This probably ranks up there with Hitchcock/Truffaut in terms of the level of back-and-forth discourse between Ondaatje and Murch. Both men draw on their own experiences as writer and editor and do much to unpack our understanding of how films function as complex works of art that depend on rhythm and pacing for our understanding. Ondaatje's entry point is "The English Patient," which means he dwells on his experiences with the movie, but for my money, it's Murch's pedigree of Lucas and Coppola (particularly "The Conversation") that's the big draw here.

I don't usually like Q&A-style interviews, but this book is a notable exception because it's more like eavesdropping on a private conversation between two very savvy colleagues. Murch has some original and intriguing things to say about the ways he approaches his art (like theorizing that movie music reinforces an existing emotion--rather than inspiring one). Here's looking forward to his next book--the one in which he posits his notational scheme for cinema. It sounds like a crackpot idea, rather like that musical I wisely never wrote in which each instrument corresponded to a different bodily function. I suspect Murch can deliver on his dream, if anyone can.

I spent a month savoring these discussions between Ondaatje and Murch. I don't think I've ever been so reluctant to return a book to the library.

Michael Ondaatje continues to amaze, and I have a new person to very much admire in Walter Murch. So many gems in here about the mysteries of creating art, of life in general, somehow put into words. Paradoxes, sound as light, ambiguity, editing. . . this book is a treasure trove of insights that have helped me with my own creative process, and understand why I love the films, books and poetry I do. (This book also added about 10 films to my must-watch list.)

Michael Ondaatje: "That's probably one reason I don't reread my books after they come out. So that my memory of Anil's Ghost or The English Patient or In the Skin of a Lion is of my emotional relationship to the book just before it came out. You are hanging fire. You don't know if it's going to work out or not, but this is the best you can do at this point. After that, as Wordsworth said, it may or may not be pudding . . . "

Walter Murch: "Yeah. It's important to hold fast in this hanging-fire state. That's the only thing, in the long run, that will allow the true lessons to emerge. It may take years for you to recognize them."

Fantastic.

Works as a wake-up call and creative bible.

Walter Murch is a prophet of curiosity, of observation, and of truth.

Really enjoyed this visually as well as the interviews. What a collaborative process filmmaking is. There are so many analogies that give life to what happens before, during and after a production. This book associates the set of a film with a “beehive”. The role of the editor, often is quieter in all the buzz. But this book wants to acknowledge this “master lens”. Walter Murch happens to be an editor who has worked on projects that “have become central to the culture of our time.” He is described as a “true oddity in the world of film”...who also lives “outside the film world”.

This was another assigned MFA reading and our screenwriting cohort actually got to chat with Walter Murch on Zoom this week. With his editing career, my question for him was based on his color-coded system mentioned early on in the book. I wanted to know more about what that looks like for him and how it translates in his work. He graciously, meticulously and thoroughly shared his screen to show his process.

The book is also like that. Very candid and technical. If you are a visual artist or a writer, you can appreciate this gem and apply it to your own work to enhance your own craft. When done, it's also a nice coffee table book.

If you're at all interested in filmmaking as an art or a craft, read this book. Murch is one of the few contemporary film theorists with a platform, and you'd be hard-pressed to find an editor who hasn't been influenced by his work. Film editing may be "cutting out the bad bits", but it takes a lot of thinking to know which bits are bad. Murch has certainly done a lot of thinking about the subject, and his thoughts are worth your time.

One of the most pleasurable reads I've had in a long time. Murch is fascinating on just about every subject he touches. Having just read a book of interviews with Wes Anderson, I especially appreciated that Ondaatje approached Murch as a fellow artist and not as a fan boy. It's very much a dialog between two artists who are genuinely curious about the universe and art's place within it.

Also, this inspired me to rewatch THE CONVERSATION which perfectly distills many of techniques Murch discusses.

One of the greatest books of Film Editing. Many big directors advises this book for aspiring film makers...

Really great stuff, such deep insights into the art of film and more. That Walter is a very interesting fella

It took me exactly a year to read this book. I enjoyed spreading it out and coming back to it in-between other reads. Very interesting conversations that I found I could apply to my own creative sector. A lot of these conversations came at fortuitous or ironic times in my life and during my own creative process and projects.