Walter Murch
Birthday: 1943-07-12 Place of Birth: New York, New York, U.S.A.
Synopsis
Walter Scott Murch (born July 12, 1943) is an American film editor, director, writer and sound designer. With a career stretching back to 1969, including work on THX 1138, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather I, II, and III, American Graffiti, The Conversation, and The English Patient, with three Academy Award wins (from nine nominations: six for picture editing and three for sound mixing), he has been referred to by Roger Ebert as "the most respected film editor and sound designer in the modern cinema."
Acting
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
Coup 53
Tehran, Iran, August 19, 1953. A group of Iranian conspirators who, with the approval of the deposed tyrant Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, have conspired with agents of the British MI6 and the US CIA, manage to put an end to the democratic government led by Mohammad Mosaddegh, a dramatic event that will begin the tragic era of coups d'état that, orchestrated by the CIA, will take place, over the following decades, in dozens of countries around the world.
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
The extraordinary life of Orson Welles (1915-85), an enigma of Hollywood, an irreducible independent creator: a musical prodigy, an excellent painter, a master of theater and radio, a modern Shakespeare, a magician who was always searching for a new trick to surprise his audience, a romantic and legendary figure who lived only for cinema.
Fog City Mavericks
Fog City Mavericks: The Filmmakers of San Francisco is a compelling exploration of the legendary filmmakers who call the San Francisco Bay Area home including George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Chris Columbus and producer Saul Zaentz. The special weaves interviews, commentaries and unforgettable moments from some of the most visionary movies ever created such as American Graffiti, the Star Wars film series, the Indiana Jones film series, The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, Toy Story, The Incredibles, Lost in Translation, Flags of Our Fathers and many others. It also features interviews with those who have worked with Bay Area mavericks: Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Anthony Minghella, Milos Forman and Frank Darabont.
Murch: Walter Murch on Editing
MURCH is a portrait of Academy Award winning editor and sound designer Walter Murch, whose unique approach to an invisible craft has fueled a visible following. As one of the original members of American Zoetrope Studios, he has taken part in the evolution of American cinema. Walter explains his unconventional approach to his craft, leading us through the productions and experiences that have influenced his methods and techniques in filmmaking.
Artifact from the Future: The Making of 'THX 1138'
The Making of feature for the George Lucas movie 'THX 1138'.
A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope
A fascinating chronicle of the birth and rise of the radically different independent studio founded by director Francis Ford Coppola.
The Making of 'American Graffiti'
Documentary that features many interviews and other footage of the cast and crew for the film American Graffiti (1973)
Bald: The Making of 'THX 1138'
The film features a conversation between Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, producer of THX 1138. They discuss Lucas' vision for the film, including his ideas about science fiction in general and in particular his concept of the "used future" which would famously feature in his film Star Wars. Intercut with this discussion is footage shot prior to the start of production of THX 1138 showing several of its actors having their heads shaved, a requirement for appearing in the film. In several cases the actors are shown being shaved in a public location. For example, Maggie McOmie is shaved outside the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, while Robert Duvall watches a sporting event as his hair is cut off. Another actor, Marshall Efron, who would later play an insane man in the film, cut off his own hair and was filmed doing so in a bathtub.
