccable architects.
They carry attache cases that are heavy because they carry equipment.
And a blueprint tube containing the bow and arrow.
I feel the incline as we drive down into the loading dock of the South Tower,
and I knew - I knew! - we'd be caught there.
Stop right there, cowboy.
You guys keep quiet back there.
That cop seemed very suspicious. I almost crapped my pants.
Hey! No way! No way!
We got a delivery to the 82nd floor, the Fisher Fence Company.
No. Only booked deliveries go up.
All the elevators are leased today.
- Come back next week. - Next week?
Yeah. Next week.
Come on, go home.
[Speaking French]
Take a pause. Workers' pause.
Excuse me sir, before I get in your hair, could I get your name?
- Frank Silvani. - That Sicilian?
- Calabrese. - Ah. Good.
I got two Sicilians neighbours, two floors below.
Always cooking calamari. Stinks up the place to high hell.
- Can you believe this asshole Nixon? - If it were up to me,
he'd be in jail the rest of his life.
You sound like my old man. Said this country went to hell in a handbasket
- the day Kennedy got shot. - That's for goddam sure.
- What did you say your name was? - JP.
Named after JP Morgan.
So I sit there, helpless, watching these workers.
And in my mind it seems like these workers are moving like snails.
Good night, boys.
Great day. Have a good one.
You wallflowers still here?
Mr. Silviani, I'm gonna level you. If we don't make this delivery,
we're gonna get fired.
Bill here's a dead duck for sure.
- Whaddaya got? Where you goin'? - 82nd floor.
Jimmy! Take these up to the 82nd floor.
- You're kidding, right? - Come on, it's your last ride!
- Okay? - Okay, thank you sir!
Yeah, yeah. Come on
- Which floor? - Ah, the 110th floor.
110? There's nothing there.
- It's just a mechanical floor. - Yes, but perfect for us.
We need to be close to the roof.
The roof. Why the roof?
Because we have all the pieces for the antenna,
and the mast, and the electrified security fence,
and all the components for the insulators.
- We need to measure- -Yes, and we can't touch the wiring.
- The whole system's 4 months behind. - This is Big Brother.
Whatever. Watch your fingers.
[Speaking French]
We had a lucky break. This elevator is taking us to the 110th floor.
But this means that JP has to get the elevator operator back down.
If he stays with us, the coup's finished.
110.
Jimmy, we really appreciate this.
Hey. Let me buy you a beer. These guys gotta offload,
they have tons of inventory to do. It'll take forever.
They'll find their way home.
- Whatever. Watch your fingers. - All right!
Mez. What's that, Greek?
I got a Greek guy, lives two floors below. Always eating lamb.
Nothin' but lamb.
Oh. man. This is becoming a real bummer.
We unload here.
Okay.
We take the cable first. If anyone stops us, we say it's for the antenna.
- This shit's heavy, man. - Be quiet.
Really heavy! This is bullshit!
This is giving me a really bad vibe, man.
Oh shit.
Oh man, the pigs are here!
- Oh man, the jig is up! - Shh!
Oh man. Oh man.
- It's freakin' me out, man! - Just be quiet!
I can't do this, man. I am wiggin' out, man!
Just listen.
We don't need. You go, okay? Just go.
No, it's not that way, that's the stairwell. There's an elevator there.
Listen man,
I really want to help you guys do something radical, but you know...
Oh, man. Oh, man.
Our only hope was maybe this guard would move to another floor,
or maybe after dark we could sneak past him, but ...
I must admit, by this time I was very worried
that the coup was over already.
Hey, Annie!
- I've been looking for you. - Is everything okay?
We hit a little snag, but I think everything's all right.
Okay.
Jesus Christ!
Can't believe they don't gate this shaft!
Someone's gonna get killed.
And there we sit, balancing on a steel I-beam for eternity.
And the worst part, the most painful part,
was our heavy construction shoes, killing our feet.
I see the walkie-talkie, but I don't see the guard.
So what does this mean? Is the guard gone?
Is he still there, just standing outside my view?
He wouldn't leave his walkie- talkie unattended, would he?
I turn to Jeff.
And I see the terror on his face, and his terror begins to seep into my mind.
And I start to conjure these hideous thoughts myself.
Time passes. I keep looking and looking,
and this walkie-talkie just sits there, and I'm wondering,
what's going on with the security guard and his walkie-talkie?
Is he playing with me? Is he waiting for me to come out, so he can laugh at me?
Is he asleep?
Then, about an hour after nightfall,
He's gone.
[Speaking French]
Look! They made it!
[Speaking French]
Jean-Louis and I had worked out some hand signals.
Now he's telling me he's ready to shoot the arrow.
He's supposed to signal. Then 5 seconds later, he shoots.
But after five seconds, nothing happens.
I listen for the sound of the arrow, but I hear nothing.
I look around. I see nothing. Maybe the arrow's flown too far.
So I move my arms around, hoping I'll feel the
invisible fishing line.
But I feel nothing.
- [Speaking French] - I'm looking for the line!
I take off my clothes. With more surface of bare skin, I'll be able to feel the line.
