(stirring orchestral music) (gentle piano music) Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Able 2020 (gentle music continues) Why? That is the question people ask me most. Pourquoi? 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', 'la mort'. Yes, OK, I said it once, or maybe three 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, this is life. C'est... la vie. So... picture with me, it's 1974, New York City, and I am in love with two buildings, two towers. Or as everyone in the world calls them, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. They call to me, these towers, they stir something inside of me, and they inspire in me... a dream. My dream... is to hang a high wire between those Twin Towers and walk on it! Of course, uh, this is impossible. Not to mention... illegal. So why attempt the impossible? Why follow your dream? But I cannot answer this question why, not with words. But I can show you how... it happened. And so we must go back in time and across the ocean, because my love affair with these beautiful towers did not begin in New York. In case you couldn't tell, I'm not from here. No. My story begins in another one of the world's most beautiful cities. C'est Paris. (upbeat French jazz music) (car horn beeps) So, now picture Paris. Here I am, a self-proclaimed wire walker that nobody on earth cares about, surviving as a troubadour, performing in the streets. I've created a character. I have 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. (crowd gasps, laughs) The circle is my domain, and I don't allow even half of a toe inside of it. And if the spectators continue to violate my sacred space, I must employ more drastic measures. (crowd gasps) (crowd gasps louder) I perform for anyone who will watch me, and people love it ` man, woman, young, old, everyone. Except, of course, the police. (whistle blows) (officer shouts in French) (blows whistle) 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. (crowd gasps) (crowd shouts) ('These Boots Are Made For Walking' in French) (applause) -(sudden crack) -(groans) Bonjour, madame. Tres bien! J'attends. (groans) Bonjour, monsieur. Tout va bien? Enchante, vraiment. Suddenly... I freeze. The pain in my tooth is gone. In the magazine, there's an article with an illustration about the towers. They're not even finished yet, but the magazine says that once they are, they will be the tallest in the world. (inspiring music) (man clears throat) (sneezes) And with this tiny pencil stroke, my fate was sealed. This was the beginning of my dream. (inspiring music continues) The first time I ever saw a wire walker, I was 8 years old. (distant applause) The circus had come to my town, and it featured the Omankowsky Family Troupe, one of the greatest wire-walking troupes in the world ` the White Devils. (drum roll) -(cymbal strikes) -(applause) (drum roll) (applause) (gentle music) And I teach myself to walk on that rope. And it turns out I have some talent for climbing and balancing, even juggling. But I want to know more. (thunder crashes, rumbles) (thunder crackling, rumbling) (rain patters on tent) (thunder rumbles) (creaking) MAN: Hey...! -Qu'est-ce que tu fais dans ce matos? -Ouais, OK, OK. -Tire toi de la! -OK, OK, je descends! -Tu veux te suicider? Imbecile! -(in Czech): Rychle! Rychle! -OK, calme! J'arrive! OK? So this is how I meet Rudy Omankowsky Sr, the patriarch of the White Devils Wire-Walking Family, who everybody calls Papa Rudy. He would never say exactly where he was from. He was certainly not French. Hey! Hey! (upbeat jazz music) (grunts) Papa Rudy was a supreme wire walker, acrobat and juggler. (thunder rumbling) And in that moment, I suppose he saw something in me. Philippe! Poslouchas me? Oh. Uh, je parle... -I speak English. -OK. Today... you're going to learn how to make entrance. You need to learn how to compliment. A compliment is a... silent message, an order to the audience to pay attention. And after the performance, a compliment is also a... an offering of gratitude, a... salute. -Ah... -Salute. OK, OK, OK, OK, OK. Allez, essaye. No. Philippe, that was terrible. (scoffs) No, uh... you are doing too much. Eh? Do nothing. Now, try again. No! I said 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, uh? Do nothing. Do it again. Ah! Where's your respect? You didn't do anything. (splutters) -But you said to do nothing! -Yeah, do nothing on the outside... uh! On the inside, in your heart, you must salute. In my heart? The performer must have an honest respect and gratitude for the audience. But why should I respect the audience? It is me on the wire! You will salute the audience and pay respect! Unless you understand that, you will never perform in circus. Good, OK, me, I don't want to perform in the circus. I am not some ridiculous circus clown. I am an artist! (scoffs) Ouais, merci! So, just like that, Papa Rudy threw my artistic little ass out into the street. And, a short time later... Philippe! 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. (woman singing in French) (continues singing in French) # And you want to travel with them... # (continues singing in French) (people gasping, laughing, whooping) (continues singing in French) (crowd applauding) (applause continues) WOMAN: Hey! -(shutter clicks) -PHILIPPE: Ah, merci. (Southern accent): I'd be much obliged if y'all could just mosey along. This here's a private conversation. Well, shut my mouth! We thought you were putting on a show. No, it ain't. -This here's for y'all. -Well, thank you kindly. Bye, now. Wow, I love your English. It sounds so American. I think I like better the English. Ah, yes, I certainly prefer the English. Then listen, juggler. You stole my best audience in weeks, and for what, some cheap stunt? Well, I'm sorry, but people love my high wire. Oh, you call that a high wire? That was the lowest high wire I've ever seen. Ah, you're right, mademoiselle, but that is because the two tallest trees in this square were in your performance space. And me, I would never invade the space of another artist. (thunder rumbling) It's going to rain. (thunder rumbles) (man shouts in French) Angry street musician, I would like to make you an arrangement. I will only play in that square when you are not playing. Oh, that's every weekend and every second Tuesday. OK, deal. My