rhythm with your finger at each of the thirty-nine
cuts in the scene, you’ll find that you’re able to keep
a discernible rhythm at first, but as the scene
reaches its climax, you’ll find that you can barely
keep pace with the cuts.
The choices that an editor makes regarding the
rhythm of scenes can, in turn, create larger pat-
terns of shot duration. These patterns can be built
and broken for dramatic emphasis and impact, as
in Sergio Leone’s Once upon a Time in the West(1968;
director’s-cut DVD version released 2003; editor:
Nino Baragli). During the opening title and credits,
the editor has created a sequence of almost 15 min-
utes that is extraordinary for the patterns both of
what we see (an isolated railroad station on the
prairie where three desperate-looking characters354 CHAPTER 8EDITING
135246Rhythm in editing In Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run(1998;
editor: Mathilde Bonnefoy), the title character (played by
Franka Potente) [1] receives word that her boyfriend, Manni
(Moritz Bleibtreu) [2], is in a dire situation—a matter of
money and time [3], which is running out. Close-ups show
Lola facing facts [4] and imagining the possibilities [5].
Finally, she has no choice but to run for help [6]. From here
on, the pace and rhythm of the editing will match the pace
and rhythm of dramatic developments and Lola’s sometimes
split-second decision making.