[Speaking French]
So I throw my clothes on, and we run our gear up to the roof,
as fast as we can.
I think we should get some rest and come back before sunrise.
- You go. I'm staying. - All night?
There's nothing we can do here. He'll either pull this off or he won't
And you look suspicious standing here with binoculars around your neck.
I'll keep moving.
- New York's dangerous. - I'll be fine.
I wonder if Philippe knows you're still out here.
- Bring you a donut in the morning? - Thank you.
- Hello, you hear me? - Loud and clear.
OK, good. We have communication.
I'll measure the rope, to see where to put the cavalettis.
[Speaking French]
I'll guard it with my life.
Davorski. You awake?
- Very funny. - I need you to check something on 37.
What do you got?
A pepperoni, with sausage and extra cheese.
Now you're talking.
[Speaking French]
We need an alarm signal.
Cavalettis in place. We're ready to pass the wire. Are you ready?
- Yes. - Ok. First the heavy rope.
We got the rope.
Okay, we're sending the cable.
[Speaking French]
Okay. Okay.
- We have a problem. - We'll do everything we can
to pull up the cable.
There's only a few hours before daylight.
We will do everything we can.
This is crazy. We'll never finish at this rate.
- Yes, we will. We will finish. No. We won't!
We're all gonna get caught and go to jail.
And the rigging isn't safe.
I won't watch you fall. I'm leaving, okay? I quit.
Albert, listen. Yes. I agree with you, ok?
If the rigging isn't done by daylight, and if the rigging's not safe,
then I'll give up.
Hey, look who made it through the night.
- I got your donuts. - Thank you.
Hey, the wire's up!
Yes, but not tight yet.
Something's wrong.
- Philippe, are you there? - Yes, I'm here.
The good news is, the cable is tied and secured at this end.
The bad news is, Albert has quit.
He says the sun is rising and the coup is off.
Did you put wood between the anchor point and the cable?
Did you hear me? Albert is on strike.
He will no longer lift a finger to help me. Not only that,
he smuggled a camera up here. He's going to take pictures and send them.
I knew it. I told you we couldn't trust him.
[Speaking French]
You will always be my official photographer.
They're moving!
He's going for it!
Look. It's moving up.
[Speaking French]
I can't do that!
[Speaking French]
- Seven times seven! - Forty nine!
Nine times eight!
Seventy-two!
[Speaking French]
Seven times eight!
Fifty-six!
96 divided by 8!
[Speaking French]
And that's the moment in my adventure I called "mysterious visitor."
I have no idea who he is. I've never seen him again.
And I can only imagine what he must have thought.
Now it's time to put on my costume. But I have to do it privately.
So my dressing room is the very ledge of the building,
not visible from the streets of Manhattan.
The dressing room is also something that Papa Rudy taught me.
This is where the transformation takes place.
This is where the disguise, the impostor, the intruder, becomes the performer.
The artist.
Oh my god, he's falling!
No, no. It's just his shirt
It's just the shirt.
Hey. Nothing yet, huh?
Better get cracking.
I lost my costume!
This is the greatest day of my life and I lose my costume!
- It fell off the edge. I have no costume! - So?
[Speaking French]
What should we do?
We do it. We do it anyway.
I walk in this ridiculous undershirt, but we do it.
I have one foot on the building, one foot on the wire.
The outside world starts to disappear
Jeff longer existed.
My tower was deserted.
He no longer heard the sounds of New York.
Everything fell silent.
All I could see was the wire, floating out in a straight line to infinity.
And if I were to shift my weight, I would become a wirewalker.
As soon as my entire weight is on the cable,
I feel immediately a feeling I know by heart.
I feel the wire supporting me.
I feel the towers supporting the wire.
Oh my god, he's doing it.
He's doing it!
See? Oh my god!
He's doing it!
Everbody! Look!
Look at the wirewalker! There!
I approach the first cavaletti - and it's upside down.
But I look closer, and it seems okay.
Thank you Papa Rudy, for suggesting the three bolts
Watch what you're doing.
You're doing it, Philippe.
I arrived at the north tower feeling the most intense joy.
The most profound satisfaction I've ever felt in my life.
Philippe. Come on, Philippe.
Okay. Yeah. Working now. Okay.
Something to tell our grandchildren, huh?
Philippe, smile.
My friend. Thank you.
I had finished my crossing. The coup was over.
But then I looked over at the South Tower,
and it was still calling to me.
So I'm thinking...
Maybe I should get back on my wire.
He's coming back out.
And then, I feel something that maybe...
I've never truly felt before.
I feel thankful.
So I get down on one knee, and I salute.
First I salute the wire,
and the towers.
And then I salute the great city of New York.
Then, as I stand, I see two uniforms!
The cops!
What the hell is that?
- Cuff him! - Hey!
- Get your hands on your head! - Down!
Get your hands on your head! Get down!
- Holy shit, this one's a Frog! - French! I'm French!
Look. Fella. Just... come on in.
And, uh... we'll talk about it, all right?
Okay, buddy. Come on. Come on in.
