Jerry Greenberg, Oscar-Winning Editor Of 'The French
Connection,' Dies at 81
The Hollywood Reporter
By Carolyn Giardina
12/22/2017
The renowned editor is also known for films such as
'Kramer vs. Kramer' and 'Apocalypse Now.'
Editor Gerald B. Greenberg, whose work on 1971 crime
thriller The French Connection produced one of the most famous car chases in
cinema history, earning him an Oscar for editing in 1972, died on Dec. 22. He
was 81.
Jerry Greenberg, as he was known by his friends, earned
two additional Oscar nominations — twice in the same year (1980) for Kramer vs.
Kramer and Apocalypse Now. In 2015, he was honored by American Cinema Editors
with its Career Achievement Award.
He began his career in 1960 in his native New York, where
he learned how to edit music and began familiarizing himself with the Moviola,
splicers, synchronizers and recorders.
His big break came when he was offered an apprenticing job for the
legendary Dede Allen on Elia Kazan’s America America.
By 1967, when Greenberg and Allen were working closely
together and on Bonnie and Clyde, Greenberg was given the task of editing a
couple of the shootout scenes and worked closely with Allen and director Arthur
Penn on them. He cut his first solo feature Bye Bye Braverman for director
Sidney Lumet in 1968 and won the Oscar and BAFTA for editing William Friedkin’s
The French Connection a year later.
Greenberg is known for his work on many of the films of
the American New Wave working for directors like Arthur Penn, Francis Ford
Coppola, Sidney Lumet, Michael Cimino, Brian De Palma and William Friedkin. His
filmography includes Bye Bye Braverman, Dressed To Kill, Alice’s Restaurant,
The Boys in the Band, They Might Be Giants, Scarface, Still of the Night, Reds,
Heaven’s Gate, Wise Guys, The Untouchables, The Accused, Awakenings, Trapped,
Get Carter, Inspector Gadget and American History X.
Presenting the ACE Career Achievement Award to Greenberg
in 2015, editor Carol Littleton spoke of his work on Apocalypse Now, saying
“Jerry masterly edits the taking of a Vietnam village using Wagner’s Ride of
the Valkyries, which Robert Duvall’s character plays to inspire his troops and
horrify the enemy. This iconic scene—nothing better captures the apocalyptic
madness of the war in Vietnam, a picture of the American dream turned
nightmare.”
She continued: “Jerry takes great pride in his approach
to editing, vigorously working a scene for its maximum psychological and
kinetic effect. He controls the emotions, never letting sentiment fall into
sentimentality. He lines the actors takes, finding gold nuggets, polishing a
performance until it shines. He examines every take for the right camera move,
a spark of brilliance when the actor becomes the moment. His action sequences are
tight, controlled, focused and always suffused with character. Never
gratuitous; never chaotic or lacking in psychological impact."
Speaking of the editors that Greenberg has mentored,
Littleton said during that presentation, “Not only has Jerry contributed to the
success of directors' films, but also to the success of many editors' careers
as well. Generosity is the bedrock of Jerry’s character,”
GREENBERG,
Jerry (Gerald B. Greenberg)
Born: 7/29/1936,
New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 12/22/2017,
U.S.A.
Jerry Greenberg’s
westerns – film editor:
The Missouri Breaks – 1976
Heaven’s Gate - 1980
No comments:
Post a Comment