name is Philippe. -Annie. -Annie. It's a nice name. Why all the English? Ah, because I must practice. -I'm going to New York. -Ah, New York. That's very exciting. Yes? Maybe you'll come with me. (laughs) Yeah, maybe. I like the way you sing. It's very good. You were not listening to me sing, you were playing with fire on the rope. Oh, no, before that, I was here earlier. Maybe you did not see me, but I saw you and I heard you sing. It was beautiful. Well, thank you. Annie, may I buy you a glass of wine? No, I don't think that's a good idea. Yes, then I will make you an arrangement. If you let me buy you a glass of wine, I will never hang my rope anywhere in the Latin Quarter ever again. -You don't give up, do you? -No, no, I'm very, uh, persistent. Et... voila! My dream. And this is you? Yes. It will be the most glorious high-wire walk in history. And how high must this wire be to make so much glory? Over 100 storeys high. Where do trees like this grow? These are not trees. Two magnificent towers. 100 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower itself. (chuckles) I see. -What do you think? -(Annie laughs) I don't know. It looks... so... so... Beautiful. Beautiful. Yes. And... dangerous and... completely insane, and you're a madman. Yes, I am mad, but this... this is my dream. Then if it's your dream, you must do it. But even if everybody tells me I'm mad? -Well, you shouldn't care about what other people think. -OK, but I care what you think. I love your dream, Philippe. -Yes? -Yes. Do you want to know what I think about you? -No. -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 realise it at the time, but Annie had become my first accomplice. -Annie. -Yes? I was thinking... you should come up here with me. (laughs) Ah, no, I don't think so. Yes. It will be your baptism of the wire. -Mm, no. -Come on, Annie, you must trust me. OK. And... breathe... and... step... Indeed there were two beautiful trees growing in the park of Annie's art school. So she arranged for me to be able to hang my wire there, and it was perfect, because I could practice every day and I could see Annie as well. Then one day, while I was on my wire, I was approached by a very serious-looking young man. Salut. Jean-Louis. Jean-Louis, do you speak English, Jean-Louis? Yes. Why? Because I must practise. 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 will appear, and... I will perform a surprise and illegal wire walk. If it works, it will be the artistic coup of the century. Wow. Well, you, my friend, can see my photographs any time. They're very rebellious. So you are not just a photographer, you are 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. 'And so this is how I make friends with Jean-Louis, my second accomplice.' If that were to happen during your coup, it would be the artistic disaster of the century. If that were to happen during your coup, it would be the artistic disaster of the century. I need to know more. I need you to teach me how to rig a high wire. High wire for what? You're a street juggler. But I need to know how to tie the correct knots. I need to know what 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 le cirque. Sunrise. Bring your... juggling money. Place wood blocks between the cable and mast. -PHILIPPE: OK. -Max. The wood blocks act as buffer, so when masts flex, the wire won't snap. And always, always check the rigging yourself. Never step on a wire if you've not checked all of the rigging yourself. -Capisce? -OK. There was this great Polish guy, wire walker, Roman. He said he could tell when cable was at correct tension through his ass and through his ear. -(metal rings) -Ah, underneath. Through the window. Lock it off. (Philippe grunts) Tighten... and... pay. -Philippe, you give me broken money. -No, it works. It's broke. -Ca marche. -Ca marche. So Papa Rudy let me travel with his troupe. Of course, I never did any performance. But any time the big top was empty, I would practise on the wire. (breathing deeply) (grunts) (panting) Most wire walkers, they die when they arrive. They think they have arrived, but they're still on the wire. If you have three steps to do, and you take those steps arrogantly, you think you are invincible, you're going to die. (panting) This one I give to you for free. Merci. A few weeks later, I did my first official public walk in this tiny little village. It's 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 is more like a swamp. No. Through your ass and your feet, you tell me. (gentle jazz music) Annie came. She set up a turntable for music. And Jean-Louis came to take pictures. So... I begin my performance, and everything's going very well. But then I start to hear this murmur, some laughing and giggling, and it turns out there is also a fishing contest that afternoon on this lake ` more like a swamp ` and the fishermen, they're drinking wine, they're yelling insults at me, they're laughing at me -while I'm trying to work! -(shouting, laughter) (shouting, laughter continue) (music skipping, repeating) (shouting, laughter continue) Now, working on the wire is as much mental as it is physical. If you lose your concentration, you lose your balance! -(needle scratches record) -Philippe! mocking shouts) (mock cheering) (shutter clicking) So here I am, in the mud to my knees, doing the Papa Rudy compliment. This was my first performance. A failure! And after this, I didn't feel so good. (camera shutter clicking) Then one day, I was walking along the Seine, feeling sorry for myself, when I look up, and I 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 attach some fishing line to one of my juggling balls, and I throw it across to the other side where Jean-Louis is waiting. Then we attach this fishing line to a small rope, and we pass that between the towers. Then we pass a larger rope. Then we attach this larger rope to the steel walk cable. So Jean-Louis and I stay up all night installing a wire between these two ancient towers. And when the first tourists start to arrive in the morning, I begin. (cheerful French music) (applause) (applause continues) And I succeed. I perform my first surprise, illegal high-wire walk. This is also the first time I get the taste of this sensation, this feeling that I'm crossing into a... a truly different world. And I was redeemed. -(siren