In a medium dominated by spectacle, a movie about a man walking back and forth turned out to be one of the most breathtaking experiences of 2015. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in The Walk, the latest film from director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump), and he plays legendary tightrope walker Philippe Petit who, in 1974, snuck into the World Trade Center and tied a rope between the Twin Towers. Then he walked across the wire, over and over again, without the aid of a net.
It’s a bizarre yet true story, previously chronicled in the Oscar-winning documentary Man on Wire. But Zemeckis’s film puts the audience on the wire with Petit, creating a singular perspective. So singular, in fact, that only one man in history has ever experienced it in person. The Walk so beautifully captured his journey, back and forth, that it wound up on our list of The 15 Best Movies of 2015.
Now, you can experience The Walk for yourselves on home video, and although that will never quite capture the majesty of watching this movie in IMAX 3D, we heartily recommend you pick up this disc anyway. Today, we are also happy to present this exclusive clip from The Walk‘s special features, in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt explains why tightrope walking – of all things – became an inspiration, and why Petit’s stunt remains so important to this day. Check it out below.
Related: The 15 Best Movies of 2015 | Hallucinations and High Octane
The Walk is now available on two-disc 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. You can also download The Walk Virtual Reality Experience App, which can be used in conjunction with Merge VR Goggles to put you in Philippe Petit’s shoes, on his wire.
From the Press Release:
Academy Award® winning Director Robert Zemeckis, (Best Director, Forrest Gump, 1994) uses cutting edge technology to bring to life the true story of THE WALK, debuting on Digital HD Dec. 22 and on Two-Disc 3D Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray and DVD Jan. 5 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) stars as Philippe Petit, a young dreamer who brings together a band of unlikely recruits to achieve the impossible: a wire walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. With little more than nerve and blind ambition, Petit and his ragtag crew overcome daunting physical obstacles, betrayals, countless close calls and overwhelming odds to beat the system and execute their mad plan. THE WALK also stars Academy Award® winner Sir Ben Kingsley (Best Actor, Gandhi, 1982), Charlotte Le Bon (Yves Saint Laurent), James Badge Dale (World War Z) and Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”).
Bonus materials on THE WALK 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD include the featurette “Pillars of Support,” which spotlights the characters portrayed in the film by Sir Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale and Charlotte Le Bon. The 3D Blu-ray and the Blu-ray are exclusively loaded with additional bonus materials, including deleted scenes and two behind-the-scenes featurettes. In “First Steps,” viewers witness Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s first steps on the wire during pre-production, as he learns to “walk the rope” from the legendary Philippe Petit. Viewers also hear the actor and his mentor speak to the physical and mental skills required to master this incredible skill. “The Amazing Walk” is a three-part series that breaks down “the walk.” In addition, the featurette touches on the epic recreation of the Twin Towers and their role as a character in the film.
Synopsis:
Twelve men have walked on the moon, but only one man – Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – has ever walked in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Academy Award®-winning director Robert Zemeckis (Best Director, Forrest Gump, 1994) uses advanced technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. THE WALK is a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the towers of the World Trade Center.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Robert Zemeckis & Christopher Browne, THE WALK was produced by Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke. Cherylanne Martin, Jacqueline Levine and Ben Waisbren served as executive producers.
Blu-ray™ & DVD Bonus Materials Include:
- “Pillars of Support” Featurette
Blu-ray™ Exclusive Bonus Materials Include:
- Deleted Scenes
- Two Featurettes:
- “First Steps”
- “The Amazing Walk”
