- Born
- Paul Hirsch, A.C.E. has edited over 40 films, among them the first "Star Wars" written and directed by George Lucas, for which he received an Academy Award in 1978, and "The Empire Strikes Back"; 11 films for Brian De Palma, including "Carrie", "Blowout" and "Mission: Impossible"; four for Herbert Ross, including "Footloose", "The Secret of My Success" and "Steel Magnolias"; three for John Hughes, including "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Planes, Trains & Automobiles"; and "Falling Down" for Joel Schumacher. In 2005, he received his second Academy Award nomination for "Ray", a biopic based on the life of Ray Charles, directed by Taylor Hackford. The various genres in his resume include drama, action, horror, musical comedy, fantasy, suspense, mystery and comedy. In 2008, he reunited with Hackford on "Love Ranch." More recently, he edited "Source Code", directed by Duncan Jones, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol", directed by Brad Bird, "Warcraft", his second picture with Duncan Jones, and has served as additional editor on numerous films. Hirsch was born in NYC. His father, Joseph Hirsch, was a well-known painter whose works are in the permanent collections of major museums in the US, including the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum. His mother and stepfather, Ruth & Leonard Bocour, were important collectors of 20th Century American painting. He spent part of his childhood growing up in Paris and is fluent in French, as well as somewhat conversant in Italian and British. He studied music at the High School of Music & Art in NYC. He majored in Art History at Columbia University. He is married, with two grown offspring both in the film business, and lives in Pacific Palisades. He is the author of a memoir titled "A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away."- IMDb Mini Biography By: Paul Hirsch
- Paul Hirsch, A.C.E. has edited over 40 films, among them the first "Star Wars" written and directed by George Lucas, for which he received an Academy Award in 1978, and "The Empire Strikes Back"; 11 films for Brian De Palma, including "Carrie", "Blowout" and "Mission: Impossible"; four for Herbert Ross, including "Footloose", "The Secret of My Success" and "Steel Magnolias"; three for John Hughes, including "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Planes, Trains & Automobiles"; and "Falling Down" for Joel Schumacher. In 2005, he received his second Academy Award nomination for "Ray", a biopic based on the life of Ray Charles, directed by Taylor Hackford. The various genres in his resume include drama, action, horror, musical comedy, fantasy, suspense, mystery and comedy. In recent years, he edited "Source Code", directed by Duncan Jones, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol", directed by Brad Bird, and "Warcraft", his second picture with director Duncan Jones, while acting as additional editor on many films. He is the author of a memoir titled "A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away."- IMDb Mini Biography By: Paul Hirsch
- Brother of Charles Hirsch. Former brother-in-law of Tina Hirsch
- In a sense, editing a film is doing the final rewrite. It's the chance to change lines or replace them in a different sequence. An editor is also dealing with time, which is more a concern in the musical arts. Only film and music require that an audience comprehend the details of a work of art over a given period of time.
- [about the unexpected success of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)] I won an Academy Award for "Star Wars" before I'd even started thinking about winning an Academy Award.
- [on Obsession (1976)] The film was turned down by every major studio when it was originally finished. I then had the idea of substituting a single shot in the film, and convinced De Palma [director Brian De Palma] and the producer to do it. It was then picked up by Columbia. How changing one shot [switching a wide shot to a close-up of the star] changed the meaning of the story, and transformed a picture no one wanted to distribute into one they did, is an interesting example of the significance of editing.
- [on director Brian De Palma] Brian taught me a lot about the difference between cutting trailers and cutting features. And my two other great teachers were trial and error.
- Context is everything. You can take the most affecting moment of a four-hankie movie and cut it into the middle of a broad comedy, and it will seem absurd. [2019]
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