blaring) -Or so I thought. (excited chatter) (scattered applause) These Parisians, they know nothing but contempt. They refuse to appreciate beauty. Every other country ` Germany, Spain, England, even Russia ` they salute me. They call me a maestro. They call me a valiant young poet. But no, not the French! They call me 'delinquent,' they call me 'vandal.' -Philippe... -Vandal! Look. This is a sign. In the same newspaper as my Notre-Dame story? -This is Providence. -Mm-hm. It says they're almost finished. The lower floors are already occupied. Annie, we need to pack. Annie, we need to pack. (Sly and the Family Stone's 'I Want to Take You Higher') They're enormous. Yes. They're monstrous. (indistinct chatter, horns honking) Whoa. They're a lot taller than I imagined. Yes. (construction machinery rumbling) It's absurd. Completely absurd. It's not real. These towers, they have no scale! They just... they just rise and never stop! It's not human! It's over. It's over. It's finished. - What's finished? - The coup! My dream! It's destroyed! Do you see these monsters?! -These beasts! Beasts! -Calm down! They just tell me it's not possible and nothing else! There's no sign of possibility. There's nothing telling me that it can be done! (latch clacks, pneumatic hissing) (pneumatic hiss) Yo. How you doing? (hiss continues) (hiss stops) (hiss resumes) There's 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. And I find myself standing on an island floating in midair on the edge of the void. Of course, I automatically look across to the opposite tower, but then I have to dare to look... down. (wind whooshes, gusts) Now, I think I know the void. I'm a wire walker ` the void is my domain, yes? Well... not this void. But, still, I gather the courage to whisper. I whisper so the demons won't hear me. It's impossible... but I'll do it. (Sly and the Family Stone's 'I Want to Take You Higher' resumes) -C'est completement ridicule! -English. Only English. We must learn to sound like New Yorkers. Your so-called 'coup' is a ridiculous joke. There, have it in English. But why? I have it all planned out. Planned out? Who are you kidding? You have no idea what's on the opposite roof. You don't know what time the construction crews arrive or what time they quit. You have no idea what the actual distance is between the towers, or how you're going to anchor the cavalettis. How? There is absolutely no place to attach them to the facade. And by they way, how many days did it take you to build this maquette? Oh, come on, this is beautiful, huh? What are the cavalettis? These guy-wires ` Papa Rudy calls them cavalettis. They stabilise the walk cable. Ah. The walk cable. So, how do you intend to pass the cable across the void? Just like we did at Notre-Dame. We start with a fishing line attached to a rope -attached to the cable. -And how do we pass the fishing line between the towers? Yes, it is too far to throw the juggling ball, but I was thinking we can get a radio-controlled aeroplane and fly the line across ` this would be fantastic. Philippe... it takes years to learn how to fly an RC airplane. -Do you understand that? -No. We must accomplish the coup this summer ` the towers are almost built. We are 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 that has ever been done! Audacious?! Audacious?! -It's madness! -Yes, it's madness! No one in his right mind would attempt this thing. But that is why I must do it ` because it has never been done. And so yes, I admit, I am mad! -Ah, yes! -Yes! -Ah, you are mad. -I am mad. - Et c'est pour ca que je t'aime en plus ! - Yes! You love me because I am mad! I am insane! I am totally crazy! I gotta go. I'll figure out how to get the wire across. -Yes! -You figure out how to anchor the cavalettis. -OK. -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 will 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, and as you walk, your weight could crack a bolt. And wood! You must remember to put wood blocks between the wire and the building's struts. That way, when the building breathe, the wood will break but the wire won't explode and tear you in half. OK. Wood. Also, here's what you're going to do, Philippe. You're going to wear a safety belt underneath your costume, attached to a safety line, connected to a karabiner. A safety line? A karabiner? I'm not going to do this walk with a safety line hanging off of me! 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, huh? You're a performer. -You kneel down on the wire. -(scoffs) You unhook from side, clip it on the other. The audience will think you are saluting. This I will not do! This I will never do! So why'd you come here? Because you know so much? -You tell me I'm wrong?! -No. Because I need you to tell me how to rig this wire! Not do a phony walk like a coward! (sighs) He does not comprehend one thing I am trying to do. His high wire and my high wire, they have nothing in common. Go talk to him. -You want me to talk to him? -Yes! You go talk to him! -You apologise and... -I will not apologise! -Yes, you do. You have no choice. You know that. (knocking on door) PAPA RUDY: Hmm? (sighs) Look, Papa Rudy, I'm sorry, but if I do the walk with the safety line, it becomes meaningless. Philippe... my sons are consummate wire walkers, and I would never allow them to attempt such a walk without safety line. Yes, but would you? Would you walk with a safety line? Years ago, when you first started to teach me in this house, I was a stupid little kid, and I never listened to you. But you told me something I always remember. You said, 'You cannot lie on stage. The audience will always know what is inside 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. (chuckles) Thank you. -(Annie laughing) -More! Annie, more! Faster. Stronger. -(laughing): I'm trying. -You're a tempest. You are the terrible hurricane winds that howl between the towers! -(laughing): I'm trying. -(horn honking) Ah, Jean-Louis! -Salut! -Hello. -How are you? -Hello, hello! It's good to see you. So, this is my good friend Jean-Francois. He wants to be an accomplice in the coup. -Ah, OK. -He's always in search of adventure. Donc, Annie. Je te presente Jean-Francois. -Bonjour. -Bonjour, Annie. -Jean-Francois, c'est Philippe. Enchante, Jean-Francois. Ah, an English name. OK, I like