Thelma Schoonmaker

Early life

Thelma Schoonmaker was born on January 3, 1940, in Algiers (then part of French Algeria), the daughter of American parents, Thelma and Bertram Schoonmaker. Bertram, descended from the New York Dutch Schoonmaker political family, was employed as an agent of the Standard Oil Company and worked extensively abroad. The Schoonmakers were evacuated to the United States shortly after the Fall of France during the Second World War. Schoonmaker was primarily raised in Aruba, in a community she described as "a colony of expatriates from over the world"; she also spent part of her childhood in Portugal.

Schoonmaker did not live in the United States until she was an adolescent in 1955, and was initially alienated and dumbfounded by American culture. She settled in Ridgewood, New Jersey and graduated in 1957 from Ridgewood High School. Schoonmaker was interested in a career in international diplomacy and began attending Cornell University in 1957, where she studied political science and the Russian language. When she graduated from Cornell in 1961, she began taking State Department tests in order to apply for positions within the U.S. government. Politically inclined and opinionated, Schoonmaker was opposed to the Vietnam War and supported the Civil rights movement. She passed the State Department exams but failed the final "stress test" when she expressed distaste for the South African policy of apartheid, a stance which did not sit well with those administering the tests. The State Department claimed that her views were "too politically liberal" and that she wouldn't be happy having a job at the Department.

Career

While taking a graduate course in primitive art at Columbia University, Schoonmaker saw an advertisement in The New York Times that offered training as an assistant film editor. She responded to the advertisement and got the job. The job entailed assisting an "editor" who was randomly cutting frames from classic European films (such as those by Truffaut, Godard and Fellini), so that their length would conform to the running times of U.S. television broadcasts.

She signed up for a brief six-week course in filmmaking at New York University, where she came into contact with young Martin Scorsese, who was struggling to complete his short film What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?. A negative cutter had butchered the film, not leaving enough negative frames to allow for hot splicing, so a film professor asked Schoonmaker to help Scorsese. Schoonmaker went on to edit Scorsese's feature directorial debut, Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967).

Schoonmaker received her first major screen credits when she and Scorsese both became part of the editing team on Michael Wadleigh's seminal music festival documentary, 1970's Woodstock. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing for her groundbreaking work—the first documentary ever to be nominated in that category. Her use of superimpositions and freeze frames brought the performances in the film to life and added to the movie's broad appeal, thus helping to raise the artistry and visibility of documentary film-making to a new level.

The early period of Schoonmaker's career was difficult. Despite being an Oscar nominee, Schoonmaker could not work on feature films unless she became a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. The union's entry requirements included spending five years as an apprentice and three as an assistant, which Schoonmaker was unwilling to meet. Schoonmaker remarked, "And I just couldn't see why I, who had been a full editor and had been nominated for an Academy Award, should suddenly have to become an apprentice. ...And of course, they couldn't see the sense of why I, who had never been in the union all those years and had never paid dues all those years and had never served my time in their sense, should be allowed as a full editor. So it was quite understandable on both sides. It was just insane."

Consequently, Schoonmaker did not work with Scorsese in a formal capacity in the 1970s; however, she did make an uncredited contribution to Taxi Driver. Scorsese had decided not to edit the picture during principal photography, but to save all the editing until shooting had wrapped. Unfortunately, this left him very little time to cut the picture, as Columbia's contract stipulated that a finished cut had to be supplied by the middle of February. Scorsese brought in Schoonmaker to help. At one point, Steven Spielberg visited Scorsese and chipped in with some contributions toward the final edit.

In the 1980s, Schoonmaker, with some help from Scorsese, was eventually accepted into the union. They worked together on the classic sports drama Raging Bull, which is widely considered masterful editing and won her the Best Film Editing Oscar. During her acceptance speech for the film, Schoonmaker said "I want to thank, first of all, Marty Scorsese; he edited this film with me every minute of the time. I want to thank him particularly for his brilliant direction, and Robert De Niro for his incredible performance which gave me gold to work with — pure gold."

Personal life

She was introduced to Michael Powell by Scorsese and London-based film producer Frixos Constantine.

Since Powell's death, Schoonmaker has dedicated herself to preserving the films and honoring the legacy of her husband, who directed many classic films with his partner, Emeric Pressburger. In an interview with A.Frame asking Schoonmaker what her five favorite films of all time are, she listed two of their films, The Red Shoes and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. (The others were Faces, The Flowers of St. Francis and Raging Bull.)

Filmography

Film

Television

Achievements and recognition

Schoonmaker equaled the record for the most Oscar wins (three) in the Best Film Editing category, shared with Ralph Dawson, Daniel Mandell, and Michael Kahn. Furthermore, she holds the record for most nominations in that category, with nine. Schoonmaker is also the first woman to win multiple Oscars for film editing.

