Rating: 
Summary: Murch Rules!
Review: ... Someone once said, "Film editing is a wonderful arcane art, like
mosaics. I love to watch it being done, but editors hate to be
watched." Just as editors like to work away from the gaze of
would-be supervisors, we in the audience are often not aware of
the important the work of these people behind the scenes. How
many times have you seen a review comment on the editing, and
if it praise or belittles the way the film is cut, how often is the
responsible editor named? In his new book "The Conversations,"
author Michael Ondaatje has transcribed a series of talks with
Walter Murch, considered by many to be without peer in the
profession. The 59-year-old Renaissance man, as involved in
trying to prove the Titus-Bode theory on the spatial intervals
between planets and a translator of Italian poetry, has been
instrumental in creating the sounds and the cuts of films such as
"American Graffiti," "The Conversation," "The Godfather I,II, III,"
"Julia," "Apocalypse Now," and "The English Patient." In introducing this seminal work on Walter Murch, Ondaatje
informs us that Murch, like other editors, is concerned with a
film's pace, of course, but even more with the moral tone of a work
which has to do with speed, background noise, even how the
antagonist may turn away from a conversation. Recall how many
films have the editor cut away from a character before he finishes
speaking. This could be because the editor encourages the
audience to think only about the face value of what the character
has said. If on the other hand the editor allows the audience to
see from the expression in the actor's eyes that he is probably not
telling the truth, he will linger on the character after he finishes
speaking. Words and sounds are not all. Murch at times pulls all the
sound out of the scene so that there is complete silence. This
often means that something terrible is about to happen. And
when sounds take place outside the room (as in the street sounds
when Michael Corleone commits his first murder in "The
Godfather"), we get the feeling that we are inside a cave-like room. Murch tosses in his personal theories about the nature of
viewing a movie, among the most inciteful being this paradox:
"One of the things about watching a video is that it never feels
private. I'm always conscious of others in the room, so I become
self-conscious during an erotic scene. But it never feels that way
in a cinema, even at a comedy with people laughing around me."
On a note more technical than philosophical he states, "....a
sustained action scene averages out to 14 new camera positions
a minute." When I used to take a class of tech high school students on a
field trip to a Broadway show, I found that they were more
interesting in discussing the big sound-mixing machine in the
back of the orchestra than in chatting about the way Hamlet's
vacillations were dealt with on the stage. "The Conversations"
won't tell you how to work the editing machines, but Ondaatje
does give you solid insight into the world of the editing profession
in a reader-friendly, flowing style.
Rating: 
Summary: Editing is Paramount
Review: ... Someone once said, "Film editing is a wonderful arcane art, like
mosaics. I love to watch it being done, but editors hate to be
watched." Just as editors like to work away from the gaze of
would-be supervisors, we in the audience are often not aware of
the important the work of these people behind the scenes. How
many times have you seen a review comment on the editing, and
if it praise or belittles the way the film is cut, how often is the
responsible editor named? In his new book "The Conversations,"
author Michael Ondaatje has transcribed a series of talks with
Walter Murch, considered by many to be without peer in the
profession. The 59-year-old Renaissance man, as involved in
trying to prove the Titus-Bode theory on the spatial intervals
between planets and a translator of Italian poetry, has been
instrumental in creating the sounds and the cuts of films such as
"American Graffiti," "The Conversation," "The Godfather I,II, III,"
"Julia," "Apocalypse Now," and "The English Patient." In introducing this seminal work on Walter Murch, Ondaatje
informs us that Murch, like other editors, is concerned with a
film's pace, of course, but even more with the moral tone of a work
which has to do with speed, background noise, even how the
antagonist may turn away from a conversation. Recall how many
films have the editor cut away from a character before he finishes
speaking. This could be because the editor encourages the
audience to think only about the face value of what the character
has said. If on the other hand the editor allows the audience to
see from the expression in the actor's eyes that he is probably not
telling the truth, he will linger on the character after he finishes
speaking. Words and sounds are not all. Murch at times pulls all the
sound out of the scene so that there is complete silence. This
often means that something terrible is about to happen. And
when sounds take place outside the room (as in the street sounds
when Michael Corleone commits his first murder in "The
Godfather"), we get the feeling that we are inside a cave-like room. Murch tosses in his personal theories about the nature of
viewing a movie, among the most inciteful being this paradox:
"One of the things about watching a video is that it never feels
private. I'm always conscious of others in the room, so I become
self-conscious during an erotic scene. But it never feels that way
in a cinema, even at a comedy with people laughing around me."
On a note more technical than philosophical he states, "....a
sustained action scene averages out to 14 new camera positions
a minute." When I used to take a class of tech high school students on a
field trip to a Broadway show, I found that they were more
interesting in discussing the big sound-mixing machine in the
back of the orchestra than in chatting about the way Hamlet's
vacillations were dealt with on the stage. "The Conversations"
won't tell you how to work the editing machines, but Ondaatje
does give you solid insight into the world of the editing profession
in a reader-friendly, flowing style.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book For All Filmmakers
Review: A very interesting read with no dull moments, I recommend it not just to directors and editors but also actors that what to understand how their performance influences the way a film is edited.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating step inside
Review: Eavesdrop on a conversation between two greats with this look inside the world of film-maiking. Centered around an ongoing dialogue between Ondaatje and film and sound editor Walter Murch, the book also includes a wonderful cross section of still photography and illustrations with insightful captions. My personal favorite - "The Last Conversation" relating to Murch's work as director of Return to Oz and his devotion to the spirit of Baum, but fans of Murch's classic work will find the book a treasured resource.