this. Welcome, Jeff. Welcome to the coup. Now, tell me, have you ever done... Unfortunately, Jeff doesn't speak any English. -Ah, non? -Non. -Six times six equal 36, for example. -Yes, his English is not bad. Yes, but only numbers. He teaches high school mathematics. Huh. He's also, uh... He's also terrified of heights. Huh. Perfect. I am terrified of algebra. Alors, Jeff... Ouais, bienvenue. Now tell me, what is, uh... uh, 81 divided by 27? -Three. -Exact. Now what is 11 times ten? -110. -Exact. Hey, guys? I believe I've kept my part of the bargain. What is this, a bow and arrow? OK, this is not as sensational as a radio-control aeroplane, but it's a lot quieter. (laughs) 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 is three months from today. Jeff and Jean-Louis fly to New York at the end of July. In the meantime, we start looking for American accomplices. So... August 6th. (thunder crashes) Polypropylene ropes, hemp ropes, small block-and-tackle with three sheaves, large block-and-tackle with single sheaf, uh, slings, steel wire, quarter-inch cable, pulley blocks, construction gloves, monkey wrenches, uh, tape measure and a balancing pole in four sections. And, uh, what's all this for? I'm going to hang a high wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center and walk on it. (chuckles) Good luck! Next! As soon as we got back to New York, I started my spy work. I went to the towers every day. Sometimes 6 in the morning. And every day, I would wear a different disguise. I took photos of everything. I made detailed notes of every inch of the towers. As you know, the North Tower has been completely finished for the last two years, and the South Tower is completed up to the 80th floor. - Both towers are open for business. - Mr Tozzoli, excuse me. Toulouse Cezanne 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? The what? Uh, the exact distance between the towers? -Lou? -140 feet. 140 feet. I rode all the elevators ` the local, the express, 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 freight trucks as they made their deliveries. What time do they arrive? How long do they stay? How much paperwork is exchanged? My greatest disguise was that of an architect. I wore a tie and carried a blueprint, and I tried to look important. And this gave me access to everything under construction. (screaming) (groaning) Philippe, that looks really bad. Maybe you should go to the hospital and get it stitched because... Nah, no, it will be fine, but look at the date. The coup is three weeks from today. Jean-Louis and Jeff arrive next week, and I still have no access to the North Tower roof. Are you going to be able to walk on the wire with that foot? Yes, it will heal by then, but what am I going to do tomorrow? How am I going to continue my spy work with this ruined foot? -Do you need crutches? -No, I don't need crutches. Why w... Cru... Yes! Crutches! Let me get that door for you. Oh, thank you. Hey, there, let me help you with them crutches. Oh, thank you. Here you go, sir. Express elevator. Oh, thank you. I hope you heal up soon. Ah, yes, I think I'll feel much better in a few weeks. Floor? Ah, yes, uh, 85, please. Pardon me, but, uh, may I ask, what are you doing here? You don't belong here. Yes, in fact, I'm quite right. You... You don't belong here at all. Do you... Philippe? I knew it! Philippe Petit! Daredevil wire walker. I saw you in Paris on top of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. -PHILIPPE: Ah, yes! -Yes, wow. The cops had absolutely no idea what to do with you. -They never do. -(laughs) Barry. Barry Greenhouse is... is my name. Yeah. So, uh, you gonna be performing here in New York? Yes, uh, yes, uh... -And you.... -Do you work here? -Yeah. Life insurance. (gasps) This man works on the 82nd floor. But 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! Uh, Barry! One moment! So Annie and I invite him to dinner. Notre-Dame, the coup at World Trade Center will be very similar. 'I bring my book of spy work and my clippings from Notre-Dame, 'which he had already witnessed, so he knew I was serious. 'And little by little, I paint for 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! (chuckles) Uh, Philippe! Ah! Welcome! Welcome, Jeff! -Ca va? -Very good. -How are you? -Superb. -Good. My friend. Hey. -Ca va? -Very good. So, there they are. Wow. Philippe, the coup is a disaster. Why are we waiting for night to climb to the roof? Because during the day, we are more likely to run into people. But at night, when someone sees us, we have no excuse to be there. During the day, we will certainly run into some people and they will ask us where we are going. During the day, you say, 'I'm going to such and such office to see so and so.' But at night, you have no excuse! Putain, Philippe! -Putain. -And what about the guards, huh? There is one guard at night. He stays only on the floors under construction. We'll have no problem avoiding him. And he never goes to the roof. Philippe. Philippe, where are you going? We need to get an interphone. This is what you want. You want a walkie-talkie. Ah, no, I want an interphone like this one with the wire. -Like this one? -Yes. -This thing here? -Yes, please. You don't want that. -Uh, yes. -This thing here with the wire? That's old-fashioned. What you want... Look at this. Wireless. -Eh? -No. Please, I just want this interphone. Like this, OK? Buddy, you're not listening to me, cos I'm trying to do you a favour here. 