CineMontage

Q1 2018

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/942009

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 67 of 71

66 CINEMONTAGE / Q1 2018 GERALD B. GREENBERG, ACE PICTURE EDITOR JULY 29, 1936 – DECEMBER 22, 2017 Gerald B. Greenberg, ACE, died December 22 after a long illness, leaving behind a huge legacy and a collection of memorable films that bear his stamp of originality. He was 81. Known as Jerry by his friends and colleagues, Greenberg earned an Academy Award for The French Connection (1971) and, in 1980, achieved a rare feat of earning two Oscar nominations in the same year, for Kramer vs. Kramer and Apocalypse Now. In 2015, he received the ACE Career Achievement Award, and will also be remembered as a dedicated artist, painfully honest, who spoke his mind regardless of the consequences. Starting out editing music for commercials and documentaries in New York in the 1950s, his break came when he got the job of apprentice to Dede Allen, ACE, on Elia Kazan's America, America (1963). In 1967, the movie-going public was stunned by the brutal killing at the end of Bonnie and Clyde, a film brilliantly edited by Allen. That scene took movie violence to a whole new level, and it was edited by Greenberg, Allen's assistant and one of 'Dede's Boys.' Said Allen in the ACE-initiated documentary The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004), "Jerry did all the initial editing of the sequence. All I did was cut it down." Greenberg's first full editing credit was on Sidney Lumet's Bye Bye Braverman (1968). He teamed up with William Friedkin for The Boys in the Band (1970), which led him to the director's next project, the Oscar-winning The French Connection. This featured the famous car chase with Gene Hackman's "Popeye" Doyle pursuing a hit man riding an elevated train across Brooklyn. This was called one of the finest examples of montage editing since Battleship Potemkin (1925) by Vincent LoBrutto in his book The Art of Motion Picture Editing. Greenberg went on to edit such films as Electra Glide in Blue (1973) and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), and was part of the team that edited Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam epic Apocalypse Now (1979), on which he is credited with editing the famous "Ride of the Valkyries" sequence. After completing Kramer vs. Kramer, he went to work for Brian De Palma on Dressed to Kill (1980). His editing struck a perfect balance between eroticism and suspense. This led to five more films with De Palma, including Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984) and The Untouchables (1987), the latter featuring a shoot-out scene that is a homage to the Odessa steps sequence from Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin. He was also part of the crew for the ill-fated Michael Cimino epic, Heaven's Gate (1980). Greenberg went on to edit Awakenings (1990), For the Boys (1991) and, with Alan Heim, ACE, American History X (1998). His final credit was in 2015 for Point Break. Jack Tucker, ACE (Courtesy of ACE's CinemaEditor magazine) THOMAS G. STANFORD PICTURE EDITOR NOVEMBER 18, 1924 – DECEMBER 23, 2017 Thomas G. Stanford peacefully departed a long and happy life on December 23, 2017 at the age of 93, a life well-lived. He is survived by his beloved partner Sherry Bendickson, cherished daughter and husband Nina and Brendt Mullan, their adored children Julian and Denis, and cherished son and wife Adam and Lyn Stanford. Born in Germany and educated in Switzerland and England, he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico after a long career as a film editor in Hollywood. The highlight of his numerous achievements in the film industry was receiving an Oscar for editing West Side Story (1961), which remains a masterpiece to this day. Thomas' career spanned nearly three decades. He collaborated with director Sydney Pollack on three films, The Slender Thread (1965), Jeremiah Johnson (1972) and The Yakuza (1974), and two with Mark Rydell, The Fox (1967) and The Reivers (1969). His first credited work was the 1959 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer. Other editing credits are Hell in the Pacific (1968) and television work including an episode of Route 66 (1960-1964), two episodes of Burke's Law (1963- 1964), two episodes of Hec Ramsey (1972-1974) and the TV movies Mad Bull (1977) and Before and After (1979). Thomas discovered and fell in love with Santa Fe while working in New Mexico on The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981). Upon retiring and moving there in 1987, he used his keen eye for editing in the redesign of an older Southwestern-style home, including repositioning to capture sweeping views and mountaintops. His interest and talent in classical music led him to performing in the New Mexico Symphony Chorus and later the Sangre de Cristo Chorale. His critical thinking and sharp wit were demonstrated in thoughtful, published letters to diverse publications (including CineMontage and its predecessor, Editors Guild Magazine) and in conversations with people from all walks of life. The crowning jewels in Thomas' life were his loving relationship with Sherry, and his pride in and love for his children. He leaves behind many friends who will miss his wisdom and humor, and his most engaging presence. Judi Hadfield PASSAGES Photo by Wm. Stetz

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of CineMontage - Q1 2018