World record-holding highliner Faith Dickey battles in the wind to cross
the line between two speeding trucks. Will she make it before the
trucks reach the tunnel that lies behind the next bend?
Filmed on an unopened highway in Croatia in cooperation with Hollywood
stunt director Peter Pedrero (James Bond, Harry Potter, Pirates of the
Caribbean.) Directed by Academy Award nominee Henry Alex Rubin.
In 1974 Phillipe Petite and some of his friends performed a circus heist, as they illegally mounted a highwire between the two twin towers. The story of this is expertly told in the 2008 Oscar winning documentary Man on Wire.
This clip is an original 1974 news report about the extraordinary incident.
For disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing he was sentenced to doing a free show for children in Central park. How come we don't live in a world where this is the norm? I love the feat, the irreverent act of illegal circus and I love the justice systems response.
"Why did you do this?
there is no why, Just because when I see a beautiful place to put my wire, I can not resist."
The year before he stretched his wire between the twin towers he did a similar walk but in Sydney Australia where he stretched his wire out between the north pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I found this documentary made by the Australian film makers James and Jesse Ricketson.
Part One:
Part Two:
And finally here is the funambulist talking about himself at TED 2012.
Funambulist: (fyo͝oˈnambyəlist - noun - A tightrope walker.
Skyliners is a beautifully shot short documentary about a french crew which have combined their loves of mountaineering and tight wire walking. The esthetic and feel is of extreme sports such as basejumping and snowboarding.
It is gorgeously shot and edited by Seb Montaz with helicopter shots and spectacular scenery as the guys rig their lines between the peaks of mountains.
It made my palms sweaty.
You can check out the funambulist's blog here and to the director's awesome video blog here.
Also here is a trailer for a full length 40 minute doco by Seb Montaz called I Believe I can Fly (Flight of the Frenchies). You can download the movie from Seb's website.