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. -OK. Oh, you guys thought you were the only ones who spoke French in New York City. Mm. I got it. It's OK. By the way... I say we invite him to dinner. I'm Philippe. I'm Jean-Pierre. It's JP in America. -(shutter clicks) -JP, welcome to the Fisher Industrial Fence Company of Fort Lee, New Jersey. Looks like the real thing. -Who made this? -Uh, it's a long story. I bet. So, do I get a job title? Yes, because you've lived in New York the longest, I'll make you Personnel Director. That's cool, man. I like that. -What do I got to do? -Find more accomplices. I got just the guys. I can help you rig a wire. I'm unbelievable at tying knots. Used to work on a shrimp boat. Yeah, man, yeah. Count me in, too. Especially if that wire is really, really high. (chuckles) You get it? You get it, man, really high! Why-why-why the World Trade Towers? Everybody I know hates those ugly boxes. They look like two big, uh, two big filing cabinets. Hey, right on. You know what? W-Why don't we climb the Chrysler Building, man, huh? That'd be a trip, right? You could put a wire on anything in New York and climb it. JP. Tomorrow! The coup is on for tomorrow! Tomorrow is the big day! You all know the plan. The workers start to arrive at 7am, so I must be on the wire at 6am. You're not listening. Why is nobody listening to me when I talk? Are you paying attention? We've gone over the plan 20 times already. Huh. Well, here comes number 21. At 2pm, we load the van. JP drives. We drop Jean-Louis, Annie and Albert at the North Tower. You rendezvous with Barry. He hides you on his floor until he can sneak you up in the stairwell to the roof. The rest of us ` that's you, JP, you, Jeff, you, David ` in our workers disguises, we bring the walk cable and the rigging equipment up in the construction elevator. According to my spy work, we should be able to get up to the 82nd floor. Then when the coast is clear, and as fast as we can, we bring everything up to the roof and we start rigging. By midnight, we are finished! Do you hear me? At midnight! This gives me the time to sneak over to the North Tower and check the rigging. Because I must have time to check the rigging on both towers. Then at dawn, 6am, I take my first step. Mon premier pas. -Philippe... -Yes. -I think we should wait... -No! Non! Les carottes sont cuites! Hmm? (sighs) Les carottes sont cuites. The carrots are cooked. Cooked carrots? -What the hell is that about? -The French, they love their culinary metaphors. This is a country with 365 different types of cheese, one for every day of the year, for Christ's sake. So of course they used a vegetable metaphor. Les carottes sont cuites. Carrots are cooked. Die is cast. There's no going back now. Guys, what are we doing here? Listen, I think what we're doing is cool, but I do not want to go to jail. Especially not because of some French guy who's obsessed with vegetables. Jail. Man, that's a... that's a buzz kill, man. And the man is obviously crazy. So, what? Are we just here to watch him die, huh? Does he even know how to walk a tightrope? He knows how to walk on a wire. That's not the problem. The problem is he's losing his mind. He's maybe 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 will be very... Beau? Beautiful. OK. It will be very... beautiful. (thunder rumbling) (panting) It was the night before the coup, and of course, I couldn't sleep. (snoring) I had forgotten something very important. I'd forgotten to nail shut the coffin. (thunder continues) Actually, there was no coffin. It was the crate holding the walk cable, but in my mind, I had changed this crate into a coffin. Philippe! What are you doing? You're waking up the whole neighbourhood. I forgot to nail shut the coffin. Stop calling it that! -A coffin is what this may be. -That's not funny. What's wrong with you? Do you have a death wish or something? Don't say this word! I never say this word! (scoffs) 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 do you put this thought in my head on the night before my most dangerous walk? -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, huh? Your accomplices? You don't offer them a simple thank you to let them know they're appreciated! They know I appreciate them! -Do they? -Yes! What do you want me to do? Go in there right now and tell them thank you? I can wake them up and say, 'Thank you, everybody! Merci!' (scoffs) -Just come to bed. You're exhausted. -Annie. My head is full of doubts. I don't know if... (sighs) When I confront the void, when it's time to step on the wire, I don't know if I'll be able to take my first step. (sighs) Your heart will tell you what to do. Annie... you're the only one that truly knows me. It's because of you that I can do this walk. You give me the strength and the ability. Without you, I couldn't do it. You'll be fine. (door opens) (door closes) (hammering continues in distance) Everybody, wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! There's something I have to tell you that I have not said before. It's important. Thank you. Merci. Now get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow. You see? He's lost his mind. -(hammering resumes) -What? PHILIPPE: Now, as soon as we are all loaded into the van, I think to myself, 'OK, now it starts.' The coup has begun. My life is no longer in my command. North Tower Plaza! 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 for Barry to hide them in his office until nightfall.' -Red zone. Au revoir. Red zone! A bientot. Je t'aime. I love you too. 'Albert and Jean-Louis both dress like impeccable architects. 'They carry attache cases that are heavy because they're carrying equipment, 'and they carry a blueprint tube that contains the bow and arrow.' I feel the incline of the ramp as we drive down into the loading dock of the South Tower, and I knew, I knew we would be caught right there! Hold it right there, cowboy. You guys keep quiet back there. -OFFICER: What's your business? -JP: Just another delivery. Fisher Fence Company. OFFICER: Fisher Fence Company? What the hell's the Fisher Fence Company? JP: Uh, we put in the perimeter fence months ago. Now they want us to come back in, tear it down and redo it. OFFICER: All right, down the ramp. Medium freight loading area. That cop seemed really suspicious. I almost crapped my pants. DOCK WORKER: Make sure you strap those down! -Don't want them sliding off. -You can get more in there. -Those crates should be marked. -Want me to... Hey! Hey, hey, hey! No way, no way. Whoa, no, no, no, no, we got a delivery to the 82nd floor, Fisher Fence Company. -It's all right here. -No, no, no, no, no. Only Met deliveries are going up. They've got all the elevators leased today. Come back next week. -Whoa, next week? -Yeah, next week. All right, come on, go home. OK? We take a pause. Worker's pause. Hey, excuse me, sir, before I get out of your hair, could I get your name? -Frank Cielani. -Is that Sicilian? -It's Calabrese. Ah, good, 'cause I got these Sicilian neighbours. They live two floors below me. -They're always cooking calamaris ` stinks my place up to high hell. -It'll do that. Can you believe this SOB Nixon? CIELANI: It was up to me, that son of a bitch would be in jail the rest of his life. JP: You sound just like my old man. He said this country went to hell in a handbasket the day Kennedy got shot. That's for goddamn sure. -Hey, what'd you say your name was? -JP. I was named after JP Morgan. 