Psycho---Ricky Leighton

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is renowned by film critics for it's uniquely edited sequences. While the editing techniques build suspense and terrify the audience, the editing also allows the magnitude of the material to come through and scare the audience with unconventional cuts and angles. Through out the entire film, the editing allows the content of the narrative to seep through and scare audiences simply by freaking them out.
For instance, in the often analyzed shower sequence in which not one bare breast or knife plunge is shown, the editing focuses on other elements of the situation to create scare tactics. The sequence shows the blood dripping down the drain and the blurry figure through the shower curtain. All of these shots depict what it would really be like to be attacked in the shower. The shots don't include prosetic skin being torn apart by a prop knife. Instead, the sequence steers away from these fake elements and uses the reality of the situation to horrify onlookers.
When the Private Investigator is interrogating Norman Bates about Marie Crane, the shots remain fairly standard, switching back and forth from shot reverse shot to two shots. Then once the Investigator breaks into the house, the shot becomes a high angle and only depicts the PI walking up the stairs and the light shining through the doorway. The PI creeps up the stairs and the editing allows the drama to become tense and gradually build up. During the attack scene, the stabbing doesn't become too gory and again focuses on the length of the knife and the look of terror across the man's face. The editors choice to remain on the PI's face is an attempt at allowing the audience to understand what it would really feel like to be in that circumstance.
The best part about Psycho is that the context of the story allows all of the murders and the psychological status of Norman Bates to feel realistic. This causes the material to hit home and strike a specific chord in the audience. Everyone knows what it's like to be tempted by money, to drive in a terrible storm and fear the actions of someone criminally insane (even though they appear to be normal). Part of the reason why this film is priceless, is because the clever editing accents the material and provides a unique look and feel to a very distinct genre.

EDITING: LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS

There are many different approaches and techniques in editing a film and certain choices are made that greatly affect the presentation of the material. Lesbian Vampire Killers is a quirky and comedic play on a classic horror concept. Through the use of stylized cutting, sound effects, and pacing, this film takes on a new form as a slapstick version of a vampire thriller. Even without the comedic dialogue it would be pretty clear to an audience that this movie is not supposed to elicit real fear, anxiety, or suspense based on how it was edited. Cartoon-like sound effects accent the already exaggerated actions of the characters and the use of deadpan reveals is successful in evoking big laughs. Also, another characteristic of this film that sets it apart from the genre it is parodying is its transitions and comic-book location titles. All of these choices make this film create a sense of humor in an otherwise life threatening and terrifying circumstance.

One instance in which sound effects created a comedic play on action was the use of the “punch” noise when Fletch gestures while telling his story in reference to hitting a small child and losing his job as a clown. The sound effect takes an already absurd moment and frames it in a way that we are meant to believe the character is still quite harmless. Fletch’s pantomimed punch removes from his story, the dark truth of the crime, and replaces it with a very cartoon-like recollection of the story. Sound effects find there way into nearly every scene of this movie to exaggerate action and suspend disbelief. There are plenty of wooshing noises that signify Jimmy’s girlfriend, Judy, is in fact a vampire. The woosh we hear every time she moves is quite obviously hinting toward this.

This film does a lot of playing with cinematic time. The edit of many of the scenes affects the way we interpret a character. For instance, the priest is usually shown with a lot of sped up action because this presents him as a pro-active character. One example is when he is in his office and loads up the crossbow, his motion is accelerated to create a heightened sense of determination and immediacy of his action. This scene is presented as a call to arms moment. Another time that cinematic time is altered is for the sake of suspense. When the vampire queen, Carmilla, is being resurrected everything around the ritual is shown in slow motion with operatic gestures from the lesbian vampires and as our protagonist’s blood is being drained and mixed with that of the virgin, Lotte, music and slow-motion takes are effective in creating a boosted tension or suspense. This sequence is also intercut with fast paced shots of Fletch and the priest rushing through thick woods to come to their rescue.

