Editing is crucial for film. It can ruin a movie and it can turn a good movies into a masterpiece. It’s a powerful weapon for filmmakers. CineFix has put together a top 10 list detailing what they think are the most effective editing moments of all time in the video below. It’s obviously arbitrary, but it’s a great selection:
City of God
Bonnie and Clyde
North by Northwest
The Godfather
Battleship Potemkin
Psycho
Un Chien Andalou
Apocalypse Now
2001: A Space Odyssey
Lawrence of Arabia
As you can see, the perfect use of timely cuts can create chaos, suspense, terror and more. The use of visual metaphors can pack meaning into a couple of seconds. Sometimes you can even feel as if you’ve seen the emotion the director is trying to convey without ever actually seeing it on screen. All thanks to the editing, which is as important as the direction, the writing, and the acting. And sometimes even more.
