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.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
The Inside Scoop on Editing, November 10, 2008
By
D. OlingerA fun read, the book could be re-titled, THE CREATING OF ANNIE HALL. Robenblum explains how the Allen's icon of the 70s changed in the editing room from clutter to the paradigm of the modern romance/comedy. Other Allen movies are discussed in detail and the craft of editing is laid out between the lines.
A Filmmaking Insider Talks About His Craft, August 22, 2001
By
Dave Millman (San Jose, CA USA)
This is a fascinating look inside filmmaking. Most of the examples are from the 1960s and 1970s, but that does not lessen the impact or relevance.
The author is a master of the film editing craft. He also writes with insight and emotion. As you read, you'll learn how a film is "cut", how a film evolves, and what makes a film "work."
This book deserves a place in the bookcase of any student of the filmmaking art or craft.
A veteren film editor shares his life, August 7, 2000
By
Thomas Stamper (Orlando, FL)
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.