Rating:
Summary: Credit due
Review: Film directors are like Napoleon, all-powerful and usually vertically challenged. "But even Napoleon needed his marshals," says Michael Ondaatje in this book, a series of conversations with leading US film editor Walter Murch. Although just one of hundreds of names seen in the credits when the crowd is filing out of the cinema, the film editor is crucial to turning the director's vision into a viewable reality. The film editor - and many of the greats have been women, like Anne Coates (Lawrence of Arabia, Out of Sight) or Thelma Schoonmaker (longtime Scorsese editor) - is one of the unsung heroes of the form; they can shape the mood, create the pace, make the story work.
It was when Ondaatje's novel The English Patient was being turned into a film that he befriended Murch, an intellectual as well as a craftsman. Murch's talent helped Francis Ford Coppola shape some of the most important American movies of the 1970s: the first two Godfather films, Apocalypse Now, and 1974's The Conversation. The latter gives this book its title, and was recently restored. Its very subject matter concentrates the mind on the aural side of film-making; it's about a sound engineer (Gene Hackman) and specialist in surveillance work who hears of a murder plot. Filmed on a low budget between the first two Godfathers, it encapsulates the issues Murch faces in his job. A simple matter like the clothing a character wears can make the editor's job easy or impossible. If the costume department insists on strutting its stuff, dressing the lead in a variety of outfits, that limits what an editor can do if the story has to be reconstructed at the editing desk.
Murch came to editing after being a sound editor, and he expounds on the use of music and sound in movies. His work on American Graffiti revolutionised the use of pop in movies. Now, most films have a relentless soundtrack, either telegraphing narrative punches, crassly manipulating the emotions, or inappropriately creating a merchandising tie-in. "Most movies use music the way athletes use steroids," says Murch. "It gives you an edge, it gives you speed, but it's unhealthy for the organism in the long run."
There's nothing subtle about mainstream movie making now, and The Conversations returns the audience to the basic craft, inviting them in so their experience is enhanced. It's the best book about filmmaking since Francois Truffaut's similarly illuminating Hitchcock.
Rating:
Summary: Inside a unique mind (actually, two of them)
Review: I don't usually like Q&A-style interviews, but this book is a notable exception because it's more like eavesdropping on a private conversation between two very savvy colleagues. Murch has some original and intriguing things to say about the ways he approaches his art (like theorizing that movie music reinforces an existing emotion--rather than inspiring one). Here's looking forward to his next book--the one in which he posits his notational scheme for cinema. It sounds like a crackpot idea, rather like that musical I wisely never wrote in which each instrument corresponded to a different bodily function. I suspect Murch can deliver on his dream, if anyone can.
Rating:
Summary: Inside a unique mind (actually, two of them)
Review: I don't usually like Q&A-style interviews, but this book is a notable exception because it's more like eavesdropping on a private conversation between two very savvy colleagues. Murch has some original and intriguing things to say about the ways he approaches his art (like theorizing that movie music reinforces an existing emotion--rather than inspiring one). Here's looking forward to his next book--the one in which he posits his notational scheme for cinema. It sounds like a crackpot idea, rather like that musical I wisely never wrote in which each instrument corresponded to a different bodily function. I suspect Murch can deliver on his dream, if anyone can.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy good movies? Read this and enjoy them even more.
Review: I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good movies. If you actually make/edit/shoot/write movies then, this book is an essential. I was really astounded at how deep the art of editing goes. Murch explains in depth how sound (and the absence of a sound track) can change the viewers reactions to key scenes, and how create the right mood. He also explains 'natural' edits when the audience 'blinks' along with the actor or actress - sorry you have to read it to get it. He's worked on some really big movies and his knowledge is incredible on and off topic. But it's not a how-to-book, it really flows like a conversation between friends. An easy read. Michael Ondaatje asks smart questions to Murch and offers interesting comparisons between literature and film. Yet I found him continually plugging and referring to his own work over and over - c'mon man we KNOW you wrote the English patient - I couldn't care less - it's no Godfather... ;)
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, articulate, surprisingly good
Review: Like the reviewer below, I was skeptical of the Q&A format - an approach that often tends to elicit fairly superficial dialog in the realm of film (with some notable exceptions, including the classic Hitchcock/Truffaut book). This is fine for a magazine article, but potentially painful for 300+ pages. That said, this book really surprised me - and within only a few pages I was totally hooked. Ondaatje manages to spur on a delightful conversation filled with some very profound insights on editing, filmmaking, and the creative process itself (with many interesting detours along the way). I think this book can be enjoyed by both amateur film enthusiast and cynical cinephile alike. To be honest, I found the book to be a better articulation of Murch's ideas than his own "In the Blink of an Eye" -- though I would still recommend that as a secondary text to Conversations. I would also suggest that anyone reading this try to see Murch's major works first: The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, the Godfather I & II, and the English Patient - as they are all referred to in fairly significant detail throughout the book, and it will make for a more enjoyable read if you're familiar with them.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, articulate, surprisingly good
Review: Like the reviewer below, I was skeptical of the Q&A format - an approach that often tends to elicit fairly superficial dialog in the realm of film (with some notable exceptions, including the classic Hitchcock/Truffaut book). This is fine for a magazine article, but potentially painful for 300+ pages. That said, this book really surprised me - and within only a few pages I was totally hooked. Ondaatje manages to spur on a delightful conversation filled with some very profound insights on editing, filmmaking, and the creative process itself (with many interesting detours along the way). I think this book can be enjoyed by both amateur film enthusiast and cynical cinephile alike. To be honest, I found the book to be a better articulation of Murch's ideas than his own "In the Blink of an Eye" -- though I would still recommend that as a secondary text to Conversations. I would also suggest that anyone reading this try to see Murch's major works first: The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, the Godfather I & II, and the English Patient - as they are all referred to in fairly significant detail throughout the book, and it will make for a more enjoyable read if you're familiar with them.
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