Dede Allen
Encyclopedia
Dorothea Carothers "Dede" Allen (December 3, 1923April 17, 2010) was an American film editor, well-known "film editing doctor" to the major American movie studios, and one of cinema's all-time celebrated 'auteur' film editors.
Allen is known for having edited classic films such as The Hustler
(1961), Bonnie and Clyde
(1967), Dog Day Afternoon
(1975), and Reds (1982). She had an extended collaboration (1967–1976) with director Arthur Penn
, and over the years had worked with other distinguished directors including Sidney Lumet
, Robert Wise
, Elia Kazan
, and George Roy Hill
. She was a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
.
; her mother was an actress and her father worked for Union Carbide
. She enrolled at Scripps College
in Claremont, California.
. She edited commercial and industrial films before becoming a full-fledged feature film editor. It took sixteen years working in the American film industry
before Dede Allen edited her first important feature film, Odds Against Tomorrow
(1959). She worked closely with and was mentored by film director
Robert Wise
, who had also been a film editor himself (most notably having cut Orson Welles
' Citizen Kane
). Wise encouraged Dede Allen to be brave and experiment with her editing.
Much like the raw editing of dada
ist filmmaking (an approach followed by René Clair
early in his career) or perhaps akin to that of the French New Wave
, Allen pioneered the use of audio overlaps and utilized emotional jump cut
s, stylistic flourishes that brought energy and realism to characters that until that point had not been a part of classic Hollywood film editing technique. Continuity editing
and screen direction (being tied to the constraints of place and time) became the low priority, while using cutting to express the micro-cultural body language
of the characters and moving the plot along in an artistic, almost three-dimensional manner became her modus operandi.
Varietys Eileen Kowalski notes that, "Indeed, many of the editorial greats have been women: Dede Allen, Verna Fields
, Thelma Schoonmaker
, Anne V. Coates
and Dorothy Spencer
."
Tom Fleischman and her daughter is Ramey Ward.
Allen died on April 17, 2010 in Los Angeles, California
from a stroke.
Allen is known for having edited classic films such as The Hustler
The Hustler (film)
The Hustler is a 1961 American drama film directed by Robert Rossen from the 1959 novel of the same name he and Sidney Carroll adapted for the screen...
(1961), Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde (film)
The film was originally offered to François Truffaut, the best-known director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project to make Fahrenheit 451. The producers approached Jean-Luc Godard next...
(1967), Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
(1975), and Reds (1982). She had an extended collaboration (1967–1976) with director Arthur Penn
Arthur Penn
Arthur Hiller Penn was an American film director and producer with a career as a theater director as well. Penn amassed a critically acclaimed body of work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:...
, and over the years had worked with other distinguished directors including Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
, Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
, Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...
, and George Roy Hill
George Roy Hill
George Roy Hill was an American film director. He is most noted for directing such films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, which both starred the acting duo Paul Newman and Robert Redford...
. She was a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
.
Early life
Allen was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
; her mother was an actress and her father worked for Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
. She enrolled at Scripps College
Scripps College
Scripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for...
in Claremont, California.
Career
Allen worked her way up as a production runner, as a sound librarian and then as an assistant film editor at Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. She edited commercial and industrial films before becoming a full-fledged feature film editor. It took sixteen years working in the American film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
before Dede Allen edited her first important feature film, Odds Against Tomorrow
Odds Against Tomorrow
Odds Against Tomorrow is a 1959 film noir produced and directed by Robert Wise for HarBel Productions, a company founded by the film's star, Harry Belafonte. Belafonte selected Abraham Polonsky to write the script, which is based on a novel by William P. McGivern. As a blacklisted writer Polonsky...
(1959). She worked closely with and was mentored by film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
, who had also been a film editor himself (most notably having cut Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
). Wise encouraged Dede Allen to be brave and experiment with her editing.
Much like the raw editing of dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
ist filmmaking (an approach followed by René Clair
René Clair
René Clair born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker.-Biography:He was born in Paris and grew up in the Les Halles quarter. He attended the Lycée Montaigne and the Lycée Louis-le-Grand. During World War I, he served as an ambulance driver. After the war, he started a career as a journalist...
early in his career) or perhaps akin to that of the French New Wave
French New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
, Allen pioneered the use of audio overlaps and utilized emotional jump cut
Jump cut
A jump cut is a cut in film editing and vloging in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way...
s, stylistic flourishes that brought energy and realism to characters that until that point had not been a part of classic Hollywood film editing technique. Continuity editing
Continuity editing
Continuity editing is the predominant style of film editing and video editing in the post-production process of filmmaking of narrative films and television programs...
and screen direction (being tied to the constraints of place and time) became the low priority, while using cutting to express the micro-cultural body language
Body language
Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously....
of the characters and moving the plot along in an artistic, almost three-dimensional manner became her modus operandi.
