This morning, brilliant film editor Sally Menke was found dead in Griffith Park, a death believed to be a result of a record heat wave in Southern California. For years she has been the film editor for Quentin Tarantino, working on every film since Reservoir Dogs.
The brilliance of Tarantino films are due in no small part to her work. For a man who makes 150-minute plus films regularly, the pacing is vital, and Menke was able to take the footage Tarantino gave her and make something intelligible and great out of it. If you want proof, I direct your attention to Inglourious Basterds.
The entirety of the opening chapter is made of almost exclusively of two people having a conversation, yet it remains perhaps the film's most memorable sequence. The slow interrogation, the building tension, the eventual reveal of the Jewish family under the floorboards, all a result of perfect directing, acting, and editing. When one watches a Tarantino film her influence is as prevalent as the madman himself. The same can be said of the tavern scene in the middle of the film. The team of Tarantino and Menke had a perfect chemistry that few director-editor teams can boast.
She got her start with the 1990 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but began her career with Tarantino in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs.She has also worked on films for Lee Tamahori, Ole Bornedal, Billy Bob Thornton and Michael Lander. She was nominated for an Oscar for her work on Basterds and Pulp Fiction.
She was 56 years old.
The following clips are gag reels from Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds, where the cast turns to the camera at the end of a take to greet Sally in the editing room. The Death Proof clip begins with Tarantino praising Menke.
[WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE IN BOTH]
She will be sorely missed. Great entry. Love the clips.
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