Cutting is an important element in this movie as specific choices are made clear based on the reactions of the characters and hopefully the audience. Deadpan is a popular comedic editing technique. Holding on a character or characters’ reactions as they are faced with some new or strange sight before them makes the audience even more invested in what they are about to see. Prolonging this reveal and finally presenting something unexpected and out of place usually evokes laughter. For instance when Ms. Rossi is sitting on her desk, sternly addressing Fletch and we only hear his rebuttal and only see Ms. Rossi the pay off is that we’re given a hard cut to Fletch sitting, dressed in a clown suit and make up. It spins this employee-employer scene from a serious firing to reveal an absurd pretense to the entire situation. Also another important element in regards to cutting in this film is that during every fight scene we see lots of fast cutting to add more excitement and a frantic feel to these high-tension moments.

All in all, Lesbian Vampire Killers, though a genre-parody and comedic romp, is very successful at employing certain cinematic editing techniques that alter the perception and substance of the material. Everything that is funny about this film is exaggerated and played up to be even funnier because of its editing.

Editing in A Clockwork Orange.

The film A Clockwork Orange tells the story of the protagonist, Alex, an amoral teenager who takes advantage of the weak, having no concern for the laws upholding civilized society. When he is captured, Alex goes from meddling with the laws of society to being a pawn of them. In order to evade prison he undergoes aversion therapy, which involves taking drugs and watching films that produce a nauseating feeling. Editing plays a major role in his transformation, portraying Alex as villain and then as victim.

As villain, Alex displays a carefree attitude and finds excitement only through violence. The editing indicates this when a scene with Alex in a threesome is viewed in fast forward, and with slow motion glorifying him when he beats up his friends in order to take over as their leader once again.

As a pawn of the government's new technique, Alex is put on display, literally on stage, following his condition of the treatment. The shots alternate between Alex being tempted by sex and violence, the harsh glare of a spotlight, and reaction shots of the audience, making his helplessness appear as a spectacle. Following the performance, the governor and priest argue over the importance of good citizenry regardless of the human element and the importance of moral choice. These shots alternate between the two of them and Alex, who has each of their hands on his shoulders. As they dispute their ideologies, Alex sits smiling dumbly.

Several repeated shots punctuate Alex's transformation. Before Alex breaks into the writer's home and rapes his wife, an establishing shot between the road and driveway is seen with a sign reading "HOME". This shot is seen again after Alex has been left homeless and beaten up by his former friends and he comes back to this place looking for help. Also, following Alex's first night of brutality and rape, the viewer sees him sprawl out on his bed and revel in his deeds while listening to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Then, after the writer takes him in for a second time and realizes who Alex is, Alex is drugged and the film cuts to him regaining consciousness on a bed with the Ninth Symphony blasting, causing him excruciating pain.

Breathless - Editing

Jean Luc Godard’s Breathless is often heralded as the most famous or recognizable film from the French New Wave period of film history during the 1960s. Breathless is often used as the best example of French New Wave to represent all of the movement’s characteristics like existential themes or the breaking of many of film’s established rules. However, it is the editing in Breathless that sets this film apart and the clever and unique ways in which the editing conveys themes in the film.

Godard’s Breathless is almost always referenced in discussions about film editing because of the film’s use of jump cuts, or shots in which the same subject in both shots is varied slightly, giving the impression that time has “jumped” or is no longer continuous. Godard uses this technique several times in Breathless, including when main characters Michael and Patricia ride in a convertible together. As Patricia is described, jump cuts insinuate that time has passed as the audience is focused in on Patricia’s appearance. Although, some consider Godard’s jump cuts to be nothing more than simply following the orders of a producer who demanded the film be cut for the sake of running time, I believe that this editing technique is employed to accentuate the underlying themes in the film. The main character in the film, Michael is an apathetic and disconnected youth who has no regard for human compassion or life and his reckless behavior is emphasized by the editing technique in this film. The jump cuts, a discontinuous technique, suggest that the audience only see what is important in this film and at times seems reckless or irresponsible, just as Michael’s character is. For example, after Michael shoots and kills a police officer, for almost no apparent reason, a jump cut is used to show Michael in Paris, making no attempt to hide from authorities.