Varietys Eileen Kowalski notes that, "Indeed, many of the editorial greats have been women: Dede Allen, Verna Fields
Verna Fields
Verna Fields was an American film editor, film and television sound editor, educator, and entertainment industry executive. In the first phase of her career, from 1954 through to about 1970, Fields mostly worked on smaller projects that gained little recognition. She was the sound editor for...
, Thelma Schoonmaker
Thelma Schoonmaker
Thelma Schoonmaker is an American film editor who has worked with director Martin Scorsese for over forty years. She has edited all of Scorsese's films since Raging Bull...
, Anne V. Coates
Anne V. Coates
Anne Voase Coates is a British film editor with a more than 40-year long career in film editing. She is perhaps best known as the editor of director David Lean's epic film, Lawrence of Arabia in 1962...
and Dorothy Spencer
Dorothy Spencer
Dorothy Spencer was an American film editor. Nominated for an Academy Award on several occasions she is remembered for editing several of director John Ford's best known movies, including Stagecoach and what film critic Roger Ebert calls, "Ford's greatest Western," My Darling Clementine.She was...
."
Personal life
Allen was married to film director Stephen Fleischman. Her son is renowned sound re-recording mixerRe-recording mixer
A re-recording mixer, formerly known as a dubbing mixer, is a person who is part of a post-production sound team and works specifically with dialog, music and sound effects to create the final soundtrack for a production...
Tom Fleischman and her daughter is Ramey Ward.
Allen died on April 17, 2010 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
from a stroke.
Selected filmography
The director and release date of each film are indicated in parenthesis.- The HustlerThe Hustler (film)The Hustler is a 1961 American drama film directed by Robert Rossen from the 1959 novel of the same name he and Sidney Carroll adapted for the screen...
(1961 - RossenRobert RossenRobert Rossen was an American screenwriter, film director, and producer whose film career spanned almost three decades. His 1949 film All the King's Men won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, while Rossen was nominated for an Oscar as Best Director...
) - America, AmericaAmerica, AmericaAmerica, America is a 1963 American dramatic film directed, produced and written by Elia Kazan, from his own book.-Plot:...
(1963 - KazanElia KazanElia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...
) - Bonnie & ClydeBonnie and Clyde (film)The film was originally offered to François Truffaut, the best-known director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project to make Fahrenheit 451. The producers approached Jean-Luc Godard next...
(1967 - PennArthur PennArthur Hiller Penn was an American film director and producer with a career as a theater director as well. Penn amassed a critically acclaimed body of work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:...
) - Rachel, RachelRachel, RachelRachel, Rachel is a 1968 American drama film produced and directed by Paul Newman. The screenplay by Stewart Stern is based on the 1966 novel A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence.-Plot:...
(1968 - NewmanPaul NewmanPaul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
) - Alice's RestaurantAlice's Restaurant (film)Alice's Restaurant is a 1969 American comedy film co-written and directed by Arthur Penn. It is an adaptation of the 1967 folk song of the same name by singer and songwriter Arlo Guthrie...
(1969 - Penn) - Little Big ManLittle Big ManLittle Big Man is a 1970 American Western film directed by Arthur Penn and based on the 1964 comic novel by Thomas Berger. It is a picaresque comedy about a Caucasian boy raised by the Cheyenne nation during the 19th century...
(1970 - Penn) - Slaughterhouse-FiveSlaughterhouse-Five (film)Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1972 film based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same name. The screenplay is by Stephen Geller and the film was directed by George Roy Hill. It stars Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, and Valerie Perrine, and features Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans, Holly Near, and Perry King. The...
(HillGeorge Roy HillGeorge Roy Hill was an American film director. He is most noted for directing such films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, which both starred the acting duo Paul Newman and Robert Redford...
- 1972) - SerpicoSerpicoSerpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
(1973 - LumetSidney LumetSidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
) - Dog Day AfternoonDog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
(1975 - Lumet) - Night MovesNight Moves (1975 film)Night Moves is a 1975 detective film directed by Arthur Penn. The film stars Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren and Susan Clark, and features very early career appearances by Melanie Griffith and James Woods....
(1975 - Penn) - The Missouri BreaksThe Missouri BreaksThe Missouri Breaks is a 1976 American western film starring Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. The film was directed by Arthur Penn, with supporting performances by Randy Quaid, Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Forrest, John McLiam and Kathleen Lloyd...
