After a screening of British director James Marsh’s Man on Wire earlier today, Jean-Louis Blondeau, one of the main subjects of the documentary, showed off his Tribeca Film Festival pass. He seemed inordinately pleased to have it. On the pass, the photo was of Blondeau, but he had evidently borrowed a French film director’s name, and listed his job title as “reporter.” Apparently, old habits die hard: In August 1974, Blondeau used a forged ID card to gain access to the north World Trade Center tower, to help Philippe Petit perform his now legendary tightrope walk between the two buildings.
In Marsh’s film, Petit, Blondeau and others recall the events leading up to the walk. Blondeau was Petit’s right-hand man, and stood on the roof of the north tower with Alan “Albert” Welner, who abandoned the project at the last minute, leaving Blondeau to handle his side of things by himself. Using archery skills taught to him by his father, Blondeau managed to get the tightrope wire from his tower over to Petit, who was on the south tower with friend and coconspirator Jean-François Heckel.
As Cindy Sherman’s press release on Guest of Cindy Sherman expresses her regret for agreeing to be Paul H-O’s subject, so every story has more than one way of being told. In the case of Man on Wire, when memories are involved, facts—where they can be said to exist at all—are even more slippery; Blondeau and Petit remember some incidents quite differently.
Petit recalls where he first had the idea to walk between the two towers; this is captured in one of Marsh’s “reenactments,” a scene in which a teenage Petit sits in a French dental office waiting room. Petit describes how he picked up a magazine and read about the plans to build two enormous towers in Manhattan. He describes drawing a line between the yet-to-be-constructed edifices and how he began to hatch plans to walk across it. He pontificates about his dream as being unlike those of others, grander somehow because its location didn’t even exist yet.
I mentioned to Blondeau that it was interesting to see how the plan had percolated in Petit’s head for years. Blondeau said that the story was “a lie,” adding that “the first time the towers were discussed was in January 1974. It took six months.” It seemed odd to me that Petit would invent and add details to a story that required no such elaboration. Blondeau harrumphed in response and said of Petit, “He was a street juggler,” as though that explained it. “Not enough, more and more, more story,” he said.
There’s another reenactment scene, again narrated by Petit, in which he claims that, in the darkness, he couldn’t find the arrow with the tightrope attached. Petit says, “Out of frustration I took all my clothes off.” He’s French, so he’s expected to say this kind of thing. But he then elaborates—he wanted his entire body to search for the arrow and the feel of the wire. Blondeau told me that Petit had made this up, that there was “no nude arrow scene.” The two men were, of course, on different towers; but Blondeau said that Heckel, who was on the south tower with Petit, was “a notorious joker” and would not be someone to pass up the opportunity to elaborate on his friend’s nudity. Petit also talks about eluding a security guard on the top of the tower, performing a kind of hide-and-seek. Blondeau said that there was “no pas de deux.”
Blondeau plans to write a book about his own version of events. Petit and Blondeau are, as the above might suggest, no longer friends. Apparently the wire walker was none too keen to let Blondeau have a pass for the film (hence the need for a fake ID). Squabbles aside, the elephant in the documentary is, of course, September 11. Marsh shows us a photo of a plane flying above Petit, the nonfalling man, balancing on the wire. Meanwhile, somewhere below him, the faces of New Yorkers look up at the World Trade Center with delight. The director also shows footage of the “permanent pass” Petit received to the WTC observation deck when it opened; Blondeau’s Tribeca pass is valid for the rest of the week.
Thanks for the blog. Can you tell me, is this the man, Mr. Blondeau, who cries in the documentary? Why did he cry? Was he sad that the friendship had ended? Sad that Mr. Petit abandoned his friends for fame?
I look forward to Mr. Blondeau’s book because I was so fascinated with the stories from the accomplices, but I want to know more.
Thanks.
Danielle
Please Mr Blondeau, write your book very soon. There is a queue waiting to buy it. Please also ensure that we get it in English.
Our hearts were with you when watching the film.
Interesting and a little sad to hear that Blondeau is planning to write “his own version” of these events. When I watched Blondeau weep in “Man on Wire”, my heart went out to him because I assumed he was crying over the loss of his fickle friend Petit, that he felt betrayed when the rest of the crew was sent back while Petit was basically given the keys to the city, and that he had gone off to have sex with a stranger — his head turned instantly by his first taste of celebrity — while his friends waited anxiously for him as they were detained by police. Blondeau really felt like a tragic figure to me, and I liked him. But reading his bitter, jeering comments and finding that he’s planning to do what sounds like a “tell-all” piece of vindication is disappointing and kind of disgusting. The portrait of self-centered Petit was clear enough that it needs no elucidation from another source to illustrate the wire-walker’s huge ego, short memory, and easily-cast-away loyalty to those who got him up there to dance between those towers. Blondeau’s promise of dirt-to-come reminds me of Paul Theroux’s grossly gossipy, petty airing of dirty laundry about his so-called “friendship” with V.S. Naipaul. It made Theroux much smaller for having written it — I hope Blondeau doesn’t make himself a victim of the same self-shrinkage.
