Barry Malkin


Barry M. Malkin was an American film editor with about 30 film credits. He is noted for his extended collaboration with director Francis Ford Coppola, having edited most of Coppola's films from 1969 to 1997. In particular, Malkin worked with Coppola on four of the component and compilation films of the Godfather trilogy, though he did not edit the first film, The Godfather. Film critic Roger Ebert called the first two Godfather films a "cultural bedrock".

Early career

Malkin worked as an apprentice to editor Dede Allen on the film America America, and became acquainted with editor Aram Avakian, who was an occasional visitor. Malkin became Avakian's assistant editor on Lilith. Malkin got his first credits as a full editor on The Patty Duke Show and on the "Z movie" The Fat Spy. Francis Ford Coppola heard of Malkin from Avakian, who had edited Coppola's film You're a Big Boy Now ; it turned out that Malkin and Coppola had been acquainted as teenagers growing up in the same Queens neighborhood. Coppola engaged Malkin to edit his fourth film as director, The Rain People. He worked as an associate editor on two additional films edited by Robert Q. Lovett: End of the Road, and Cotton Comes to Harlem. Malkin was the editor for the 1973 film directed by Avakian, Cops and Robbers.

''The Godfather'' and the 1970s

The Godfather was extremely successful artistically and at the box office; among other distinctions, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture for 1972. Production of a sequel, The Godfather Part II, started in 1973. William Reynolds and Peter Zinner had edited The Godfather, and been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for their work. For the sequel, Malkin and Richard Marks joined Zinner as co-editors. Godfather Part II, which was released in 1974 and enjoyed success comparable to The Godfather, is noted for its intercutting between two storylines, one from Sicily in the early 20th century, and a second contemporary story that follows the first film's action. Long afterwards, the film was listed as the 22nd best-edited film of all time in a 2012 survey of members of the Motion Picture Editors Guild.
Coppola subsequently asked Malkin to edit The Godfather Saga, a television miniseries, that was based on the two films. The miniseries incorporated scenes that could not be included in the original versions, and replaced the complex intercutting between time periods of the original films with a more straightforward chronological ordering.
Malkin was an additional editor for Apocalypse Now, and a supervising editor for the Coppola-produced film Hammett. In this period, Malkin also edited Four Friends, which was directed by Arthur Penn. Dede Allen had edited Penn's films since Bonnie and Clyde, but was unavailable for this film. Stephen Prince has written of the contrast between them: "the difference an editor makes on a director's films is evident by comparing his more linear approach to Dede Allen's fractured and off-center cutting".

1980s and 1990s

During the 1980s Malkin edited six of Coppola's films, from Rumble Fish through The Godfather Part III. He was joined by his former mentor Robert Q. Lovett for The Cotton Club, which garnered the two editors a nomination for the Academy Award. Malkin also edited the film Big that was directed by Penny Marshall. By the end of the decade Coppola had agreed to make The Godfather Part III, and brought in Malkin, Lisa Fruchtman, and Walter Murch to edit. Malkin and Murch then edited a compilation entitled The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980 that was released to video in 1992. The compilation included footage from the theatrically released versions of all three films as well as additional footage. A 1993 review in Time reads, "This trilogy has a novelistic density, a rueful, unhurried lyricism and a depth that, singly, the films could not achieve. Altogether glorious."
In the 1990s, in addition to his work with Coppola on Jack and The Rainmaker, Malkin edited four films with director Andrew Bergman. Their first film together, The Freshman, is to some extent a comic "sendup" of the original 1972 Godfather film, including a part played by Marlon Brando. Malkin's last credit was for The Big Bounce, which was directed by George Armitage.

Awards

Malkin, Marks, and Zinner were nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Editing for The Godfather: Part II. The film was listed as the 22nd best-edited film of all time in a 2012 survey of members of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. He and Robert Q. Lovett were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for The Cotton Club. Malkin, Murch, and Fruchtman were nominated for the Academy Award for editing The Godfather Part III. Malkin was selected for membership in the American Cinema Editors.

Filmography (as editor)

Filmography based on Oldham's book and the Internet Movie Database.
YearFilmDirectorNotes
1964Act of Reprisal
1966The Fat SpyJoseph Cates
1969The Rain PeopleFrancis Ford CoppolaFirst collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1971Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?Ulu Grosbard
1973Cops and RobbersAram AvakianSecond collaboration with Aram Avakian
1974The Godfather Part IIFrancis Ford CoppolaSecond collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1976One Summer LoveGilbert Cates
1978Somebody Killed Her HusbandLamont Johnson
1979Last EmbraceJonathan Demme
1980WindowsGordon Willis
1980One-Trick PonyRobert M. Young
1981Four FriendsArthur PennSecond collaboration with Arthur Penn
1983Rumble FishFrancis Ford CoppolaFourth collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1984The Cotton ClubFrancis Ford CoppolaFifth collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1986Peggy Sue Got MarriedFrancis Ford CoppolaSixth collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1987Gardens of StoneFrancis Ford CoppolaSeventh collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1988BigPenny Marshall
1989New York StoriesFrancis Ford Coppola"Life Without Zoë" segment
Eighth collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1990The FreshmanAndrew BergmanFirst collaboration with Andrew Bergman
1990The Godfather Part IIIFrancis Ford CoppolaNinth collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1992Honeymoon in VegasAndrew BergmanSecond collaboration with Andrew Bergman
1994It Could Happen to YouAndrew BergmanThird collaboration with Andrew Bergman
1996JackFrancis Ford CoppolaTenth collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1997The RainmakerFrancis Ford CoppolaEleventh collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
2000Isn't She GreatAndrew BergmanFourth collaboration with Andrew Bergman
2000Lucky NumbersNora Ephron
2004The Big BounceGeorge Armitage

YearFilmDirectorRoleNotes
1964LilithRobert RossenAssistant editor
1970End of the RoadAram AvakianAssociate editorFirst collaboration with Aram Avakian
1970Cotton Comes to HarlemOssie DavisAssociate editor
1979Apocalypse NowFrancis Ford CoppolaAdditional editorTenth collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
1982HammettWim WendersSupervising editor
1990Meet the ApplegatesMichael LehmannEditorial consultant

YearFilmDirectorRoleNotes
1970Little Big ManArthur PennOpening and closing creditsFirst collaboration with Arthur Penn

Direct-to-video films
YearFilmDirector
1992The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980Francis Ford Coppola

TV movies
YearFilmDirector
1977The Godfather SagaFrancis Ford Coppola

TV series
YearTitleNotes
1963The Patty Duke Show1 episode
1977The Godfather Saga