Someone recommended this book to me years ago, saying that even though the emphasis is on editing movies it is all good advice for writing. So true. I have not seen half the movies Murch worked on that are mentioned in the book, but it made me want to watch them to see what he's talking about. Very interesting if you are a movie buff.

What a treasure to have these wonderful conversations transcribed. Anyone interested in the art of editing film will be richly rewarded reading this book. To have someone as brilliant as Murch share his craft and process in such articulate detail is like taking a course on editing at film school.

One of the most fascinating film books I've ever read.

I am less interested in Murch's relationships other LA filmmakers of the late 60s/early 70s (e.g. Coppola and Lucas), and more interested in a how a story can be edited to different effect. To the extent the book discussed editing, I liked it. He discusses sound in a way that I had never thought about it. The book made me want to see a number of movies over again and see if I could tell anything about their editing.

This book is full of so much wisdom and information. I recommend watching, Godfather, The Conversation, Godfather II, Apocalypse Now, and The Talented Mr. Ripley then read this book to find out why they're as amazing as they are.

This is so interesting and insightful. Murch has such an incredible mind and this draws attention to the skill of the film editor, often hidden behind the glory of the Director and the material of the writer.

If you are interested in editing and sound, this is the book for you.

If you are interested in film (like I am) than you should start to get the flavor by about page 250. I think it'd be hard to get through this if you're not a professional editor or a sound engineer.

These conversation with Walter Murch delve into the art of film editing. It is fascinating to get such a master's point of view. Murch grants us behind the scenes access to his art, and it is presented in such an accessible way that you don't have to be in the industry to enjoy it.

A wonderful, inspiring book about film editing, with great emphasis on the use of sound.

Interesting foray between a novelist and an editor but too much time is spent on gossip and irrelevant details and not enough on the craft! I'm being harsh because in comparison to the Fine Cuts European Editors book, there is little philosophy or heartfelt passion from these boomer millionaire artists.

Fascinating and so, so inspiring. Now I want to edit films and I’m in awe of all those silent, unthanked magicians who have made it look so effortless.

This was an amazing book. Granted, you do need to be a little bit of a film geek--and maybe a literature geek--to enjoy it to some extent. But, as someone who has been really intrigued by the art of editing film, this book provides incredible insight into the philosophy and practices of the remarkable Walter Murch.

Murch has edited the Godfather series, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now redux, The English Patient, The Talented Mister Ripley, and many others. This book offers some color on how a particular scene came together in a film to how Murch, who also acted as sound designer on many of these films, recorded the perfect wind in a desert to create a sound effect. And, there is another interesting level to the conversations transcribed in this book because Michael Ondaatje, the author of The English Patient, guides the discussion. There are wonderful moments where Murch and Ondaatje trade their secrets on how they approach their art.

After finishing this book, I do tend to think that Walter Murch is a rare breed of editor these days. He's a Renaissance man with a wide variety of interests that help inform how he cuts a film. He conducts a lot of his own research about a film project to figure out what his take on things will be. For example, he goes into magnificent detail on how he came to help shape a pivotal scene in The English Patient through his reading of the characteristics of Nazi soldiers and through his use of removing sound. I'm already teetering on the edge of giving too much away for those who might not have seen this movie, but my point is that film audiences benefit immensely from Walter Murch's inquisitive mind.

What is interesting is that in the book Murch often comments on the fact that the one area that he hasn't studied much is film history. To be honest, I think that this has contributed to his success in many ways. The way he infuses his other interests results in a unique creativity and also has encouraged him to try methods to arrive at a certain result that others thought would never work.