Thelma Schoonmaker Quotes

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Thelma Schoonmaker

Profession : Editor

Birth : January 3, 1940

'Silence,' I think, was the hardest, because it's so different from everything we've done before and required very delicate handling and trying to find the right meditative pace.

Thelma Schoonmaker

I particularly remember with 'Casino,' everyone was like, 'It's not 'Goodfellas!'' No, it's not 'Goodfellas.' That's right: it's a different movie. Now, everyone thinks 'Casino' is a masterpiece.

Thelma Schoonmaker

I remember, at the Oscars in 1991, 'Dances with Wolves' won that year, and we were nominated for 'Goodfellas.' One of my peers said to me, 'Why'd you make that bad jump cut?' I said, 'Which one? We had about 20 in the film!' He was really upset about it.

Thelma Schoonmaker

From the moment I met Martin Scorsese in 1962, he educated me about the films that had taught him so much about filmmaking. He had been deeply affected, even as a child, by great films that stretched his mind and struck into his heart, and he was eager to share them with friends and people who worked with him or with actors who were in his films.

Thelma Schoonmaker

An actor's performance can be improved or shaped - or ruined - by what takes you use, how long you are on the actor's face, what line you put on the other actor's face, and when do you use close-ups or wide shots or two shots.

Thelma Schoonmaker

In 'Silence,' there was no improvisation at all; really, you're dealing with a script and a 17th century way of speaking.

Thelma Schoonmaker

I started in documentaries, and that was a great help to me with improvisation, because with documentaries, you're handed a big lump of footage, and you have to shape it and make it into a story - which I love doing.

Thelma Schoonmaker

'Raging Bull' was badly received at first. It took 10 years for it to be recognised.

Thelma Schoonmaker

I do think there's not enough film history being taught and appreciated. Maybe it's being taught, but I've heard from professors that young kids don't want to look at black-and-white movies. And that's 85 years of film history, with masterpiece after masterpiece.

Thelma Schoonmaker

I was just stunned when I came to America. I didn't know anything about rock music or football, and I felt very out of it... America was like a foreign country to me at first.

Thelma Schoonmaker

Even in 'The Red Shoes,' a film that nobody ever has complaints about, there are enormous continuity bumps, and it doesn't matter. You know why? Because you're being carried along by the power of the film.

Thelma Schoonmaker

I'm not a big believer in fate, but, boy, I've had a lot of lucky breaks.

Thelma Schoonmaker

The difference between a film that ends up three hours and a film that is envisioned as three hours is that it's written that way.

Thelma Schoonmaker