In summation, Godard’s Breathless will always be a great example of French New Wave, but the editing techniques in this film is what makes it legendary in film history. Jump cuts are employed in this film for an artistic and intellectual response because they represent the emotional qualities of the main character.

Punch Drunk Love

In the movie "Punch Drunk Love" the opening scene uses wide shot to establish the personality of the main character.  The wide shot captures the emptiness and the darkness of the place. The only light we see is focused on the desk of our main character Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) who is sitting at his desk. Paul Thomas Anderson chose not to use the close up shot to emphases the reflection of our main characters personality through the environment he is in, not his face. By doing so he carefully introduces Barry's lonely,closed up personality to the audience. That dark, empty office space serves as representation of Barry's escape and shelter from the outside world. When Barry stands up from his desk the camera starts to pan as he starts walking out of the frame in to the darkness. We see him opening the door and coming outside of his "box" to the reality of the bright day light. Instead of cuts between shots, the use of transition by camera panning from a total darkness to the light was used to show the dramatic shift in Barry's life. The camera starts to follow our character to the outside, moving behind his back with a wide angle shot. Very carefully placed shot behind his back was used to keep viewers away from Barry's appearance but concentrate on the world around him. The shot starts to pan showing the empty street through Barry's perspective, camera is flowing with a long point of view shot out on the street from the alley to the distance. Suddenly the car crushes, a van pulls to the side walk dropping of the piano. Then a close up shot of Barry's face finally introduces his reaction on the world around him. 

Examining Editing Style in "Be Kind Rewind"

"Be Kind Rewind" is a film that cleverly satirizes the rules and conventions of film editing established by the jurisdiction of Hollywood studios. It does this firstly by being and independent film that uses editing both as a tool to present the film stylistically and as a subject addressed through the narrative of the film. The film satirizes the conventions of Hollywood by integrating different styles of editing, manipulating the expectations of the audience, and compressing time and space. There are several different editing styles that are incorporated in the film. For instance, there were scenes and instances that were more reflective of a narrative styled edit, and other moments that were more so a documentary styled edit. This occurs in scenes for instance where Mike and Jerry interact with one another in the video shop, the style of editing is clean cut and seamless, as in classical Hollywood cinema. However, during scenes where Mike and Jerry film their own versions of films, the style of editing changes to that of a documentary appearing more so unplanned and left as a rough edit. Even looking at the film that they create about Fatts Wallace, is stylistically labeled as a documentary because it is in black and white, a film stock that often is used in older documentaries. This is all to say that although Mike and Jerry's film was not produced on a large scale or budget, they were still able to satisfy and intrigue the people of the community.
This film also manipulates the expectations of the audience, and in doing so satirize the conventions of traditional Hollywood editing. It does so by giving the audience the notion that the films that Jerry and Mike produce are cheesy remakes that no one would ever find appealing or would ever consider as a replacement for the "real thing." In the movies they recreate, they freely use junk from their environment in innovative ways in order to create props and sets because they have no money to produce on a "Hollywood" scale of filming. It pokes fun at hollywood in that Mike and Jerry's low budget films hold just as much of an importance to the people who produce and love them as any mainstream, studio, million- dollar budget film. Lastly, the compression of time and space is also used in the editing style for this film. For instance, in one scene a montage is created of all the scenes that are being shot at the same time from different movies that were being shot. This was a clever way of compressing time and space because it would be unnecessary to show every film that they recreated. So instead, during a scene where they were producing several movies at one time, we see all the different sets next to eachother, and characters shoot one scene and run to the next set. Essentially, the editing of the film reveals that the characters are managing to mass produce remakes of films like "Rush Hour", "Rocky" and "Ghostbusters" under atypical circumstances. Ultimtely the film calls attention to the idea that independent made films an be just as strong and impactful to the public without applying traditional Hollywood conventions.