Yeah. Show's over.
Okay, come on.
Parlez-vous Americano?
- Jesus. - Fuck!
These officers, god bless them. They remind me
of when I had to run from the police. But...
They can't follow me up here.
What the hell do we do now?
By now I'm becoming aware of the people on the ground, watching.
My audience.
And although this is something a wirewalker should never do...
I look... down.
And it was...
Peaceful. Calm and serene.
Not dangerous.
Did you hear that?
Someone's coming. Go, go, go!
Go go go! Go go go!
Hey pal, you wanna come down off that thing, all right?
Why are you doing this?
Woah, woah. Come on! Don't waste anyone's time!
Come on. Get down off that wire now! Quit fooling around.
- Oh, shit. Hey, hey! - Don't fall.
Don't go fallin'!
I don't believe this little pissant!
Now with police on both rooftops,
I had no choice. I had to stay on my wire.
Woah, woah, woah. Buddy.
Unbelievable!
All right. You get him. I got your back.
- You got me? - I got you.
Okay.
Okay, come on.
- That's it. Nice and slow. - Let's go.
That's it. Come on, buddy. That's it.
Okay. Here we go.
Here we go.
Yup. Okay, man.
What are you doing? Damn!
What are you doing?
- You s.o.b.! - Come on!
Unbelievable.
- Now I've seen everything. - Damn straight.
This dude is righteous! He'd better wrap it up.
There's a storm front moving in.
There on my back, the sky fills my vision.
The clouds.
They're like music.
Then something appears.
An apparition. A bird.
This bird is looking me, and I feel this silent threat.
Easy. Easy.
Suddenly I'm invaded by doubts. I'm thinking maybe
the cable's tired of supporting me.
What if my towers are talking to each other? What if they've had enough?
What if they decide to reject me?
I'm thinking maybe it's time to end this trespass.
Port Authority Police. Remove yourself from the wire
immediately. You're in violation of about 100 city ordinances.
I want you off that wire immediately or we'll be forced to remove you forcibly.
[Speaking French]
But I can't end my walk if I have doubts.
With curved shoulders and hanging head.
I decide.
I will only leave my wire and towers...
in victory.
Officers of the New York Police Department,
thank you for your patience.
I announce my arrival to the police.
I told him my work is finished.
But my work is not finished.
I still have three more steps to do.
Philippe! Are you okay?
You got it. You got it.
My name is Philippe Petit. I'm a wirewalker.
- Smartass. - Show's over.
No. No. Don't cut the wire. Don't cut my wire!
Nobody gives a damn about your wire!
It'll snap! It'll hurt someone!
Wait guys.
He's right.
- Where's the handle? - Hidden in a hole in the wall.
Watch your fingers.
I gotta to tell you. What you did was something.
I'll never see anything like that again my life.
You got guts, pal.
Good job.
The world wants to know.
Why you're doing this?
Why are you attempting something so dangerous?
There is no why. Just because...
when I see a good place to put my wire, I cannot resist.
Later today, a judge sentenced Petit to walk the wire again.
But this time in Central Park for a crowd of children,
and only a few feet off the ground.
The story of the coup was in the news all over the world!
In France, when Papa Rudy heard about it,
he was the happiest Papa Rudy there is.
And when Papa Rudy's angry, he's terribly angry.
But when dad Rudy is happy, the dogs get a double ration of food.
The most fantastic moment for me
was when I saw you answer my shooting signal.
At that moment I knew the coup would be a success.
Why? We almost lost the arrow. It was on the edge of the building.
It was exactly where I was aiming.
So you admit it. You wanted to see him in his birthday suit.
Okay, okay.
I would like to make a toast.
To all of you. My accomplices.
I know I can be...
a little difficult.
But, but...
You never gave up on me.
And because of this I was able to walk on that wire.
So for allowing me this honor...
Thank you.
Cheers!
Look at that!
We did it. We showed the world that anything's possible.
They're different.
Hey Philippe, they're different now.
Yeah, that's right. They're different because you walked up there.
Every New Yorker I talk to now says he loves these towers.
Perhaps you brought them to life.
Given them a soul.
Jean-Louis and Jeff soon after returned to France.
But I stayed.
He was proud to become a New Yorker.
In order to stay, I had to pay my debt to society.
so the judge mandated that I perfrom a free walk in Central Park.
Of course, I was happy to do this.
Annie...
Sadly Annie returned to France.
[Speaking French]
You found your place. Now it's time to find mine.
[Speaking French]
Thank you. For everything.
I am glad I could help you.
That was incredible. Just don't do that again.
You remember Guy Tozzoli, from the press conference,
one of the men behind the creation of the towers.
He loved the walk, and gave me a pass to the observation deck,
so I could go any time I wanted.
And I went there many times alone.
I found myself there, looking at the void,
To see how the thoughts come back.
And the feeling returned.
Because it was...
just a beautiful day.
And you know, this pass I was given...
these passes have a date on them.
A date when it expires. But on my pass, Mr Tozzoli crossed out the date,
And he wrote on it:
Forever.
subtitles by davideisaura