In 2012, on the 75th anniversary of its founding, the Motion Picture Editors Guild issued a list of the 75 best-edited films of all time based on a survey of its membership. Three films edited by Schoonmaker made the list—all directed by Scorsese and spanning three different decades—including Raging Bull (1980), which is ranked first; Goodfellas (1990), ranked fifteenth; and Hugo (2011), ranked sixty-ninth. Only George Tomasini, the editor of Alfred Hitchcock's films in the 1950s and 1960s, has more appearances on this list, with four; and only Dede Allen also edited three pictures across three decades, with hers in particular from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Awards and nominations

Major associations

Academy Awards

BAFTA Awards

Emmy Awards

Miscellaneous awards

Honorary accolades

Honorary degrees

Notes

References

References

1. Colby, Matthew. (January 15, 2015). "Thelma Schoonmaker's Favorite Scorsese Moments".
2. "The Thelma & Bertram Schoonmaker Story".
3. Meuel, David. (2016). "Women Film Editors: Unseen Artists of American Cinema". [[McFarland & Company.
4. Marlow, Jonathan. (October 6, 2006). "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell". GreenCine.com.
5. Rafferty, Terrence. (November 30, 1982). "His Girl Friday: Thelma Schoonmaker Cuts Things Down to Size".
6. Anderson, Hamish. (November 22, 2011). "The Woman Behind Martin Scorsese".
7. Presinzano, Jessica. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/2017/10/11/celebrities-politicians-and-athletes-who-call-north-jersey-home/753145001/ "Celebrities, politicians and athletes who call North Jersey home"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey). The Record]]'', October 11, 2017. Accessed December 21, 2023. "Famed musician Nelson Riddle went to Ridgewood High and Oscar-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker called the village home."
8. Herzog, Laura. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ridgewood-news-alumni-of-ridgewood-h/137206476/ "Alumnus joins a 'distinguished' group"], ''The Ridgewood News'', October 12, 2012. Accessed December 21, 2023, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "There is Thelma Schoonmaker (Class of 1957), a Hollywood film editor who has won three Academy Awards for her work on ''Raging Bull,'' ''The Aviator'' and ''The Departed.''"
9. Daniel Aloi, [https://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov05/thelma.1103.dea.html "Thelma Schoonmaker '61 to talk movies Nov. 19 at Cornell"], cornell.edu; accessed February 26, 2018.
10. Shoard, Catherine. (1 August 2005). "Long-lasting love through a lens".
11. [https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/183482. 183483/Thelma-Schoonmaker-Profile.html Thelma Schoonmaker Profile], Turner Classic Movies Film Article; retrieved February 5, 2013.
12. (August 2000). "Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Editing Award Honoree – THELMA SCHOONMAKER". Hollywood Film Festival.
13. Tapley, Kristopher. (December 21, 2013). "Thelma Schoonmaker remembers her first Scorsese collaboration: 'Who's That Knocking At My Door'". [[Uproxx]].
14. Norcross, Jonathon. (May 19, 2022). "Why 'Woodstock' Is the Quintessential Music Festival Documentary".
15. "NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS IN OTHER CATEGORIES FOR DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
16. Nguyen, Lan N.. (March 15, 2005). "The Last Temptation of Thelma". iVillage Entertainment.
17. Robson, Leo. (May 9, 2014). "Thelma Schoonmaker: the queen of the cutting room". FT Magazine.
18. Sangster, Jim. (2002). "Scorsese". Virgin Film.
19. Kowalski, Eileen. (November 14, 2001). "Tina Hirsch". Variety.
20. Talty, Stephan. (September–October 1991). "Invisible Woman". American Film.
21. link. (January 7, 2006 , TimeOut.com, September 26, 2005.)
22. Khomami, Nadia. (2023-12-08). "‘Scorsese says The Red Shoes is in his DNA’: Thelma Schoonmaker on her life and work with Michael Powell and his friend Marty". The Guardian.
23. (April 4, 2023). "Film Editing Facts - Most Nominations and Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
24. Holmes, Linda. (January 23, 2024). "Takeaways from the Oscar nominations: heavy hitters rewarded, plus some surprises".
25. Eiseman, Selise. (January 1, 2012). "Oscar's Women".
26. (May 1, 2012). "The 75 Best Edited Films".
27. (May 1, 2012). "75 Best Edited Films: By the Numbers".
28. "The 43rd Academy Awards (1971) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
29. "The 53rd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
30. "The 63rd Academy Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
31. "The 75th Academy Awards (2003) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
32. "The 77th Academy Awards (2005) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
33. "The 79th Academy Awards (2007) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
34. "The 84th Academy Awards (2012) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
35. "The 92nd Academy Awards (2020) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
36. "The 96th Academy Awards (2024) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
37. "The 35th British Academy Film Awards (1982) Nominees and Winners". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
38. "The 37th British Academy Film Awards (1984) Nominees and Winners". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
39. "The 44th British Academy Film Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
40. "The 46th British Academy Film Awards (1993) Nominees and Winners". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
41. "56th British Academy Film Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
42. "58th British Academy Film Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
43. "60th British Academy Film Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
44. "65th British Academy Film Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
45. "67th British Academy Film Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
46. "73rd British Academy Film Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
47. "77th British Academy Film Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
48. "Thelma Schoonmaker - Emmy Awards, Nominations, and Wins". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS).
49. "Honoraries". Canterbury Christ Church University.