Editing in New York Stories - The Art of Failure

In Martin Scorsese's The Art of Failure, the director uses a combination of long, slow cutting with fast intense cutting to differentiate the character's moods. Rhythm becomes one of the most useful tools Scorsese has in his bag, and he pulls out all the stops in this film. Lionel, the user artist protagonist, is found initially in emotional turbulence. He chaotically paces back and forth trying to paint something before his ever approaching deadline. Scorsese highlights this by using quick cutting to between Lionel, his brushes, and his blank canvas.
Later in the film the viewer learns that Lionel depends on Paulette to complete his work. He needs the turmoil from their relationship to get anything done and without her he is artistically impotent. Scorsese shows this by cutting together scenes where Lionel is watching the opening to Paulette's window as she has sex with another artist with a jump cut to him violently painting. At one point in the scene Lionel pauses, seeming to have run out of inspiration. Lionel looks up at her window, which is now dark and silent, and seems to get a second wind from his jealousy. Scorsese uses these types of cuts to show how they rely on each other. Lionel for inspiration, and Paulette for Lionel's connection to the art world.

Rocky IV Editing

Editing is an essential aspect of the Rocky franchise. Rocky IV utilizes quick cut editing especially during the training montage and the final fight montage. The montages in Rocky are utilized to show the passing of time and the progression of the story and character development. At the beginning of the montage, we see Rocky slightly out of shape and without a beard. By the time the montage is over,we see Rocky with a beard and heavily in shape ready for the fight. The montage is also used to compare Rocky and Drago. Rocky is training in a log cabin in the middle of Moscow with no equipment or any training facility to use to his advantage. Drago is training in a facility with about fifty trainers and he is able to utilizie technology and heavy lifting equipment to his advantage. The camera cuts back and forth between the environment Rocky is training in and the environment Drago is training in. During the final fight, a montage is used to show the progression of the rounds and as each round progresses, both fighters become more fatigued and we see more blood on their faces. Having a montage to show the progression of the rounds instead of showing the full twelve rounds of boxing helpes keep the attention of the audience and it makes the scene more dramatic overall. The music in Rocky films has always been significant and inspiring and the montages in these films utilized inspiring music to show that Rocky was not going to give up.

Editing of Rear Window- Alfred Hitchcock

Structurally Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 classic, Rear Window appears rather simple but when you examine the film’s editing, complexity and intention is revealed. Point-of-view editing allows the audience to sit in the seat of our main character, Jeff Jefferies, and witness his reactions to what is going on in various neighbor’s apartments. Jump cuts and repetition of images emphasize the editorial choices intended to create suspense and interest in the audience. Hitchcock uses point of view editing throughout the film, for example in one scene we see a close up of Jeff’s face, then across to a woman undressing and back to his facial expression in order to get the feel of what is happening and how he is reacting.
The pace and subjective edits in Rear Window allow the film to be paced in real and dramatic time in various scenes, such as when Jeff is watching his girlfriend, Lisa
(played by Grace Kelly) snoop around in the suspected murderer’s apartment, and nearly getting killed. Editing is a major aspect of this movie due to the fact that it is shown entirely from the perspective of one man wheelchair bound in his apartment. More so than dialogue, Hitchcock’s editing choices reveal a great deal about our character and the plot of the movie. Within the first few minutes we are aware of James Stewart’s character, what he does for a living and why he is stuck in a wheelchair without hearing any dialogue. An intricate part of Hitchcock’s editing style is his use of sound. Sound is heavily relied on in this film to convey feelings of fear or terror. For example, when Jeff’s neighbor, Mrs. Thorwald, is killed, a scream is heard off-screen leaving both the main character and the audience to wonder where it came from and why. It gives the audience the ability to use their imagination and subjectively create where the scream may have come from. By using few long shots, each window that Jeff examines represents a different emotion or issue in his life. The editing in the movie also allows us to feel the entrapment and confinement of Jeff; we are stuck in his apartment with him.

