The Top 10 EDITED Films Ever - Videos Included (of course!) #1 to #5
April 19th 2007 14:25
There has been a spate of Top Ten Film lists here on Orble in recent days. Not to be outdone by JohnDoe, Cibbuano, or Bryn, I have decided to compile my own top ten list – with a distinctly yoda76 twist.
Being a film and TV editor by trade, I have compiled the Top Ten EDITED films of all time according to yours truly.
I must say that sitting down to rank these films in a top ten hierarchy is a process akin to asking me to pick which one of my children is my favourite. But I have pressed on and here’s what I’ve come up with.
And asking me to write about editing is like… well… this could take a while – take a deep breath:
[Warning: Some of these videos are certainly NOT for the easily offended]
#1 - Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet (1996)
Edited by Jill Bilcock ASE
It was an infinitesimal margin between 1 and 2, and this film just won out by virtue of being edited by an Australian.
Jill Bilcock is, in this humble punter’s opinion, probably THE greatest editor this country has seen. The masterful touch of Jill’s cutting is all over this film, from the outrageously relentless sledgehammer of an opening, to the beautiful exchange between Romeo and Juliet through the fishtank.
This film erupts in colour, and I get a distinct feeling that with Jill’s awesome editing prowess, Baz would have had an avalanche of coverage for his scenes with which to scratch his head. Roping in a film like this and keeping it under control for the full 90 minutes is a difficult feat, and Jill makes it feel like a carnival ride where you’re never quite sure if everything is about to go wrong.
This DVD is the one I pull off the shelf if I’m feeling bummed about my work or am in need of some editing inspiration – the first 5 minutes alone is like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart.
The Opening Scene (for me it extends longer than this to the first confrontation at the gas station, but this is all I could find):
#2 - Goodfellas (1990)
Edited by Thelma Schoonmaker
If Romeo and Juliet is an adrenaline shot to the heart, then Goodfellas is the lifeblood that courses through this editor’s veins.
Martin Scorsese’s tale of mobster life is a masterpiece of modern filmmaking in just about every way, from the elusive freeze-frame editing of Henry Hill’s wedding scene to the ridiculously long steadicam shot that follows Henry and Karen from the car, in through the club kitchen and out to the restaurant where their table magically appears for them.
This is the first movie I watched that made me sit up and take notice, and there was something in there that made me acutely aware of the fact that someone was in control here – there was a filmmaker at the helm.
The impeccable use of music combined with the intricate pace of the editing create an amazing spectacle that reflect the mood of each and every scene perfectly, while all the while being a non-stop freefall – there is no stopping this film until it reaches it’s conclusion, the cocaine sequence towards the end being the point at which the safety lines are well and truly severed.
Whoa.
Henry Hill’s last day as a Gangster:
#3 - JFK (1991)
Edited by Joe Hutshing, Pietro Scalia
For JFK, Director Oliver Stone worked with an editing department with a solid grounding in editing television commercials. And it shows. In the sprawling 3 hour marathon that is this film, the editors don’t leave you hanging on any shots long enough to get bored.
From the complex interweaving of archival footage and purpose-shot material, to the dynamic flashback sequences that illustrate the points being made verbally (bordering on narration), Hutshing and Scalia have masterfully revealed Stone’s intricate conspiracy theory in a way which is easily followed. No mean feat considering how many people and organizations were meant to be involved, and the huge presence of talented actors fighting for the screen at any given moment.
The intro to Oilver Stone’s JFK:
#4 -Raging Bull (1980)
Edited by Thelma Schoonmaker
I know, I know, it’s another Scorsese / Schoonmaker collaboration. It won’t be the last either (on this list or in real life).
Raging Bull is about as hard to watch as it gets in my opinion. Long static shots between Robert De Niro and Cathy Moriarty, and intense sequences between De Niro and his onscreen brother Joe Pesci really make me want to look away.
The editing in this film provides an unrelenting eye. It often resists the temptation of cutting away to close-ups in favour of letting the scene unravel before your eyes – within the frame. One of the most valuable instincts an editor can have is to know when NOT to cut. By leaving us hanging on the wide shots, Schoonmaker draws us into the scene, not just as an audience, but as a spectating bystander, watching uneasily as Jake beats his wife, or scuffled with his brother.
Nowhere is the trickery of editing for performance better employed than in the scene between Pesci and De Niro where Pesci is accused of sleeping with De Niro’s wife. The line in the film:
“Did you f*ck my wife?”
The line De Niro used to get Pesci’s reaction:
“Did you f*ck your mother?”
I won’t even start on the boxing scenes – this film is on the must-see list for film buffs, aspiring directors, wannabe actors, and budding editors.
