Murch was just a rookie when he was hired to edit Francis Ford Coppola’s follow-up to The Godfather, but studying Hackman taught him all he needed to knowI never formally met Gene Hackman. I glimpsed him once, in November 1972, when he bounded upstairs to the offices of American Zoetrope in San Francisco, but I didn’t recognise him until he told the receptionist that he was here to see Mona Skager.Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Conversation was about to start shooting in two weeks, and Mona was Francis’s associate producer. I was to be the film’s editor. That brief and solitary glimpse of Gene in real life was counterbalanced by 16 months of daily screen contact with Harry Caul, the character brought to life by Hackman. Continue reading...
Walter Murch, while editing "The Conversation" directed by Francis Ford Coppola, spent 12 hours a day for 16 months studying Gene Hackman's performance as Harry Caul. Despite this intensive work, Murch never formally met Hackman. Murch learned editing techniques from Hackman's acting, such as how Hackman's blinks influenced film cuts. This experience was pivotal for Murch's career and inspired his book on film editing. Murch expresses gratitude to Hackman, acknowledging the guidance he received without ever personally thanking him.