Fine Cuts: Interviews on the Practice of European Film Editing

by Roger Crittenden

In the expanded second edition of Fine Cuts , Roger Crittenden reveals the experiences of the greatest European film editors through his warm and perceptive interviews. This new edition builds on the foundations laid out in 2005, including interviews with the editors of films such as Day for Night , The Sacrifice , The Kid with a Bike , and Fanny and Alexander ; new interviews with editors of such films as Tyrannosaur and The Other Side of Hope ; and editors from a wider range of countries, including Austria, Belgium, Finland, Portugal, and Russia. The book now embraces all aspects of post-production, with insights into sound editing from Larry Sider , originator of the renowned School of Sound, and music composition from Oscar winner Dario Marianelli (Atonement). Editors relate their experiences with directors Each interview also includes a list of cited and notable films for further study. An online eResource contains additional interviews with editors Sabine Mamou , Agnès Guillemot , and Nino Baragli .

Genres: Film

330 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consists of about thirty interviews with a number of editors who have cut films for British and continental European directors, for example Agnès Guillemot (who worked for Godard and Truffaut), Michal Leszczylowski (who cut Tarkovsky’s Offret), Takis Yannopoulos (Theodoros Angelopoulos), Tony Lawson (Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon).

The interviews vary greatly in how in-depth they get on the process by which famous films were made. Some of these editors were interviewed many years after they worked on the great films, and they are unable to offer more than just a personal credo of the editor’s role. Other editors are able to recount specific moments in the films on which they worked and to describe in detail the agonizing choices that had to be made. This book did however leave me with an appreciation of the editor’s role in the final film, though these figures are relatively unsung compared to the directors.