Barry Forshaw

Anyone with a serious interest in modern American film will be well aware of the considerable contribution made by triple Oscar winning editor Walter Murch. Over six decades, he has been a key professional in the industry and many talented directors were fully cognizant of the contribution he could make to their movies. Of course, professional experience does not necessarily translate into writing ability – and the gift of conveying the secrets of one’s craft. Fortunately, Walter Murch has it in spades, and this book – which Francis Coppola describes as ‘an encyclopaedia of cinema and everything that can be touched by it’ is comprehensively readable.

Walter Murch’s work includes the Godfather films, Apocalypse Now and The English Patient. As well as being the author of the bestselling In the Blink of an Eye, which still continues to be a bestseller thirty years after publication. Suddenly Something Clicked – a weighty tome — reflects on six decades of cinematic history and on the creative process behind some great films. Along with Francis Coppola and George Lucas, Murch left Hollywood in 1969 and moved to San Francisco to create the Zoetrope studio. The notion was to create a new kind of cinema for a new breed of filmgoers, and his work in film editing rooms and sound-mixing theatres brought about many creative innovations. Personal stories, considerations of his own creative tactics and strategies and reminiscences of working on films such as The Talented Mr Ripley offer new perspectives on the way in which we may watch films.

SUDDENLY SOMETHING CLICKED by Walter Murch is published by Faber