Acknowledgements

In the first place I have to express my sincere thanks to all those who have contributed to this book, especially the editors from all over Europe who are represented here. For one reason or another some of those I wished to include are missing. There is a modesty about editors which inhibits them from developing any self-importance, and I did not possess the powers of persuasion or sufficient charm to convince some of them to be part of the enterprise.

This was especially true of Martine Barraqué – who worked for François Truffaut in the last phase of his career and is still an active editor. Martine was on my original list because she was my first contact when I wrote a book on Truffaut’s ‘La Nuit américaine’, and I have considered her a friend ever since. It was Martine who introduced me to Yann Dedet and the conversations between the three of us in Martine’s Paris apartment made me aware more than any other encounter of the passionate dedication of editors to their craft, and of my own lifelong fascination with that passion. Although Martine would not be persuaded to be in the book, Yann has been a wonderful supporter of the idea from the beginning, and his own conversations with me set the tone for all subsequent encounters.

It is a similar case with Roberto Perpignani. Of all the interviews I conducted the one in Rome with Roberto was the most intensive. It lasted three days and could have gone on forever. In recent years Roberto has combined editing with teaching at the Italian National Film School and his desire to communicate the magic of the editing process gives us a mutual agenda that I am so happy to share.

But all my contributors share that passion and I hope the reader feels that it is communicated in these pages. Where I was unable to travel to the country of a contributor in some cases the interview was conducted by a mutual friend, in others the response was by letter and e-mail. Often it involved translation, either by colleagues in England or before the text was sent to me.

With Agnès Guillemot I was lucky enough to have Sarah Hickson with me and Arlette Kendall kindly translated from the tapes. Although Yann Dedet and I talked in English I have used part of another interview and that was translated for me by Elizabeth Hardy. Virginie Langlais was good enough to translate some of François Gedigier’s interview.

I have to thank Alan Griffin for his research on my behalf and making contact for me with Julia Juaniz in Spain and Eleni Alexandrakis for performing similar services for me in Greece and making the time to interview Takis Yannopoulos in Athens.

Sylvia Ingemarsson’s original text was translated for me by Päivi Overend. Sylvia’s interview was conducted during a particularly pleasant day at her home. Andrej Mellin set up my contacts with the two Polish editors, and Gaby Prekop acted as intermediary for the Hungarians. ‘Bara’ Kastakova performed a similar service vis-à-vis the Czechs. I have also to thank all other translators including Eva Cieszewska and Emiliano Battista.

At Elsevier, Jenny Ridout was the one who believed in the concept for the book, and I thank her for putting her faith in me, even though it has been a struggle to deliver the MS. Christina Donaldson and Georgia Kennedy couldn’t have been more helpful.

Lastly I wish to record my deep sense of loss at the death of Sabine Mamou. Sabine welcomed me into her home and immediately moved me by her open and honest attitudes. Her moral stance and her political and social commitment stood as an example to us all. She served to remind me that although editing can be a very rewarding role it can also involve questions of morality and of good and evil. I am sorry Sabine will not see this book but I think and hope her words represent her well.