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George Tomasini

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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 active1939–1964
Spouse
​
(m. 1947⁠–⁠1964)​

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 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.[citation needed] 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.

In November 22, 1964, while he was editing In Harm's Way, Tomasini died of a massive heart attack. He was 55 years old.[5][6] He left behind Mary Brian, his wife of 17 years and no children.[citation needed]

Filmography as film editor

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Editor
Year Film Director Notes
1947 Wild Harvest Tay Garnett
1952 The Turning Point William Dieterle First collaboration with William Dieterle
1953 Stalag 17 Billy Wilder
Houdini George Marshall
1954 Elephant Walk William Dieterle Second collaboration with William Dieterle
Rear Window Alfred Hitchcock First collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
1955 To Catch a Thief Second collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
1956 The Man Who Knew Too Much Third collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
The Wrong Man Fourth collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
1957 Hear Me Good Don McGuire
1958 Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock Fifth collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
I Married a Monster from Outer Space Gene Fowler Jr.
1959 North by Northwest Alfred Hitchcock Sixth collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
1960 The Time Machine George Pal First collaboration with George Pal
Psycho Alfred Hitchcock Seventh collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
1961 The Misfits John Huston
1962 Cape Fear J. Lee Thompson
1963 The Birds Alfred Hitchcock Eighth collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? Daniel Mann
1964 7 Faces of Dr. Lao George Pal Second collaboration with George Pal
Marnie Alfred Hitchcock Ninth collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
1965 In Harm's Way Otto Preminger
Editorial department
Year Film Director Role Notes Other notes
1948 Beyond Glory John Farrow Assistant editor First collaboration with John Farrow
Uncredited
Night Has a Thousand Eyes Second collaboration with John Farrow
1949 Red, Hot and Blue Third collaboration with John Farrow
Sound department
Year Film Director Role Notes
1939 Union Pacific Cecil B. DeMille Sound effects editor
Uncredited
Shorts
Editor
Year Film Director
1951 Benjy Fred Zinnemann

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]

See also

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References

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  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. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ "In Memoriam". The Film Daily. Wid's Films and Film Folk Incorporated. November 1964. p. 12. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Smith, Fredrick Y., ed. (1971). "In Memoriam". ACE Second Decade Anniversary Book. American Cinema Editors, Inc. p. 73.

Further reading

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