When the Shooting Stops...the Cutting Begins: A Film Editor's Story

by Ralph Rosenblum, R. Karen

The story of one of the most important and least-understood jobs in moviemaking—film editing—is here told by one of the wizards, Ralph Rosenblum, whose credentials include six Woody Allen films, as well as The Pawnbroker, The Producers, and Goodbye, Columbus. Rosenblum and journalist Robert Karen have written both a history of the profession and a personal account, a highly entertaining, instructive, and revelatory book that will make any reader a more aware movie-viewer.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Memoir, Autobiography, History, Art

310 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 1979

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in the grammar and authorship of film, you should definitely check this book out. Ralph Rosenblum was in charge of editing many of the memorable movies which emerged from New York City in the late'60's and early '70's--"A Thousand Clowns," "Long Day's Journey into Night," "The Pawnbroker," "The Producers," and all of Woody Allen's features from "Take the Money and Run" to "Annie Hall."

As you might have guessed, he quarrels with the "auteur theory" (which asserts that the director is inevitably the sole author of the finished film), not only because of its cavalier disregard for the contribution of the editor, but because this disregard results not only in a distorted view of the process itself, but also in an inflated conception by the director of his own role, intensifying both his insecurities and his ego.

The book begins with a fascinating account of the editing of "The Night They Raided Minsky's," which Rosenblum says he rescued from disaster by creating a nostalgic atmosphere through an innovative uses of stock footage and music. I believe him, and "Minsky's" helps make the persuasive case for the crucial and creative role of the editor.

After the "Minsky's" introduction, "When the Shooting Stops" shifts back and forth between autobiographical chapters and chapters on the history of film editing. The alternation breaks up the complementary narratives effectively, and I learned many things from this first third.

The last two-thirds, however, is the core of the book. Here Rosenblum describes in detail--sometimes shot by shot--how the final version of most of the films listed above were put together, and what he learned about the art of editing by working on them.

I would recommend reading the whole book, but if you don't wish to, please read at least read the "Minsky's" chapter--a classic account of how to rescue a bad film--and the absolutely essential chapter on Woody Allen's "Annie Hall." Apparently the film as shot was nothing like the final product; instead, it was a mishmash of existential jokes, boyhood memories, day dreams and nightmares (including an actual visit to the circles of Hell), with a few charming scenes of Diane Keaton thrown in. Rosenblum shows us how both he and Allen examined the raw footage, and how the story of shy Midwestern Annie soon began to emerge. I'm a big Woody Allen fan-- and I have to admit that this look at one of the greatest works of a genuine "auteur" has caused me to watch films a little differently than I watched them before.

Oh, and as far as the directors he worked with are concerned (because I know this is what you really want to know): Rosenblum hated Mel Brooks and Friedkin (he really hated Friedkin) and loved Lumet and Allen, who he considers true professionals who also respected their editors as fellow professionals, and never let their egos get in the way of the collaborative process which is necessary if a film is to emerge as a fully realized work of art.

[Sketchbook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collaborative art, successful filmmaking depends on your
film editor, cinematographer, along with talent and script.
The director supervises the celluloid circus and often has
an overall vision like Hitchcock. (Today every nitwit wants
to be called an "auteur"). The film editor is the star of an
anonymous world -- and that's where the industry wants
him (or her) to stay.

This challenging memoir by a top editor details how footage
is selected, tightened, paced, arranged, embellished and, in
some cases, is given artificial respiration. We realize, given
vivid details, how edit techniques further separate filmmaking
fr producing a play.

Ralph Rosenblum explains how "The Producers" almost unraveled because Mel Brooks was afraid to delegate authority and was incapable of generating team spirit. Woody Allen's award-winner, "Annie Hall," was initially a collection of "bits and pieces that seemed to defy continuity."

An exceedingly lively story, here's an inside look at the magic that can happen during editing -- provided the raw material is there. It goes beyond film students and buffs. It should be read by anyone who likes movies and wants to know more. I also believe this book is one of a kind.

[Rex New · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely review things, but it's been a while since a book made such an impression on me. This is a great memoir by Woody Allen's first editor (from TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN to INTERIORS). Ralph also had a fascinating life--he got one of his first big breaks as an assistant editor on LOUISIANA STORY, amongst other things, and reading about Robert Flaherty was fascinating to me, too.

An absolute must-read for any Woody Allen fan (the account of editing ANNIE HALL is fascinating), anyone who wants to get into the movie business (not even just editing), and really anyone who just likes movies and is curious to see how they work. Seriously, this guy edited THE PRODUCERS too. I can't recommend it enough.

[Chuck Kollars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable and interesting description of what working on films is really like. Also a much more detailed description than usual of what "film editing" is all about, and the relationship between a director and an editor.