Editing- Fast Cheap and Out of Control

In the film, "Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control" editing is used in many creative ways to imply meaning in what these four men are talking about. The editing is used to create bridges between the interviews and relate them in ways that I would have never seen had I watched each interview separately.

Often, the editor places the sound of the interviews over images of a different subject to imply a connection. There is one scene in particular that consists of the robot expert talking about sending 100 robots to explore mars instead of just one, and that that way, if one is lost doing a dangerous mission, then it wouldn't matter as much. The images that are being shown start off showing robots, but then war clips being to play. This leads your mind to thinking about the thousands of people we send to war, and how expendable each individual is. Then this leads you to think about the connection between soldiers and robots. They both do things because they are told, with little or no regard by their commander.

Another editing tactic that this movie uses is when a shot is slowed for a more dramatic effect. Especially since the majority of the documentary is in fast motion to exaggerate the scrambling of the mole rats and robots, the slower moments seem even more like a break from the chaos. These breaks often come when the movie switches back to the topiary gardener. Even the way this man talks is slower, and calmer than any of the other interviews. Despite that fact, we as an audience still see this man as passionate about his work as the other men. Had the editor kept his interview sequences at the same pace as the others, it would have been an uncomfortable fit. The scenery, the way the man cuts his animals with manual clippers, the way he talks about his wife, all call for a slower pace. This even emphasizes the way that the green animals grow, and how long it takes to actually create one of these animals.

editing in werner herzog's nosferatu

werner herzog's "nosferatu the vampyre" is a homage to f.w. murnau's "nosferatu".

the editing of the film is heavily dependent on the plot (as it should be in any well composed film). this coupled with the amazing cinematography of this film, herzog's nosferatu expresses a large amount of emotion through not only the actors' performances, score and sound design, and mise en scene, but particularly the editing. there are several moments earlier on where jonathan is wandering around dracula's castle after his initial night of arrival. the film employs a few long takes in a sequence that follows jonathan on his exploration of a very visually stunning location. the shots only cut 3 or 4 times during his search. the sparsity of cutting in this sequence builds an eerie sensibility of the scene, as well as genuinely generate tension and suspense. the cuts occur in "real time" ("real" reference the film's reality, not ours) but it's really the lack of cutting that makes this scene so suspenseful.

another example is a scene (also set in dracula's castle) where jonathan wakes up at night to the count creepily entering jonathan's room and slowly moves in on jonathan, giving him the bite. this scene is one of the most suspenseful scenes in the entire film, again because of the lack of cutting. no edits are required mostly because of the way that this scene was shot. the first shot is a wide shot of the count slowly inching towards jonathan's bed while jonathan shoves as back and far from the count as he can/as the frame would allow. the first cut is to a shot of lucy back home, screaming at receiving the psychic information of jonathan's danger. it then cuts back to dracula pulling his teeth away from jonathan's neck. this scene's emotion is heightened in the lack of cutting in the first more prevalent wide shot of the count and jonathan and then the cross-cut to a parallel event where the information in the previous shot is transfered to lucy in the next shot, therefore proposing that the editing here also is giving character information. (implies that there is a psychic connection between jonathan and lucy)

the scenes where dracula is making his way to jonathan and lucy's hometown on a ship act almost as a montage. the shots are singular scenes but are short in length; they happen so quickly and show such a vast array of different times and places (still linearly, however) that the speed of time is implicit while the characters' actions are all conveyed. we hear and see all that we need to that has importance pertaining to the overall plot. these shots not only abbreviate the film's depiction of dracula's ravaging of the ship's crew and journey to the town but also parallel cross-cuts between other abbreviated depictions of the other characters and events happening while dracula is still on the ship.

