Man on Wire Achieves the Impossible at Edinburgh Film Festival

It's Day 8 of the Edinburgh Film Festival and time for another blog around the block. Yesterday proved to be a more fruitful venture with two great films in a row and a rain sodden rooftop party for the festival to thank Scottish Screen (the government funded agency for film in Scotland) for its continued support

, and where Scottish Culture Minister Linda Fabiani also announced a Scottish Government adrenaline shot of an extra £60,000 to assist the running of the event. And over there in the corner, framed against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle was none other than Monsieur James Bond.

Everyone attending the party was described during a welcoming announcement as 'Scotland's leading lights', 'the cream of the crop,' and 'artistic geniuses' by the hosts, so I was rather chuffed to have my credentials recognised and broadcast to the world. I breathed on my fist, polished my lapel and went outside onto the balcony for a celebratory moment, adopted a cool pose leaning against the glass wall, gazed off toward the Pentland Hills and thought to myself...gosh, it's really quite cold and wet out here. I'm sure everyone else was thinking - who's that idiot out there in the wind and rain? Now, to more important matters:

The press screening of Man on Wire was jam-packed like no other I've seen so far (although I suspect tomorrow morning's Wall-E screening will be very popular too). Man on Wire is truly astonishing.

The wonder and awe the film generates isn't so much the filmmaker's genius though director James Marsh's talents aren't in doubt - he's crafted and constructed a fine documentary - it's the archive and stock footage and subject matter that leaves one breathless.

His subject, Philippe Petit, is a former street entertainer with juggling and acrobatic skills who one day in his early life suddenly felt compelled to become not only a wire walker but a outrageously and dangerously daredevil one too. After secretly and illegally crossing across the rooftop of Notre Dame during a religeous ceremony and later strolling over the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge he began to plot a way of crossing at a height of around 1400 feet between the tops of the twin towers of The World Trade Centre, before it had even been built.

Years in planning, the film draws the viewer in as an enthusiastic co-conspirator into this hare-brained scheme and the film delivers through archive footage, Petit's own photographs and research, stock footage of New York and talking head interviews.

Director Marsh also impressively reconstructs the interiors of floors of the WTC during its construction phase to show how Petit and his gang snuck the materials they required into the building and managed to avoid the night guards in order to attempt the impossible.

One thing this film may prove to be is a tonic to New Yorkers and Americans world-weary over harrowing images of the towers' demise. Here the tragedy that felled them is never mentioned. The images of the towers speak for themselves. But the beauty of this film is that you eventually just see the buildings as these magnificent structures in Petit's crazy world, they are resurrected anew through this film with magical purpose.

At the end, Petit's daredevil act is perceived with near spiritual and religious mania by those who witnessed it including the policemen who arrested him for 'tresspassing'. Now I wont say anymore, I don't want to reveal too many details, but will just say that if you can get a ticket for either of Thursday or Friday night's performances then dont miss the opportunity. It's moving, it's funny and it's uplifting - a fairytale that turns out to be true. Philippe Petit will be attending the screenings.

I also had the good fortune to catch up on Duane Hopkins debut feature Better Things. This is also a remarkable film that I will discuss in my next blog, but I'll just say I thought the film was a few whiskers shy of a masterpiece. Hopkins is a singularly visionary talent. I have to sign off now to catch another Michael Powell contender - Helen, a psychological drama by directors Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor. Watch this space.

A small side note - yesterday's Surprise Movie was apparently The Rocker, directed by Peter (The Full Monty) Cattaneo, a comedy starring Rainn Wilson and Josh Gad about a failed drummer who's given a second chance at fame. It sounds like the perfect vehicle for Jack Black but he was probably busy voicing a fat panda instead. I can't tell you anymore than that unfortunately as I was watching Sir Sean framed against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.