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.