Ocean's Eleven - Editing

In Stephen Soderbergh's 2001 heist movie Ocean's Eleven, editing plays an important role in regards to revealing different plot twists in the film. Through use of flashbacks, quick cuts to different locations, and montages, Soderbergh keeps the audience interested in what's going to happen next. And more importantly, this specific editing technique divests the audience of information at precisely the right moments. Simply, the story confuses us in a good way because we get closure later on and it makes the climax much more satisfying.

For one, we aren't introduced to our protagonists in the standard method we're used to. Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) bails Danny Ocean (George Clooney) out of jail, but we don't know how and why they know each other, or for how long. Then we cut to our other characters quickly who live in different locations around the world: Frank Catton (Bernie Mac) as an Atlantic City blackjack dealer, Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) as the nerdy computer techie, Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) as the naive son of an FBI agent, and so on and so forth. We don't know how they're related to Danny, but the quick succession of each character's introduction puts that notion aside, letting us know that they'll soon be important key players in the story, each with specific roles in the heist.

Secondly, the aspect of the montage is frequently used in the film (and even more so in the sequels, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen). Since the heist's plans require lots of time, effort, and painful exactness in detail, the use of montage helps to compress time and show us the overall events that are happening so we don't get weighed down with boring technicalities. For instance, when the team is building an exact replica of the Bellagio bank vault, we're not shown every step, but rather the significant highlights. With the montage, we're able to enjoy the story in fast forward motion, but in a way that stays true to the chronological order of things.

And lastly, one of the key editing techniques relied on in this film is the use of flashback. In fact, the sequence of events that take place in the actual heist of the bank vault is told as if from Terry Benedict's (Andy Garcia) point of view. We see what happens as he's seeing it happen: the SWAT team transports his money safely on to their bus. But then, in the flashback, we see it happen from Ocean's point of view: the SWAT team is really Ocean's men in disguise. This twist in editing keeps us on the edge of our seats because at first, we think they've failed in their plans. But in fact, they've succeeded.

Bronson [Nicolas Winding Refn] Editing

Editor of Bronson Mat Newman understands protagonist Charlie Bronson. Nicolas Winding Refn’s film is a character piece. The story is present in the script, but without the edits to imply the story that’s told, Refn’s film and larger-than-life vision would not have been brought to life. The cutting is very discerning toward main character Charlie and implies his emotional and psychological states.

In the beginning of the film--and then again all throughout--flat shots on Charlie’s stoic expression linger for a suggestively awkward amount of time. Once Charlie is sentenced to seven years in prison, he has a moment with his newlywed wife where neither say anything nor do anything; but the time spent on their glib expressions suggests their separation.

Because of the fantastic nature of the film, it’s only appropriate that the editing mimic the fantastic tone. When Charlie provokes fights with the guards, the editing matches the rhythm of his sparring to strengthen the viewer’s alignment with Charlie’s point of view. When Charlie is sure of himself, the takes are long and beautiful. When Charlie is an emotional train wreck, the cuts are far more intrusive and dramatic. Pace is understood in the editing; long takes are used following quick cuts to afford the viewer a chance to breathe and come to grips with the subtext of Charlie’s situation and conflict.

The editing also implies the psychology of the film and accentuates moments of reckoning for Charlie. At one point in the film, Charlie steals a diamond ring to give to the girl he loves, and she takes it and tells him that she’s got a boyfriend. The fade-to-black on the listless eye-line Charlie casts informs the viewer; the act break calls attention to the beat where Charlie is at his lowest emotional point. Fade-outs are used to slow down the psychology of the film where non-verbal and off-screen beats are communicated.

The editing in character-piece Bronson informs the viewer about how to feel about the protagonist and conveys the subtext and motivation of his story.

Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie (The Manuscript Found in Saragossa; 1965)

"How very confusing it all is!" Declares a maiden during a Gypsy's tale in Woljeich Has' The Saragossa Manuscripts. "One can hardly keep up!" Directed by Woljeich Has, the film is based on the famous 19th century novel by Jan Potacki. The film runs like a Chaucer-like romp, going from story to story without blinking an eye. Probably one of the more famous films to appear from the Polish New Wave, the film proves that you hardly need a traditional three act structure or conventional editing to make a wildly entertaining film. Oddly the first scene begins with a handful of people we never see again. During the Napoleonic Wars two men from two enemy lines stumble on a curious book in the village of Saragossa, they immediatley lose interest in the looming war surrounding them and begin to read. This immediatley shuttles into the first of several jarring jump cuts, where we are lead into a strange story in the 1700's, where we meet Alfonso, who travels with his servants through the Sierra Morena mountains, they quickly abandon him once they become afraid of the apparent ghosts that haunt the inn they chance upon. This scene begins with a thrilling establishing shot of the three roaming a surreal, haunting landscape of strange rock formations and trees reminescent of German Expressionism, where we understand that we are fully engrossed in this surreal, dream like world. Alfonso is then seduced by two mysterious African Princesses who live in an elaborate lair underneath the inn. We are immediatley shown a jump cut of Alfonso waking up outside near the mountains, underneath two rotting corpses on nooses and his servant covered in boils. The film is sprinkled throughout with several jump cuts that shuttle from someone telling another story to another person, and eventually coming back to them, and then back to another story making the experience a mad, challenging puzzle of a film. Has shows these various jump cuts to show that dream and reality are not quite what they seem, and that jumping from one story to another may not nessicarily mean coming back to any solid ground at all, making us feel just as confused and mistified as the characters who are being duped by mysterious demons and ghosts. Throughout the film, Alfonso is trying to decipher whether he is in the dreaming world or the waking world and this is merely a part of Has using editing to fully evoke this important aspect of the story.

Editing in "Greed"

The editing in Greed was very smoothly done. As most people know, the film by Erich Von Stroheim was more than 9 hours long originally. It was cut down to five hours, then three, then finally 2 1/2. To the people that never knew that the film was chopped up, the film would most likely flow smoothly in their minds while they're viewing it. If you watch, the storyline seems to make sense, and everything happens in a decent order, right? Wrong. if you look closely enough at the film, you can tell that parts have been removed, or scenes have been cut in half. The editors wanted the film to still make sense to it's audience while remaining in a sensible time frame. A part I particularly remember is when the character McTeague was about to leave town to become a dentist. There was suppoed to be a time lapse of his travels to go and pursue his career, but instead we see a huge jump cut. In a way, the jump cut works, because time still passes and there he is at his own dentstry practice, but it's still a bit awkward. The editors could have done a better job with this crucial part of the story if you ask me. Had it been me, I would have cut down his travels in half, not cut them out completely, so the audience can see. The editors did a good job on cutting down those rediculous 9 hours, and the story flowed pretty decently, but I wish they would have done a bit more with it.

Requiem for a Dream-Editing

In Darren Aronofsky’s 2000 film Requiem for a Dream, editing is used to bring the viewer closer into the reality of an addict.  The film features over 2,000 cuts and has several quick moving montages of short shots and also uses split screens.  The frequent cuts and fast paced montages help to create a sense of being sped up especially after a character takes a drug or is high.  The editing helps to show the world through the eyes’ of the four protagonists who are all dealing with drug addiction.

In a scene where Marion, Harry and Tyrone pop pills to “pass the time” there is a fast paced montage showing what they do over the course of a few hours with hip-hop music. This montage helps to show the frantic feelings and urgency these characters feel being addicted to drugs and always needing their next hit.

