Movie Meetup — The Godfather (Walter Murch Season) — Meet at 1 pm, Film at 2pm

".. one of the enduring works of American cinema."

We are going to see Francis Ford Coppola's, Oscar winning The Godfather, part of the Watershed Walter Murch season.

We'll meet in the Watershed cafe/bar from 1 pm, to say hello and chat. After the film we will stop for a while to talk about the film.

Buy your own ticket from the box office or online.

ABOUT THE FILM

The first of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic trilogy about the Corleone crime family is the disturbing story of a son drawn inexorably into his father’s Mafia affairs.

"The film embraces the quintessentially American crime genre, but subverts it by presenting violence as rooted in social necessity. We are transported to a world where murder is justice and our identification is with the outlaw, an extreme version of the outsider present in the personal histories of many Americans."
— Roger Corman, Sight and Sound, September 2002

"I always wanted to use the Mafia as a metaphor for America. If you look at the film, you see that it’s focused that way. The first line is ‘I believe in America.’ I feel that the Mafia is an incredible metaphor for this country.
"Basically, both the Mafia and America feel they are benevolent organisations. Both the Mafia and America have their hands stained with blood from what it is necessary to do to protect their power and interests. Both are totally capitalistic phenomena and basically have a profit motive. But I feel that America does not take care of its people. America misuses and short-changes its people; we look to our country as our protector, and it’s fooling us, it’s lying to us."
— Francis Ford Coppola, interview 1972

ABOUT WALTER MURCH

Walter Murch is a legendary figure in the world of cinema, though his name may not be as instantly recognisable as the directors and actors he has worked alongside. A pioneering film editor and sound designer, Murch has left an indelible mark on how movies are made—and how they are heard. His career spans over five decades, during which he has contributed to some of the most influential films in modern American cinema, including Apocalypse Now, The Godfather trilogy, and The English Patient, for which he won Academy Awards in both film editing and sound.

What sets Murch apart is not just the quality of his work but the intellectual depth he brings to it. He approaches editing not simply as a technical task, but as a form of storytelling that blends rhythm, emotion, and meaning. Known for his methodical yet intuitive process, Murch has also become something of a philosopher of film, articulating his ideas in essays and interviews that continue to influence filmmakers and editors alike.

Murch’s innovations include the concept of “sound montage,” which treats sound with the same expressive potential as image, and his early adoption of digital editing long before it became industry standard. Despite his many accolades, Murch has maintained a thoughtful, inquisitive stance toward his craft. He is as interested in the mechanics of storytelling as he is in its mystery.

Walter Murch will be visiting Watershed on Thu 15 May for an event around the release of his new memoir, and will be in conversation following a screening of Her Name Was Moviola.