It's not terribly long, and it's not written in any obscure style, so it's an easy read. I find it interesting that although I (and apparently most others) have never even heard of it, it was quite popular at the time of its initial publication.

Sort of a "memoir" of one person's life of working with films, in this case as a film editor. A straight description, not a "tell-all" (although a few may see it that way because the author can be somewhat blunt and the editing was fairly light).

While always retaining its focus on the author's work, it alludes fairly frequently to his private life too.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be more about the craft of editing itself but as the subtitle “A Film Editor’s Story” indicates, this is mainly a memoir about Rosenblum’s career. There are tidbits about editing theory here and there but it’s mostly an autobiography with some light celebrity gossip (Mel Brooks was apparently a jerk on the set of The Producers). I don’t care about Rosenblum’s childhood or his mopey feelings about being in a profession that doesn’t get public recognition. I wanted more about editing theory! Anyway, my main takeaway is an affirmation of my belief that everyone in the film industry is convinced that their specific role is what makes the picture, regardless of how much they protest that it’s a collaborative art.

[Michał · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a shame I'm not familiar with Ralph Rosenblum's body of work but his evocative writing was enough to describe the cuts he incorporated in his films. I'm not sure how interesting the book would be to a non-editor but there's definitely some choice bits about the relationship between an editor and director and the general rules of storytelling. Ralph has a lot of stories to tell and no filter.

[cp · Rating 3 out of 5]

A film editor’s memoir written 40+ years ago. Today the written word is an unsatisfying way of conveying the art of editing. However, it did result in me tracking down copies of ‘The Night they Raided Minskie’s’ and ‘The Pawnbroker’, and it was fascinating to read how some well-known films gradually emerged in their finished form.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner by an artist at the top of his game. Rightly praised for the chapters on Annie Hall, the book is in fact fascinating from start to finish, as the authors relentlessly build the argument that a film is "made" in the cutting room--you get to see how, with a clarity rarely seen in books on filmmaking. And if the stories do not convince you that editing is the primary function responsible for driving a story forward, the pace of the book will.

[Scott Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books about movie making I have read. Editing may sound like a boring topic but Rosenblum's accounts of the movies he's worked on are simply fascinating. A must read for any film buff.

[Jason Béliveau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les chapitres sur sa collaboration avec Woody Allen sont excellents. Remet le montage à l'avant-plan.

[Outgribing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting information here on mid 20th century editing. Be forewarned that some rough slurs are used pretty casually.

[J. Gaudet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Primer in understanding the film editing process.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone who cares about movies and how they are made.

[Phillip Ramm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended by Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews podcast on BBC 5Live. The most knowledgeable (Mark) and witty (Simon) podcast you could imagine - I recommend that everyone become members of their Church Of Wittertaintment.

Anyway, after reading this book you'll never look at a movie and say "What a great director!" ever again. And when they bring out "The Director's Cut" you'll merely laugh, and wonder what the film editor has done this time. You should only look at a good movie and say "What an excellent team of experts brought what could a been a piece of drivel to life."

The movies that Rosenblum edited and talks about in this book are from the the beginning of film editing (mutiple shots and close ups for a single scene) up to the late 70's. His own films include such classics you might have forgotten as The Pawnbroker, Goodbye Columbus and the early Woody Allen comedies, but that is no. He talks about pacing and the emotional effects of the way a scene is put together, the importance of whittling away what is extraneous to the plot, to the character, to the feeling and mood of the film.

He describes how time and time again he was asked to save a terrible mess, usually thanks to either the director's arrogance or to his ignorance, and forge an innovative successful movie using tricks like using stock footage and innovative intercutting techniques to bring drama to lifeless reels of wooden acting and bad directorial decisions. Some of these tricks would be just a button press or a mouse click in our digital world, but that wouldn't detract from the power in the hands of clever, interested, artistic and tragically under-credited film editor.

The Cult of the Director is something we should never get sucked into.

[Aaron Haspel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosenblum edited many famous movies, including The Pawnbroker, The Producers, A Thousand Clowns, Annie Hall (each of which gets a chapter), and half a dozen other Woody Allen films. It is especially enlightening to read Rosenblum's account of editing a movie that you already know well, and the book in general is highly informative. My favorite bit; Rosenblum is talking about his stint making propaganda films for the Office of War Information: "Once when I brought him a script, I asked Max [another editor:] how he managed to find just the right piece of music for the propaganda films he was scoring. Max pointed to five records and said, 'This is my whole music library.' The library consisted of Tchaikovsky's Sixth and Fourth Symphonies, Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, and Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto."

