The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

This is a must see documentary for any serious film buff. For all you folks out there that dismiss older films, you may be surprised by your favorite directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron praising the magnificence of silent films and many classics. Without these classics and the skill involved in making them, today's movies wouldn't be what they are. A brilliant and informative documentary. It very thoroughly explores a movie art form that is often not understood and certainly unappreciated. The editing of a film is very instrumental in its success. However, not many people appreciate it.

This is a first-rate job of work, one of the best documentaries on film-making that I've ever seen, opening up the fascinating world of film editing by letting great editors and directors speak to us directly about the mysteries of film cutting--supported by illuminating examples drawn from real films. I can't praise too highly the thoughtful choice of speakers, from Thelma to Dede to Walter Murch and on down the line. Nice to see director Joe Dante too. I was particularly pleased at the inclusion of early film editing examples, such as Dziga Vertov's Man With a Movie Camera and, of course, the down-the-stairs sequence from Potemkin. (The film includes a few sequences from later films that echo the Potemkin sequence, but I bet there's at least five examples they missed!) Bravo! Michael Goodwin

Do you know of the importance of the Film Editor to making a great film or to leave the best on the cutting room floor? Did you know that Spielberg & Scorcese will not let any Actor into the Cutting Room (but that Sean Penn will do so)....that earlier there were "Basic Rules" to editing but that the rules went asunder under the French "New Wave"! PLEASE: Ignore the low score and note that almost all viewers gave this documentary either a TEN or a one....and we all know that there is a small percentage of IMDb'ers that truly HATE films and will do anything in their zeal to burn their path of ignorance behind them in an effort to bring everyone to their level of ignorance. How sad to disdain our basic need to learn about life and specifically to learn about what make a Great Film what it will become.

This documentary is a general overview of how film cutters evolved into film editors and took their place among the giants of the film industry.

We are introduced to methods and philosophies used down through the ages and the metamorphosis from celluloid to digital recordings.

As informative as this documentary is it suffers from sound-bite-itus instead of concentrating on one person or thought, we are leaped back and forth through a collage of people, techniques, and time. This method of presentation can become quite boring after a time. Still, the documentary (that only shows highlights and nothing practical) is worth viewing.

Very fine feature length documentary lurking amidst the extras on my Bullitt Blu-ray disc. Little direct relevance to that film except that it did win an Oscar for editing and we do get to see some of the famous car chase. But never mind, all the better for not being directly related for this is a far reaching and informative piece. Kathy Bates narrates the early b/w footage and informs us that women were the first editors. It was considered somewhat related to sewing and stitching we are told and therefore appropriately relegated to ladies until sound came in and men had to be involved because that was far too technical. Before we have a chance to remonstrate we have Tarantino introducing his beloved editor Sally Menke and all is sweet and light. I had never seen Menke or fellow editors Walter Much, Craig McKay and others before and cannot even recall seeing Alexander Payne, Joe Dante or Lawrence Kasden, three of the numerous directors who also put in their pennies worth plus great little anecdotes. Informative, fast moving, colourful and of course, well edited.