This is a scene in which Jake La Motta (De Niro) confronts his wife whom he suspects of having an affair. Note the long shots – no close-ups, and the messy shots through the table and with objects in the way. It doesn’t feel like a film – it’s like you’re there watching:
#5 -Casino (1995)
Edited by Thelma Schoonmaker
Anyone else seeing a pattern here ;o)
Casino is about movement. It is all about movement. When there isn’t movement, it’s about a lack of movement.
When you can watch Sharon Stone crossing a room and she ends up at the other side in a different room – and you didn’t notice? That’s when you know the editor has you by the short and curlies.
One of my favourite moments is the description of who’s watching who on the Casino floor – the cuts are so smooth you could swear it’s one shot. Nice.
Here’s another perfect example of the use of movement in Casino:
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Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
so which one [of your children] is your favourite?
Martin Scorsese...
;o)
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Here are a few of my favourite editors and choices for best editing ever.
Dede Allen- Dog Day Afternoon and Bonnie and Clyde
Walter Murch- Apocalypse Now and The Conversation
Brian Berdand and Hank Corwin- Natural Born Killers
Ray LoveJoy- 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Aliens
George Tomasini-Psycho, Cape Fear, Vertigo, The Time Machine
Lou Lombardo- The Wild Bunch, McCabe and Mrs Miller
James Haygood - Fight Club
Thatll do for now...a few off teh top of my head that have stuck with me.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
some excellent picks there ... however ... i have a bone to pick with Schoonmaker ...
I found some glaring continuity errors through editing in both Gangs of New York and The Aviator ... enough for me to wonder what on earth Scorsese and her were doing in the editing suite? Did they not have enough material to fix these reverse angle problems? I mean I thought Scorsese was a perfectionist??? I'm talking about drink in hand, cut back quickly drink gone, conspicuous hair movement, cigerette placement, that kind of thing. I'm a stickler myself (I was also an editor's assistant myself to the great NZ editor Mike "hacker" Horton who cut The Quiet Earth, Once Were Warriors, Utu ... )
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
See, I'm not the only one, he he...
The video of JFK stop a few seconds too short. If I remember correctly the next shot after the birds flying off the building is watching Kennedy's car speed off. You don't actually get to see Kennedy get shot.
You don't see the assassination until the courtroom scene at the end right?
There's a whole other discussion about the power of not seeing anything. Reservoir Dogs, Once Were Warriors.
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
Thanks!
Dede Allen- another master. Anything she put her hand to was executed well.
Apocalypse Now - which version? If this list was for scenes rather than films overall, the opening scene would be there - rather high up, and The Conversation - good call.
Natural Born Killers I haven't seen since Uni. Might be time to revisit that one...
Fight Club is another corker - like I said, picking 10 was very hard... there's also Se7en, Idiot Box... I better not start...
;o)
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
Bryn,
Ex-Editor Mrs M and I have this argument all the time. Often during Marty's films ;o)
Thing is, there is a time for continuity and a time where it can be disregarded. Editing is all about trickery and sleight of hand - and eye-trace is all about that. Most times I don't notice the minor continuity fluffs, but Mrs M catches them every time.
Mind you - the clangers that bother me often go unnoticed, so there you go!
And also, there are films like "Any Given Sunday" that abandon any effort to maintain continuity (of the "drink-in-hand ilk)... that are superb. It's about the performance, and accentuating the right lines or movements for me..
Are you still in film or tv these days?
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
Yup. Unfortunately these are the clips I could find...
As for what you don't see being powerful - absolutely. You gotta know when not to cut, and when not to show ;o)
Comment by Nina
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
;o)
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I'm also the person who catches the boom in shot too. Even though I'm not looking for it. Sometimes that so pisses me off, that I've spotted it, and others haven't. Cos I really didn't want to, when I've been enjoying the film.
David Fincher's editor in Fight Club did a fantastic job. Just off the top of my head.
Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
great blog! Loved your review and all the clips...sat here a long time watching them lol...
Keep up the good work! Kudos on the blog..
Take care,
Nick
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
Like Oliver Stone, Fincher tends to work with awesome editors. Se7en was cut by another australian, Richard Francis-Bruce (how dare he hog all the first names like that??)
Nickoftime
Keep up the good work! Kudos on the blog..
Thanks, and thanks for dropping by!
Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
(Loved De Niro's style in this...)
My best friend is a Director who edits his own films so I'm biased....maybe...but I do feel Editors make the best Directors.
They truly do see the Big Picture.
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
Ooh... big call...
It can get very hard to maintain perspective in both roles - one of the things that is very easy to do as an editor not involved in the shoot is to scrap a shot that isn't working in the cut, regardless of how much blood sweat and tears went into making it happen. You have the benefit of perspective, and no emotional involvement AROUND the frame...
Having said that, I am currently directing something for the first time in 4 years after having done nothing but editing - and I've learnt plenty from watching camera tape after camera tape... I'm much better than I was!!