'So I sit there, helpless, watching these workers. 'And in my agitated mind, it looks like these workers are moving like snails.' (bell rings) (sighs) Good night, boys. Big day. Have a good one. (scoffs) You wallflowers still here? Look, Mr Cielani, I'm gonna level with you. If we don't make this delivery, we're gonna get fired. And Phil here, oh, he's a dead duck for sure. What do you got and where are you going? 82nd floor? Hey, Jimmy! Take these frogs up to the 82nd floor. -You're kidding me, right. -Come on, it's your last ride. -OK? -OK. -Thank you, sir, appreciate it. -Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on. It's quitting time. Which floor? -Uh, we're going to the... -Uh, the... 110th floor. 110? There's nothing up there. That's just the mechanical floor. Yes, but it is perfect for us; we need to be close to the roof. The roof? Why the roof? -Well, uh... -Because we have all the pieces for the antenna. -The antenna. -And the antenna mast. -Antenna mast. And the electrified security fence. -Electrified security fence. -We have all the components for the insulators. -Insulators. We have to measure. -Yes, until we measure, we cannot install any of the wiring. -We can't do the wiring for the aerial system. We're about four months behind on this project. -Yes, it's a big problem. -Whatever, just watch your fingers. OK, JP. -T'as besoin d'aide pour... -Tu fais redescendre le mec! S'il reste avec nous, on va devoir repartir avec lui, on peut dire adieu au coup! -Oui, oui, oui. -(chuckles) 'We've had a lucky break.' This elevator is taking us to the 110th floor, but this means that JP has to get this elevator operator back down. If he stays with us, the coup is finished. 110. PHILIPPE: Vas-y, vas-y vas-y. Jimmy. Really appreciate this, man. Hey, let me buy you a beer. These guys, they got to offload. They got tons of inventory to do. It's gonna take them forever. They'll find their way home. Hmm? Whatever. Watch your fingers. All right. Kommedas. What is that, Greek? I got a Greek guy living two floors below me, always eating lamb. Nothing but lamb. (groans) Oh, man. This is becoming a real bummer, man. (sighs) We unload here. OK. -OK. -Oh, man. We take the cable first. If anyone stops us, we tell them it's the antenna guylines. Oh, this shit is really heavy, man. Quiet. I mean, like, really heavy. Like heavy heavy, not bullshit heavy. Shh. Oh, man, this scene is giving me really bad vibes, man. Oh, shit. Oh, shit, it's the pigs! Oh, man, the pigs are here, man! -Oh, man. -Shh, hide, hide, hide. -Oh, man. The jig is up, man. -Shh! Oh, man, oh, man. This is freaking me out, man. PHILIPPE: It's just down there. It's` It's` It's OK. I can't do this, man. -I am wigging out, man. -OK, shh. OK, just listen. We don't need you. You go. -OK? Just go. Go. -I'll go. WHISPERS: No, that stairwell. -I can't do this. -No, that stairway to the 82nd floor. To the 82nd floor, there's an elevator, you can... Listen, man. Look, I really want to help you guys do something radical. -Shh. -OK, man? -But, you know... -Shh! Shh! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, I'm shagging ass, man. (gasps) (anxious panting) (panting continues) (indistinct radio transmission) (breathing steadies) Hey, Annie! Hey, I've been looking all over for you. Is everything OK? -Oh, yeah, we hit a little snag, but I think everything's all right. -OK. GUARD: Jesus Christ. I can't believe they don't gate this shaft. Somebody's gonna get killed. 'So there we sit, balancing on this steel I-beam for an eternity. 'And the worst part, the most painful part, 'was our heavy construction shoes killing our feet.' (grunts softly) (Philippe sighs) (indistinct radio transmission) (indistinct radio transmission) 'I see the walkie-talkie, but I don't see the guard.' So what does this mean? I-Is the guard gone? Is he still there, just standing outside of my view? He wouldn't leave his walkie-talkie unattended, would he? I turn to Jeff, and I see the terror on Jeff's face, and his terror begins to seep into my mind. And I start to conjure these hideous thoughts myself. (sighs) Time passes. I keep looking and looking, and this walkie-talkie just sits there, and I'm wondering, 'What is going on with this security guard and his walkie-talkie? 'Is he just 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. (groaning) (grunting with effort) (shushing quietly) I don't know. Ici, ici. Ah, look, he made it! (laughter) -OK. -Allez, vas-y, vas-y vas-y. 'Jean-Louis and I had worked out some hand signals, so now he was telling me 'he's ready to shoot the arrow. 'He's supposed to signal, and then, five seconds later, he shoots. 'But after five seconds, nothing happens. 'I listen for the sound of the arrow hitting, but I hear nothing. 'I look around. I see nothing. 'I think maybe the arrow has flown too far, so I wave my arms around, 'hoping I'll feel this invisible fishing line, but I feel nothing.' Looking for the fishing line! 'So I take off my clothes, thinking that with more surface of bare skin, 'I'll have a greater chance of feeling this fishing line.' (gasps) No, no, no. (sighs) JEFF: Philippe! T'es ou? OK... 