The book is frank about directors (Woody Allen is a prince, William Friedkin and Mel Brooks are assholes, Sidney Lumet didn't leave him enough to do) to the point of being resentful and a bit self-aggrandizing. But you learn an awful lot about film editing.

[Tate Quinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read that this was a classic-or at least must read-book about the movies. Because of those assumptions I was a little disappointed but it is still a worthwhile read. Rosenblum is most famous for editing Woody Allen's first six films (through Interiors) and he gives a detailed and convincing account of what an editor does (or at least did up through the 70's). He goes through the editing process on a number of films that he worked on, including Annie Hall, which in popular lore was an initially an unwieldy, unfocused mess until Woody focused the narrative on his character's relationship with the titular character. Me thinks that Ralph gives himself a little to much credit for the final shape and success of the movie but its his autobiography so I will cut him some slack. He also seems to be frank in the assessment of the people he worked with (for example, the woodman was a mensch, William Friedkin and Mel Brooks were dicks. I'm sure Friedkin's own mother thinks he's a dick.) One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book is that Rosenblum is honest about the chip on shoulder he has over what he feels is the lack of respect editors get and that anger gives the book an edge.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosenblum edited feature films from the late 50s until early 80s, and is most noted for his collaborative efforts with Woody Allen in the 1970s. But his most interesting stories in the book are from a decade earlier when he was still experimenting. Though, I have only seen about half of the movies Rosenblum writes of, it makes the stories no less fascinating.

Rosenblum's major accomplishment in the book is to shed light on the importance of the film editor in motion pictures. He's not wrong in stating that their efforts have been largely ignored by critics and the public at large. What's interesting is that the editor as an influence in film is rarely even discussed by film critics and historians. It's probably because people are largely unsure of what an editor's true contributions are to any one motion picture.

Through the course of the book, Rosenblum takes apart THE RAID ON MINSKY'S, THE PAWNBROKER, and ANNIE HALL in depth. He also gives examples of how much an initial cut of a film can differ from the final cut.

I found the book quite informative, and learned more about film editing than I had expected.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read for any editor and/or fan of Woody Allen. The early parts about the history of editing read like a textbook and I reacted understandably bored. But once Rosenblum talks about all the early Woody Allen films, he worked on, things pick up steam. Annie Hall would have won the editing Oscar if the Academy knew what Rosenblum had to start with. Other chapters concerning other films are interesting but the Annie Hall section is the primary reason to read this book. It's a reminder that editing is not about how many flashy cuts you can get into five minutes but how a film is really made in the cutting room.

[Marc Maxmeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good, personal account of how a film editor brings a terrible pile of footage from the brink if suckitude. He talks about "The night they raided Minsky's" shot by shot, and I felt inspired to go edit my Nanowrimo drafts. I realized from his account of editing film that there's a lot more flexibility to get to the heart of something. Just because a scene falls short doesn't mean the game is over - he provides lots of ideas on how to recover the essence, and inject some clever originality into the film in the process.

[Paul Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book by the man who edited most of the great Woody Allen movies in the 70's, as well as other notable films such as THE PAWNBROKER and THE PRODUCERS. Rosenblum's brutally honest, and personal take on his life, and his dealings with both calm (Woody Allen, Sidney Lumet), and temperamental (Mel Brooks, William Friedkin) movie directors is a fun read. Better still, Rosenblum and Karen also provide an in-depth look at the history of film editing, and give the reader great insight into what exactly film editing is, and what it is not.

[m. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosenblum's career autobiography sheds great light onto the film-making process, truly establishing how vital and overlooked the role of film editor is - through the recounting of the making and shaping of several key films of his professional life he demonstrates how his own career progressed and how collaborative the film-making process is, even when dealing with auteurs such as Woody Allen.

An essential film book.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several chapters outline Rosenblum's process editing specific films - generally ones which were transformed through editing. These are really engrossing - especially the chapter on Annie Hall. Other chapters veer into the history of editing and Rosenblum's personal autobiography, blurring the overall focus.

[Amy Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you believe Rosenblum, HE was responsible for the success of Annie Hall -- not Woody Allen. I found the whole story to be self-serving & self-inflating. Not really recommended unless you are really into film editing.

[Betsy G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wondeful book that has the back story behind the making of some of the best films ever, including Annie Hall and The Producers.

[Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting memoir about the life of a movie editor.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting account of the film editing process, by a guy who worked with Woody Allen on some of his classic films (like Annie Hall).

[jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Anona]

made me want to be an editor

[Nick Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to a rarely-understood craft, by one of its greatest masters. Also filled with its fair share of gossip and background material for familiar classics.

[Chris Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review at: http://www.5wc.co.uk/blog/book/when-t...