Yes.
TO: I want to show you something. When I got on the plane from the States to come here, my father gave me some newspapers to read. I brought it with me so I want to show it to you. It’s The Armenian Reporter and it had an article about Henry Verneuil…
FB: He was Armenian—his name was Ashot Malakian.
TO: In 1962, you were editing Any Number Can Win.
FB: Yes, in French it was Mélodie en sous-sol.
TO: And then you followed very quickly with Guns for San Sebastian and The 25th Hour. Were you intimidated at all?
FB: When I start a film, even today, I still ask myself, ‘Will I be able to edit this film properly?’
TO: You still have butterflies?
FB: Yes. (Both Laugh) Each film is different and then once you start, it’s easier.
TO: But we’re only talking about seven years and then you start working on Z. And how did Costa-Gavras come into your life? You did eight films with him.
FB: The editor who Costa had been using was not available. And by then I had gotten separated, so I called Costa and said, ‘Well, if you want me, I can edit your film!’ (Both Laugh) And that’s how I did Z.
TO: Amazing. And that you then went on to win an Academy Award for it. The film is as timely and relevant to what is happening in the world today.
FB: Yes.
TO: And it is timeless. Slow motion, flashbacks, flash forwards, the retelling of things from different perspectives a la Rashomon. It’s a narrative feature film, which looks every bit like a documentary.
FB: For each film, I have a different style. To me, it’s the material that you have that provokes or creates the style. The editor doesn’t create the style. It depends on the story you are telling. If it needs to be fast, if it needs to be slower, you stay with a shot longer.
TO: The point of view shots are incredible in Z. For example, when the senator is in the back of the truck and you see his point of view of the gang coming forward. You don’t see a lot of those shots these days. It’s a visceral thing where they’re coming right at you.
FB: Yes, yes. I can tell you that the thing about having the slow motion, fast, not fast—I had a lot of fun, but at that time, there was no machine that could do this. So, I had to decide which frame I would have to ask the lab to print for three feet. And then I was trying to put this frame in for three frames in still and then the next one in motion for this amount of frames and so on.
TO: Sure. You were sometimes step printing but really, you’re describing speed ramping up and down.
FB: Yes. So I wound up with splices on every frame. (Both Laugh) And in the screening room, it was almost impossible to see it because there were too many splices.
TO: Were you editing while he was shooting?
FB: No. He had already shot everything when I started. He had shot in Algeria and they used the lab in Algeria and brought back everything to Paris. And then I started.
TO: Were you working with him at the start or did you work alone?
FB: With his previous editor, he was used to being there and trying things with his editor. And after the first day of working like that with him, I said, ‘Costa, I can’t work like that. I would like to look at the dailies several times with you and you can tell me what you like and don’t like for shots and actors and reactions and then go away.’ But he loves being in the cutting room.
TO: Were you prepared for the reception the film would get or of your possibility of winning?
FB: I was sure I wouldn’t get it.
TO: Really?
FB: I didn’t even hear my name.
TO: Well, here are the films that were nominated that year for Best Editing. Hello Dolly!, Midnight Cowboy, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, and of course, Z.
TO: Did you think you had a chance?
FB: No. Well, Claudia Cardinale and James Earl Jones were the presenters. And she said the names of the nominees and it was in alphabetical order by the film name. And she said, ‘And for Z, Françoise Bonnot’. And then she opened the envelope and said, ‘The winner is Françoise Bonnot’. But it was so close to what she had just said that I didn’t hear it. (Laughs) So, I’m there and the American distributor who was next to me says, ‘Françoise! You’ve got it! You’ve got it!’ (Both Laugh)
TO: That’s great.
FB: So, the editing was the first award for Z and I got up and I didn’t even think to thank my mother who was an editor. I didn’t think to thank my kids…
TO: The blur set in! (Both Laugh)
FB: Yes. I was looking for Costa and I said ‘I want to thank Costa who gave me the opportunity to do that film and to have a great time doing it.’ And that’s it. And then after they take you for pictures. And the next thing—that’s absolutely incredible—is that finally Z gets best foreign film.
TO: I want to talk about The Tenant. It has become a cult film now. It’s an unusual film and of course you edited for Roman Polanski.
FB: It was difficult because I started at the same time that he started shooting. The film had to go to Cannes so it meant having it in English and also in French. So from the start, production said we had to work six days a week. Roman was working five days a week. Roman was the actor and director and every night we would go and see the dailies. And from the four or five takes, he’d say which he preferred. So we would actually go, between his shooting, into the screening room and look at them.
TO: Between his setups?
FB: Yes. And the first assistant would arrive and tell Roman that they were ready. So, after a while, I decided that I was going to choose myself and if he wanted a different take, I would change it. I couldn’t wait. The first time I showed him some cut scenes, he wasn’t happy. And you know, I don’t know how to do, in French we call it a ‘Bout a bout’ (literally translated ‘end to end’ or perhaps as ‘head to tail’).
TO: Rough cut.
FB: Yes, a rough cut.
TO: You want to edit fine…
FB: I want to edit, the first time, as close as I think it should be at the end. Because I think if you don’t, how can you decide, see, and feel if it’s the right rhythm? How do you know if it works or is too slow or too long? And that’s what I did with Roman. And he said, ‘No Françoise, I don’t want you to make so many cuts. Do it with as few cuts as possible and then you can decide if you want to have a close-up.’ And I really didn’t know how to do that. And I thought, ‘I have to be happy with what I’m doing.’ So I worked all-night and then early Saturday morning my assistants and I came in. I had the whole film cut. That afternoon, around 1:30, Roman came in and we went into the screening room. I think we had about an hour and fifteen minutes total by then. And we watched everything, and he didn’t say anything. And, at the end, he stood up