(1976 - Penn) - Reds (1981 - BeattyWarren BeattyWarren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
) - The Breakfast ClubThe Breakfast ClubThe Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen drama film written and directed by John Hughes. The storyline follows five teenagers as they spend a Saturday in detention together and come to realize that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes.-Plot:The plot follows five students at...
(1985 - Hughes) - Henry & JuneHenry & JuneHenry & June is a 1990 American film directed by Philip Kaufman and stars Fred Ward, Maria de Medeiros, and Uma Thurman. It is loosely based on the book of the same name by the French author Anaïs Nin, and tells the story of Nin's relationship with Henry Miller and his wife, June.-Plot:The story...
(1990 - KaufmanPhilip KaufmanPhilip Kaufman is an American film director and screenwriter. His movies have adapted novels of widely different types – from Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being to Michael Crichton’s Rising Sun; from Tom Wolfe’s heroic epic The Right Stuff to the erotic writings of Anaïs Nin’s...
) - The Addams FamilyThe Addams Family (film)The Addams Family is a 1991 American black comedy film based on the characters from the cartoon of the same name created by cartoonist Charles Addams....
(1991 - SonnenfeldBarry SonnenfeldBarry Sonnenfeld is an American filmmaker and television director. He worked as cinematographer for the Coen brothers, then later he directed and produced big budget films such as Men in Black.-Life and career:...
) - Wonder BoysWonder Boys (film)Wonder Boys is a dark comedy film based on the 1995 novel of the same title by Michael Chabon. Directed by Curtis Hanson, it stars Michael Douglas as professor Grady Tripp, a novelist who teaches creative writing at an unnamed Pittsburgh university...
(2000 - HansonCurtis HansonCurtis Lee Hanson is an American film director, film producer and screenwriter. His directing work includes The Hand That Rocks the Cradle , L.A...
) - Have Dreams, Will TravelHave Dreams, Will TravelHave Dreams, Will Travel is a drama film set in the 1960s written and directed by Brad Isaacs, starring Cayden Boyd, AnnaSophia Robb, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan McDermott, Heather Graham, Val Kilmer, and Matthew Modine.-Plot:Narrator Benjamin Reynolds lives with neglectful parents in 1960s west...
(2007 - Isaacs)
Academy Awards and nominations
- 1976 – Dog Day AfternoonDog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
(nominated) Academy Award Best Editing - 1982 – Reds (nominated) Academy Award Best Editing (w/ co-editor Craig McKayCraig McKay (film editor)Craig McKay, born in New York's Hudson Valley, is a feature film editor, story consultant, director, and executive producer. Recognized with two Academy Award nominations for editing Reds and The Silence of the Lambs, and an Emmy Award for editing the NBC miniseries Holocaust, he has edited more...
) - 2001 – Wonder BoysWonder Boys (film)Wonder Boys is a dark comedy film based on the 1995 novel of the same title by Michael Chabon. Directed by Curtis Hanson, it stars Michael Douglas as professor Grady Tripp, a novelist who teaches creative writing at an unnamed Pittsburgh university...
(nominated) Academy Award Best Editing
Other awards and nominations
- 1962 – The HustlerThe Hustler (film)The Hustler is a 1961 American drama film directed by Robert Rossen from the 1959 novel of the same name he and Sidney Carroll adapted for the screen...
(nominated) American Cinema EditorsAmerican Cinema EditorsFounded in 1950, American Cinema Editors is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. The society is not to be confused with an industry union, such as the I.A.T.S.E...
(ACE) Eddie Best Edited Feature Film - 1968 – Bonnie and ClydeBonnie and Clyde (film)The film was originally offered to François Truffaut, the best-known director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project to make Fahrenheit 451. The producers approached Jean-Luc Godard next...
(nominated) American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Best Edited Feature Film - 1975 – Dog Day AfternoonDog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
(won) BAFTA Film Award - Best Editing - 1982 – Reds (nominated) American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Best Edited Feature Film (w/ co-editor Craig McKay)
- 1982 – (Recipient) Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.
- 1994 – American Cinema Editors (ACE) Career Achievement AwardAmerican Cinema Editors Career Achievement AwardThe American Cinema Editors gives one or more Career Achievement Awards each year. The first awards were given in 1987; the winners have been:*2011: Michael Kahn and Michael Brown*2010: Paul LaMastra and Neil Travis*2009: Sidney Katz and Arthur Schmidt...
(won) - 1999 – Hollywood Film Festival Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing (won)
- 2000 – Las Vegas Film Critics Association Awards Career Achievement Award (won)