Metrograph

For one night only in June, join Metrograph for a screening of Martin Scorsese’s 1974 romantic comedy Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, followed by a detailed discussion on its making with the film's editor, Marcia Lucas.

American Cinema Editors (ACE) is dedicated not only to advancing the art and science of the film editing profession, but also to helping the public understand the role of the editor and the impact their contributions have on a motion picture. With this series, ACE pairs a great film and a moderated conversation with that film’s editor, providing a glimpse into one of cinema’s most vital but least understood artistic practices.

When her husband dies unexpectedly, Alice (Ellen Burstyn), a New Mexico housewife and mother of a 12-year-old boy, decides to start over from scratch, trying her hand at the singing career she’d always dreamed of. Burstyn took a chance of her own, recommending a still-young Marty Scorsese for the directing gig, and came away with an Oscar for her gamble, doing luminous, career-high work alongside Kris Kristofferson as the handsome stranger who offers Alice a second chance at love. Coming off the distinctly macho Mean Streets, Scorsese relied heavily on female collaborators for this, his lone “women’s picture,” including production designer Toby Carr Rafelson and editor Marcia Lucas, receiving her first solo editing credit here, who had an unusual amount of leeway to shape the film. (Of an improvised scene of Alice’s son telling a story in the car, Scorsese remembers: “I didn’t touch it.”)

Q&A with editor Marcia Lucas moderated by film historian Bobbie O'Steen on Saturday, June 21st