The very first film I can remember truly loving is The Godfather. I was twelve and visiting family in Montreal when we set off to the theatre. I didn't really know who Marlon Brando was. I don't believe I cared. Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall weren't household names to me.
So why did I love that film so much?
At twelve years old, I wasn't breaking the film down into its seperate elements and disecting what worked or not. All I was getting was a sense of greatness. A visceral smack up-side the head.
I wanted to be in the movie business from then on.
Later, through voracious film watching, reading about the masters, going through film school and working in the industry, I learned how to respect the true artistry of filmmaking, while hating the hack-jobs that plague the cinema.
All the time, money and energy put into producing a film or television program has to amount to something, does it not? So, this is what I will be doing here, reviewing a film on substance rather than style. I don't care who the star is. The box office means nothing. I'm an editor and that will be my approach to a review. You may be surprised to what degree the editing of a movie can shape its true greatness. It can ruin it as well.
Sitting in that theatre in Montreal I watched in awe as the camera slowly moves in on Michael sitting in a chair and describing how he will kill Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey. In one dolly shot the film turns and we see the birth of a Godfather. That's all it took, because that's all that was needed. How many cuts in that sequence? None. And that, I will explain in further posts, is part of editing as well.
What makes a film great? There isn't just one element and I don't pretend to know everything there is to know, but I will share the knowledge I have gleaned. Mine is not the final word, it is only my informed opinion and therefore subjective. So if you have a comment to make about the films I discuss, good or bad, please feel free to share it with me.