In another scene where Sara Goldfarb who is addicted to weight loss amphetamines is eating breakfast, it is edited so the egg, grapefruit and coffee disappear before the viewer’s eye without the character actually touching the food. This shows how the character is sped up by the pills and how her mind has been playing tricks on her because of her severe addiction.

There are also cuts in the film that show blood cells rushing through the body with a close up of the dilated pupil. This gives the sense of how frequently the characters are using drugs and how it is instant ecstasy for them.  The editing in the film helps to convey the highs and lows experienced by the characters as well as the hope, fear, panic and chaos that their world becomes when they spiral deeper into their addictions. 

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

This classic western film uses two different editing styles to explain to the audience as to whom really did shoot Liberty Valance.

Throughout the film the audience is led to believe that it can only be Jimmy who can and will kill Liberty since he is the stranger who comes into town and his moral ethics refuse him from picking up a gun. As the story progresses, it finally comes to the cinematic climax. When Jimmy Stewart finally puts down the pen and picks up a gun, the shootout scene accomplishes quick edits back and forth from Jimmy to Stewart: ie, Liberty shoots his gun and then it cuts to a pot exploding over Jimmy's head. This editing continues until Liberty is dead in the dirt and Jimmy is left with only his smoking pistol.

The story continues and then John Wayne retells the big climatic scene. This time around, the editing is less dramatic and more narrative: the camera is away from the action and we see the events unfold in a long shot. Jimmy Stewart is wounded, but he pulls his gun up to fire and John Wayne fires a rifled gun at Liberty at the same time that Jimmy does.

By having a contrasting editing strategy for these two characters, the editing style keeps people in the suspenseful action and then takes a long pause so that the audience may absorb the reality of who actually killed Liberty Valance.

Editing in Fight Club

When it comes to the movie Fight Club [David Fincher], editing plays a key role in embodying The Narrator’s [Edward Norton] state of mind. The serious case of Insomnia that The Narrator is fighting through causes his mind to decay. He begins a decline into a complex tangle of hallucinations that border the characteristics of Paranoid Schizophrenia. David Fincher chooses to represent this transition with simple editing techniques and one simple in movie reference.
The point is made early on in the movie that Tyler Durden [Brad Pitt], The Narrator’s mind-governing hallucination, is a projectionist. Naturally, Tyler Durden cuts filmstrips, editing in single frames of pornography. So, the importance of the editing style is communicated with the audience upfront. The point of this is that it parallels the effects of The Narrator’s Insomnia to that of editing film. It as though the Insomnia is cutting the “filmstrip of The Narrator’s mind” and inserting foreign footage into it, which changes the identity of The Narrator and the world around him. This is similar to how editing choices can effect what a movie accomplishes with the same footage.
To push this tactic another step, single frames of Tyler Durden, before The Narrator knows him, are spliced into the movie at times where The Narrator is discussing his Insomnia and the problems that come with it. Also, when you look at the movie as a whole rather than through a microscope, the movie begins with the ending, and The Narrator rewinds in order to talk about Marla Singer [Helena Bonham Carter] destroying him. However, he pauses, rewinds again and starts with how his Insomnia caused him to run into Marla Singer. Then, he is on the subject of Marla for a while then sort of skips over her importance in order to discuss Tyler Durden. By the last 30 or so minutes of the movie, The Narrator rewinds yet again to expose what actually went on as he sorts through his psychosis. And to shove the idea of the editing reflecting The Narrator’s mind, and vice-versa, down our throats, a single frame of pornography is added to the end of the movie. This breaks Tyler Durden’s effect on the audiences watching movies within the movie and his effect on The Narrator and switches it to him directly affecting the movie himself. A bit of a parting shot at typical editing.
Essentially, the editing reflects the state of mind of The Narrator and tries to place the audience in a similar state in order to communicate the high-degree of mental psychosis he is going through. Changing this to typical editing would make Fight Club a much less interesting and active film. Simple choices in editing having a massive effect on outcome.