[Photo: High-wire artist Philippe Petit walks a wire rigged illegally in New York.]

By YONG SHU HOONG

I HAVE always likened documentary film-making to the art of journalism.

There's firstly the research to get the facts right, followed by the interviews to coax key people into spilling their thoughts.

Proper editing then ensures that everything comes across as a cohesive whole.

Scanned photo:myp

Man On Wire, then, is not only a vigorous exercise in journalism, but also an uplifting piece of work filled with equal parts of drama and poetry.

Man On Wire, an Oscar-winning documentary, focuses on 59-year-old French high-wire artist, Philippe Petit, who achieved infamy in 1974 for walking a steel cable rigged illegally between the iconic twin towers of New York's World Trade Center.

One of the film's biggest strengths is how it vividly captures the animated expressions and intense emotions of Petit and his collaborators as they recall the planning of the 1974 feat as though it was the setting up of an elaborate bank heist.

The film's maker, British documentarian James Marsh (The King), uses photographic evidence and stylised re-enactments to present the truths as recounted by Petit (who has also daringly walked across wires rigged at the Notre Dame and the Sydney Harbour Bridge).

The film's highlight is definitely the moment when Petit steps out onto the cable, with New York City at his feet.

You'll be inexorably moved by the sheer beauty and exhilaration of the lasting images that best exemplify a man who's unafraid of living life on the edge. State Of Play is another film with a close linkage to journalism.

Directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King Of Scotland), it manages to provide solid entertainment with a storyline that seeks to explain the mysterious death of a female researcher of a congressman (Ben Affleck).

As insistent journalists (played by Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams) track the investigations and try to uncover clues and score the big scoop for their newspaper, they morph into heroes in a very Hollywoodish, trumped-up way.

The film also dishes out stereotypes of stakeholders in the media industry - like the stern, hard-talking editor (Helen Mirren) and the flamboyant PR man (Jason Bateman).

I applaud the film's stance on the worth and relevance of printed papers - not to mention the work of journalists, which often goes unseen - in this electronic age. But in the future, I would much prefer digging up another film about journalism, All The President's Men, for a repeat viewing.

myp@sph.com.sg

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