George Tomasini

George Tomasini (April 20, 1909 – November 22, 1964) was an American film editor, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, who had a decade long collaboration with director Alfred Hitchcock, editing nine of his movies between 1954 and 1964.[1] Tomasini edited many of Hitchcock's best-known works, such as Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963), as well as other well-received films such as Cape Fear (1962). On a 2012 listing of the 75 best edited films of all time, compiled by the Motion Picture Editors Guild based on a survey of its members, four films edited by Tomasini for Hitchcock appear. No other editor appeared more than three times on this listing. The listed films were Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, and North by Northwest.[2]

George Tomasini
Born(1909-04-20)April 20, 1909
Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 22, 1964(1964-11-22) (aged 55)
Hanford, California, U.S.
Occupationfilm editor
Years active1947–1964
Spouse
​
(m. 1947⁠–⁠1964)​

George Tomasini was known for his innovative film editing which, together with Hitchcock's stunning techniques, redefined cinematic language. Tomasini's cutting was always stylish and experimental, all the while pursuing the focus of the story and the characters. Hitchcock and Tomasini's editing of Rear Window has been treated at length in Valerie Orpen's monograph, Film Editing: The Art of the Expressive.[3] His dialogue overlapping and use of jump cuts for exclamation points was dynamic and innovative (such as in the scene in The Birds where the car blows up at the gas station and Tippi Hedren's character watches from a window, as well as the infamous "shower scene" in Psycho). George Tomasini's techniques would influence many subsequent film editors and filmmakers.[4]

George Tomasini was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for North by Northwest, but Ben-Hur's editors won the award that year.

Tomasini died of a massive heart attack at the age of 55 in California. He left behind Mary Brian, his wife of 17 years and no children.

Filmography as film editor

Tomasini's most important work with Hitchcock was the memorable shower scene in Psycho (1960). Its aesthetic and dramatic accomplishment was achieved largely through the editor's skill. The completed forty-five second sequence that Hitchcock originally storyboarded was compiled by Tomasini from footage shot over several days that utilized a total of over seventy camera setups. From that mass of footage, Tomasini selected sixty different shots, some of them very short, through which he elected to rely heavily on the techniques of 'associative editing'.

–Paul Monaco [4]

The director of each film is indicated in parentheses:

See also

References
  1. Brennan, Sandra. "George Tomasini". allmovie.
  2. "The 75 Best Edited Films". Editors Guild Magazine. 1 (3). May 2012. Archived from the original on 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  3. Orpen, Valerie (2003). Film Editing: The Art of the Expressive. Wallflower Press. ISBN 978-1-903364-53-6. OCLC 51068299.
  4. Monaco, Paul (2003). Harpole, Charles (ed.). The Sixties. History of the American Cinema. Vol. 8. University of California Press. pp. 94–96. ISBN 0-520-23804-4.

Further reading
  • Igel, Rachel (1996–1997). "I'll Let The Film Pile Up For You: An Interview With Mary Tomasini". Directory of Members 1996–1997. Motion Picture Editors Guild. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2013-04-16. This interview with Tomasini's wife appears to be unique as a source of biographical information about Tomasini.
  • O'Steen, Bobbie (2009). The Invisible Cut. Michael Wiese Productions. pp. 136–150. ISBN 9781615930227. Bobbie O'Steen provides a frame-by-frame analysis of an important scene from Rear Window.
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