Sally Menke
Sally JoAnne Menke was an American television and film editor.
She had a long-time collaboration with director Quentin Tarantino, editing all of his films until her death. Menke was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Pulp Fiction, of which Varietys Todd McCarthy wrote, "Sally Menke's editing reps the definition of precision."
Early life
Menke was born in Mineola, New York, the daughter of Charlotte, a teacher, and Dr. Warren Wells Menke, a professor of management at Clemson University. Menke graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Film Program. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film in 1977.Career
Menke edited documentaries for CBS in her early career. She received more film work in the 1990s, working on such films as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Heaven & Earth and Mulholland Falls.Menke met Quentin Tarantino when he held interviews for an editor. Tarantino sent her the script for Reservoir Dogs and she said that she thought it was "amazing". Menke was hiking in Canada when she learned she got the job. Menke continued working with Tarantino, editing eight films altogether. Tarantino summarized their working relationship in 2007, saying that "The best collaborations are the director–editor teams, where they can finish each other's sentences", and that Menke was his "only, truly genuine collaborator".
Menke's final editing credit was on the thriller Peacock, directed by Michael Lander.
She was selected as a member of the American Cinema Editors. On the Motion Picture Editors Guild 2012 listing of the 75 best-edited films of all time, Pulp Fiction was listed 18th.
Personal life
Menke married director Dean Parisot in 1986 and the couple had two children, Lucas and Isabella.Death
Menke had gone hiking the morning of September 27, 2010, with a friend and her dog. Menke's friend left her after an hour when she started to feel unwell in the heat. When Menke failed to come home, her friends alerted the police. Search dogs, a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter, and officers from patrol units spent hours in Griffith Park searching for her. Her locked car was found in a Griffith Park parking lot. Menke's body was found at the bottom of a ravine near 5600 block of Green Oak Drive on September 28, 2010. Her dog was found alive, sitting next to her body. The coroner's office later determined that Menke's death was heat-related. It was in downtown Los Angeles the day she died.Legacy
The Sundance Institute created a memorial fellowship in film editing to honor Menke. Tarantino's film Django Unchained was dedicated to her memory due to their long partnership.Filmography
Menke's feature film credits as editor are tabulated below. She has two additional credits for editing television documentaries: Hans Bethe: Prophet of Energy and The Congress.| Year | Film | Director | Other notes |
| 1983 | Cold Feet | Bruce van Dusen | |
| 1990 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Steve Barron | |
| 1991 | The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe | John Bailey | |
| 1992 | Reservoir Dogs | Quentin Tarantino | 20/20 Awards for Best Film Editing Nominated – Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Film Editing |
| 1993 | Heaven & Earth | Oliver Stone | |
| 1994 | Pulp Fiction | Quentin Tarantino | Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Editing Nominated – Academy Award for Best Film Editing Nominated – ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Editing |
| 1995 | Four Rooms | Quentin Tarantino | Segment: "The Man from Hollywood" |
| 1996 | Mulholland Falls | Lee Tamahori | |
| 1997 | Nightwatch | Ole Bornedal | |
| 1997 | Jackie Brown | Quentin Tarantino | |
| 2000 | All the Pretty Horses | Billy Bob Thornton | |
| 2001 | Daddy and Them | Billy Bob Thornton | |
| 2003–2004 | Kill Bill | Quentin Tarantino | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Editing Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing Nominated – ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing Nominated – American Cinema Editors for Best Editing Nominated – Awards Circuit Community Awards |
| 2004 | Wendy Apple | Self appearance | |
| 2007 | Death Proof | Quentin Tarantino | Nominated – Italian Online Movie Awards for Best Film Editing |
| 2009 | Inglourious Basterds | Quentin Tarantino | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Film Editing Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Editing Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Best Editing Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing |
| 2010 | Peacock | Michael Lander |
Awards and nominations
- 1995 – Pulp Fiction – Academy Award – "Best Film Editing"
- 1995 – Pulp Fiction – American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie Award – "Best Edited Feature Film"
- 1995 – Pulp Fiction – BAFTA Film Award – "Best Editing"
- 2003 – ' – San Diego Film Critics Society Awards – "Best Editing"
- 2004 – Kill Bill: Volume 1 – BAFTA Film Award – "Best Editing"
- 2004 – ' – Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards – Sierra Award for "Best Editing"
- 2005 – Kill Bill: Volume 2 – American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie Award – "Best Edited Feature Film "
- 2005 – Kill Bill: Volume 2 – Online Film Critics Society OFCS Award – "Best Editing"
- 2010 – Inglourious Basterds – Academy Award – "Best Film Editing"