'So I throw my clothes back on, and we run our gear up to the roof as fast as we can.' Listen, I think we should get some rest and come back before sunrise. -Oh, you go. I'm staying. -All night? Yeah. Annie, there's nothing you can do from down here. Either Philippe is gonna pull this off or he's not. Besides, you look really suspicious standing out here with some binoculars hanging around your neck. Well, I'll keep moving. It's New York City. It's dangerous. I-I'll be fine. Wonder if Philippe knows you're still out here. Bring you a doughnut in the morning? (chuckles) Thank you. (groans) OK, good. He marked it. Tiens. Hello, hello, Jean-Louis. How do you hear me? JEAN-LOUIS OVER SPEAKER: Loud and clear. OK, good. We have communication. I'm going to measure the rope to, uh, find out where to put the cavalettis. I'll guard it with my life. (indistinct radio communication in distance) (footsteps approach) (sighs) GUARD OVER RADIO: Garbowski, you awake? GARBOWSKI: That's very funny (!) GUARD: I need you to check something down on 37. GARBOWSKI: Yeah? What do you got? GUARD: How's about a pepperoni and sausage with extra cheese? GARBOWSKI: Now you're talking. We need an alarm signal. Fine. OK, I bolted the cavalettis in place. We're ready to pass across the wire. -Are you ready? -Yes. OK, first I pass the heavy rope, then the walk cable. JEAN-LOUIS: We got the rope. OK, we're sending the cable. (breathing heavily) Attention. OK. (sighs) (grunting with effort) OK, OK. (groans) Hold it. Hold it! Hold it! Retiens-le! Retiens-le! (grunting, gasping) We have a problem. JEAN-LOUIS OVER RADIO: We will do everything we can to pull up the cable. (sighs) It's only a few hours before daylight. (sighs) JEAN-LOUIS OVER RADIO: We will do everything we can. ALBERT: Philippe, this is crazy. We're never gonna finish at this rate. Yes, we will. We will finish. OVER RADIO: No, we're not! We're not! We're all gonna get caught and go to jail, and I don't want to go to jail. And the rigging, the rigging isn't safe. I'm not gonna watch you fall. I'm leaving, OK? I quit. OK, Albert, listen to me. Yes, I agree with you, OK? And if the rigging is not done by daylight, and if the rigging is not safe... then I'll give up. Hey, look who made it through the night. I got you a doughnut. Thank you. Hey, the wire's up! Yeah, but it's not tight yet. Something's wrong. JEAN-LOUIS OVER RADIO: Philippe, are you there? Yes, yes, I'm here. The good news is, the cable is tied off and secured on this end. The bad news is Albert has quit. Albert has quit. He said the sun is rising and the coup is off. Well, did you put wood between the anchor points and the cable? OVER RADIO: Philippe, 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, and he's going to take pictures and sell them. I knew it. I told you. I knew we couldn't trust him. And one more thing ` you will always be my Photographe Officiel. The cable's moving! Oh-ho-ho! He's going for it. ANNIE: Look! It's moving up. (mechanism clacking) La roue. Il y a l'ascenseur qui monte. -I can't do that. -Si tu peux. Seven times seven. -49. -Ouais. Nine times eight. -72. -OK. Bon. Bon. -Tu tires ici. -Ouais. OK. OK. -Attends, attends, attends, attends, attends. -OK. Ca va aller. Ca va aller. (grunts) -Seven times eight! -56! 96 divided by eight. 12! (rattling, clacking) The wheel! (horns honking in distance) (wind gusting) (wind whistles softly) (wind whistling) (wind whistles) (wind whistles) 'And that was the moment in my adventure I call "The 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 for me to put on my costume, but I have to do this 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 disguised imposter, the intruder, becomes the performer, the artist. (gasps, yells) Oh my God! He's falling! Oh no... No, it's just his shirt. It's just his shirt. Hey. Nothing yet, huh? (horn honks) Well, he better get crackin'. I lost my costume! This is a tragedy! The biggest stage of my life and I lose my costume! It falls off the edge! -I have no costume! -JEFF: What?! What should we do? (sighs deeply) We do it. We do it anyway. I walk in this ridiculous undershirt, but we do it. (sighs deeply) (wind whistling) (wire creaking) (siren wails in distance) I have one foot on the building, one foot on the wire, and the outside world starts to disappear. Jeff no longer existed. My tower was deserted. I 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 wire walker. (siren wails in distance) 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. ANNIE: Oh my God, he's doing it. He's doing it! LAUGHS: Do you see? Oh my God! He's doing it! Everybody! Everybody stop! Look! There's a wire ` look! ` there's a wire walker! There! I approach the first cavaletti, and it's upside down. But I look closer, and... it seems OK. Thank you, Papa Rudy, for suggesting the three bolts. Come on, Philippe, you're doing it. You're doing it, Philippe. (camera shutter clicks) (people shouting, whooping) I arrive at the North Tower feeling the most intense joy, the most profound satisfaction I've ever felt in my life. -(click) -Philippe. Come on, Philippe. Philippe... OK, yeah, working it, OK. All right, now over your right shoulder, huh? Ah! Philippe, smile. My friend, thank you. (sighs) (soft chuckle) 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. -(crowd murmuring) -MAN: He's going 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... then the towers... and then I salute the great city of New York. (crowd gasping, whooping) Then, as I stand, I see two uniforms. The cops! OFFICER: Christ Almighty, what the hell is that? -Cuff him! -Hey! Get your hands on your head! Get down! Get down! Get your hands on your head! Down! -JEFF: I'm French. I-I don't speak English. -What? Holy shit! This one's a frog! JEFF: French. I'm French. OFFICER 2: You and twinkletoes are in a lot of trouble, you know that? Uh... uh, look, fella, just, um... come on in, and, um... we'll talk about it, all right? OK, buddy, come on. Come on in. Yeah. Show's over. OK. Come on. Parlez-vous American-o? Whoa! -Whoa! Aah! -Jesus! These officers, God bless them. They remind me of my days 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 below, watching me. My audience. And even though this is something a wire walker should never do, I look down. And it was... it was peaceful. It was calm and serene. Not dangerous. (indistinct talking in distance) Did you hear that? Someone's coming ` go. Go, go, go now. Go. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go. -Shh! -Go, go, go. Shh, shh, shh... (indistinct radio communication) -We're on the roof. -Hey, buddy, what are you doing out there? -Jesus! Hey, got a load of this. -This fool has gone and lost his mind. Hey-hey-hey, pally, why don't you come down off that thing, all right? -Why you doing this? -Whoa, whoa. -Come on. OK, hey! Stop wasting everyone's time! Come on! Get down off that wire now. -Quit fooling around. -OK, hey, hard-on! -Oh, shit. -Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. -Whoa, whoa, don't fall! -Hey, hey, don't go fallin'. -Goddamn it! -Freakin' believe this little pissant? Now with police on both rooftops, I have no choice ` I have to stay on my wire. -Whoa. No. -Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy. Whoa. Whoa. Wow. Unbelievable! All right, you get him. I got your back. -OK, I... You got me? -I got you. -You got me, OK? -Yes. OK, come on. That's it, nice and slowly. Let's go. -All right... all right, come on. -That's it, nice and slowly, buddy. -I got it. -That's it. -Come on, buddy. OK. Here we go. Here we go. Yeah. OK, man. Yeah. Here we... OK, one more. -What? What are you doing? -Damn. What are you doing?! You SOB! Come on! Unbelievable! (sirens wailing) (indistinct chatter) (horn honking) Now I seen everything. Damn straight. This dude is righteous! He better start wrapping it up. There's a storm front moving in. There, on my back, the sky fills my vision, and the clouds... they're like music. Then, something appears. An apparition. A bird! This bird is looking at me, and I feel this silent threat. (wind whooshing) (exhales) -Easy. Easy. Easy! -(man gasps) (wire creaks) Suddenly, I'm invaded by doubts. I'm thinking maybe the cable is tired of supporting me. What if my towers are talking to each other? What if they've had enough? What if they decide to eject me? (all gasping) I'm thinking maybe it's time for me to end this trespassing. OFFICER OVER PA: This is the New York Port Authority Police. Remove yourself from the wire immediately. You're in violation of about a hundred city ordinances. I want you off that wire immediately, or we will be forced to take steps to remove you from it. OFFICER 2: You tell him to come in! JEFF: Philippe, Philippe, ils sont fous! Ils vont te tuer! Ils veulent couper le cable! OFFICER 3: You tell him to come in! Philippe! (wind whistling) But... I can't end my walk on a moment of doubt, with curled shoulders and hanging head. I decide... I will only leave my wire and my towers... in victory. (creaking) OFFICER: Nice and close, now. OFFICER 3: I got you. Reach. Grab him, grab him. Thattaboy. There you go. (inhales) Officers of the New York Police Department... thank you for your patience. 'I announce my arrival to the police.' My walk between these magnificent towers... 'I tell them my work is finished.' ...is now finished. 'But my walk is not finished. I still have three more steps to do.' (breathing slowly, evenly) -OFFICER: Whoa, whoa. -JEFF: Philippe... Qu'est ce qui se passe? Are you OK? OFFICER: Easy. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. -OK, come on. -All right. -Come on. (gasping, grunting) O'DONNELL: I got it. I got it. My name is Philippe Petit. I'm a wire walker. -Whoa! Hey! -Get down, smart-ass. -Show's over! -Tommy, hook him up. (cheering, whistling, excited chatter) (people gasping, sighing with relief) (people whistling) (cheering, applause) Whoa! (laughs) JP: What'd you think? -(JP laughing) -BARRY: Told you. Told you. Oh my God... Oh, Philippe, you've done it. QUIETLY: My Philippe. (laughing, sobbing) (laughing, sobbing) PHILIPPE: No, no, no, no! No, don't cut the wire! -Don't cut my wire! -Shut up! Nobody gives a damn about your wire! There's too much tension! It will snap! It will hurt somebody! You have to believe me! -Hold on. Hold on, guys. -You have to loosen it with the grip hoist. -He's right. -Where's the handle? It's, uh` It's hidden in a hole in the wall. (workman grunting with effort) (applause) -WORKER: There he is! -WORKER 2: All right. Make a hole! Make a hole! -All right! -Out of the way. Watch your fingers. OFFICER 4: They're coming down, Lou; coming down now. (applause continues) (applause, whistling, whooping) DOCK FOREMAN: I gotta hand it to you frogs. You sure pulled the wool over my eyes. (indistinct radio communication) I gotta tell ya, what you did was somethin'. I know I'll never see anything like that again in my life. You got guts, pal. Good job. MALE REPORTER: Why did you do this? MAN (British accent): Channel 6 News. The world would like to know, why are you doing this? FEMALE REPORTER: Channel 3. We want to know why. -Why are you attempting something so dangerous? -FEMALE REPORTER: Why now? There is no why. Just, uh, because, uh... um, when I see a beautiful place to put my wire, I cannot resist. Later in the day, 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 that there is. And when Papa Rudy's angry, he's deadly angry. But when Papa Rudy's happy, his dogs get a double ration of food. The most fantastic moment for me was when I saw you answered my shooting signal. At that moment, I knew the coup would be a success. What you mean? We almost lost the arrow. It was on the edge of the building. No. It was exactly where I was aiming. Ah, so you admit it? You wanted to see him in his birthday suit. (chatter, laughter) OK. OK, OK. I would like to make a toast now. To all of you, my accomplices. I know I can be a... a bit difficult... -(low groans, chuckles) -Ouais. -...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 honour, I thank you. -Allez, sante. -Sante. -Sante. You mean 'cheers.' -(laughter) -Cheers. Cheers! Look at that. I mean, we did it, Philippe. 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. You know every New Yorker I talk to now says they love these towers? Perhaps you've brought them to life, given them a soul. Jean-Louis and Jeff, soon afterward they returned to France. But I stayed. I was proud to become a New Yorker. Now, in order to stay, I had to pay my debt to society, so a judge mandated that I perform a free walk in Central Park. And of course, I was happy to do this. Annie... sadly, Annie returned to France. (Philippe sighs) You accomplished your dream. It's time for me to find mine. Annie... Thank you. For everything. I'm glad the towers called you. -That was incredible. Just don't do that again. -No, never. (laughter) And you remember Guy Tozzoli from the press conference, one of the men behind the creation of the towers. He loved the walk, and he gave me a pass to the observation deck, so I could go anytime I wanted. And I went there many times alone. I would find myself there, looking at the void, to see how the thought comes back, how the feeling returns. Because it was... it was a beautiful day. And you know this pass I was given. Well, these passes, they have a date on them, a date when they expire, but on my pass, Mr Tozzoli, he crossed out the date... and he wrote on it ` 'Forever.' Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Able 2020