Gillian, I am Jean Louis Blondeau and I wonder what makes you think that my own version of these events (only the simple truth indeed) could be what you call “a promise of dirt-to-come”. There is no dirt or bitterness of any sort in the beauty of this story. There is no gossip, neither big revelation to be told, and my goal is not just to write my own version of the events. My writing is about the extraordinary adventure I lived, what made it possible to happen, the audacity, the friendship, our dreams, and the unforgivable joy we had when succeeding. It is also about giving our accomplices the real credit they deserve, like for instance Jean Pierre Dousseau, whose name is not even mentioned in the movie, even though he was a big help along the preparation and drove the van when entering the towers! Also you might be surprised to learn that, unlike the movie makes you believe, my friendship with Philippe lasted for 40 years and ended just a year ago, with the movie release. So if there is some bitterness and sadness, it is only in what happened recently with this movie and has nothing to do with the events of 1974. Don’t get confused, Philippe Petit is no longer the guy I met at that time and I have no desire on talking about what he became now. I’d rather keep the beautiful memories I have from someone nobody will ever know again. However, to make the editorial more attractive, the journalist only focuses on what I said about Philippe’s lies, but did not mention all the good things I also said about who he was at that time. I have no revenge to take, I lived one of the most exciting story (not the only one) of my life and believe me, it is deeply in my soul and nothing can tarnish the feeling I get from having done it. But you have seen the docu-fiction / fairy tale that Philippe made from it and maybe, like a lot of people, you might be interested in knowing the real story. After all, a documentary is supposed to be about the truth, isn’t it what you expect also? If there is any dirt, it seems to me like it is more in lies told in a documentary. So before jumping to quick conclusions and accusing me of any bad intention, why don’t you wait until you see what I have to write? In the meantime, you might want to check my web site and read a very condensed summary of my 7 years of friendship and complicity with Philippe Petit, which leaves me with more serenity than bitterness: “jlblondeau.com”.
I just watched the documentary “Man on Wire” and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, both my husband and myself were just as, if not more intrigued with the cables and rigging of such that made these feats possible. While I can never and do not wish to understand what drives Phillipe Petit to take such risks, I do wish to know why he did not seem to be thankful for the risks that his friends took in planning all the “walks” he took around the world. I would like to have known what expertise the others had in planning these events. Getting the cable wire, timing issues, etc. are all things of interest. I realize that a documentary is a finite piece of work and only so much can be included, however, I would like to know, and hopefully through Jean-Louis Blondeau’s book, learn more about these things. PLEASE write your book and publish it in English. I am so eager to read it.
Jean-Louis,
I would also like to read an article about your rigging. I have worked on 20 story buildings with platforms and steel cable rigging and what you did in one night was fantastic!
I too, would have liked more detail on the details of the rigging and also what happened to everyone after the feat!
Cheers
Thank you for this info…
without our friends we are nothing…
for me the film is about real friendship and
I was really interested to read about Jean-Louis Blondeau and also to know his opinion about whole story…
thank you…
In my opinion, Jean Louis strikes me, not only as a decent, honest and warm human being, but also, as the main reason for the success of the WTC crossing. His courage at the most critical time, made the thing work … without him… Petit would’ve been history..and Petit knows it! Everyone knows it. Jean Louis was not on the wire, but man, he truly is also a great daredevil and he shall be remembered always as such…. Petit was lucky and blessed to have found such a guy and friend. Unfortunately, we all know that people change, and people with very big egos get drunk very easily with attention… it’s human nature… but the facts are there…Petit is a hero but I’d never covet his friendship and loyalty…and honestly… loyalty and values are more important than courage… it takes courage to walk on th ewire, but it takes more courage to be loyal and love. Jean Louis should title his book “Surviving Petit”.
I, too, am eager to read Jean-Louis’ account of this incredible story. His (and everyone else’s) dedication to the effort and loyalty to Petit moved me throughout the film. It will be good to get another perspective of this truly unique story. I’ll be watching the bookstores for the English version!
I too agree with the statement of Gillian, however Jean Louis has cleared that up. The movie did leave me feeling that not all the story was told. Jean Louis you are as handsome today as back in the day