ABSTRACT
One of the more interesting career developments in film has been the transition from editors to directors. Two of the most successful, Robert Wise and David Lean, are the subjects of this
chapter.
Is it necessary and natural for editors to become directors? The answer is no. Is editing the
best route to directing? Not necessarily, but editing can be invaluable, as demonstrated by
the subjects of this chapter. What strengths do editors bring to directing? Narrative clarity, for one: Editors are responsible for clarifying the story from all of the footage that the director
has shot. This point takes on greater meaning in the following sampling of directors who
have entered the field from other areas. From screenwriting, the most famous contemporary writer who has tried his hand at directing is Robert Towne (Personal Best, 1982; Tequila
Sunrise, 1988). Before Towne, notable writerdirectors included Nunnally Johnson (The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, 1956) and Ben Hecht (Specter of the Rose, 1946). All of these writers are great with dialog, and their screenplays spark with energy. As directors, however, their
work seems to lack pace. Their dialog may be energetic, but the performances of their actors
are too mannered. In short, these exceptional writers are unexceptional directors. This, of course, does not mean that all writers become poor directors; consider Preston Sturges, Billy
Wilder, and Joseph Mankiewicz, for example. What it does imply, though, is that the narra-
tive skill of writing doesn’t lead directly to a successful directing career.
