Remembering the Cinematic Prowess of Anne V. Coates

The art of film editing is arguably the most unheralded, most crucial part of filmmaking—a craft that can rescue a difficult production process, reshape a tortured performance, or hone an already great work into something perfect. It’s a quiet and hermetic activity, largely performed in tiny studios for weeks and months on end, lacking in Hollywood glitz and glamor but pivotal to packaging someone’s star image. Anne V. Coates, at the age of 92, was a peerless master in her field. Her varied career saw her work alongside David Lean, Steven Soderbergh, David Lynch, and Sidney Lumet and become only the second