This is the first year I have actually made a point of watching the entire broadcast of the Academy Awards, largely due to the fact that I have seen more nominated films this year than I have during any other season. And like any other official award ceremony, I have mixed feelings about who won and (obviously) who did not.
Man on Wire‘s win for Best Documentary was probably the most gratifying win for me, because I loved this movie. I haven’t seen any of the other nominees, but I can’t imagine that they would succeed in outshining one of the best documentary feature films I have ever seen. James Marsh’s poignant telling of Frenchman Philipe Petit’s quest to tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers in 1974 was all at once enchanting, harrowing, and incredible:
The film’s tagline is an apt summation: 1974. 1350 feet up. The artistic crime of the century.
l'eclisse 