Tom Priestley
Encyclopedia
Tom Priestley is a film
and sound editor whose career spans 1961
to 1990
. His credits include:
After leaving Cambridge University with a degree in English, he found employment at Shepperton Studios
and worked in various roles including assistant sound editor. His break came when he worked as assistant editor on the now classic films Whistle Down The Wind
and This Sporting Life
. Bryan Forbes
and Linsey Anderson were so impressed by his ability to edit that he soon graduated to supervising editor and then full editor
. His first complete edit was the John Krish
directed science fiction movie The Unearthly Stranger (1963). From the late sixties to the late eighties he was always in demand and was regarded as one of the world's leading film editors. He has worked on many prize winning films and with many leading directors and producers. These include Karel Reisz
, Lindsey Anderson, John Boorman
, Roman Polanski
, Jack Clayton
and Blake Edwards
. He won a BAFTA in 1967 for his work on Morgan an Unsuitable Case for Treatment and was Oscar nominated in 1972 for Deliverance
. When production of Roman Polanski's Tess
(1979) became problematic, he was brought in to assist Alastair McIntyre and get the film completed.
Tom Priestley is the only son of the famous author J.B. Priestley.. Since 1990 he has spent his time more in the world lecturing on film editing and handling the estate of his late father. He is currently president of the J.B. Priestley Society and The Priestley Centre for the Arts in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Film editing
Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...
and sound editor whose career spans 1961
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
to 1990
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
. His credits include:
- DeliveranceDeliveranceDeliverance is a 1972 American thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty in his film debut. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey, who has a small role in the...
- JubileeJubilee (1977 film)Jubilee is a 1977 cult film directed by Derek Jarman. It stars Jenny Runacre, Ian Charleson, and a host of punk rockers. The title refers to the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977.-Plot:...
- Exorcist II: The HereticExorcist II: The HereticExorcist II: The Heretic is a 1977 American horror film and the sequel to The Exorcist , directed by John Boorman from a screenplay by William Goodhart and starring Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty and Kitty Winn...
- 1984Nineteen Eighty-Four (film)Nineteen Eighty-Four is a 1984 British science fiction film, based upon George Orwell's novel of the same name, following the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, a country run by a totalitarian government...
- White MischiefWhite MischiefWhite Mischief is a 1987 film dramatising the events of the Happy Valley murder case in Kenya in 1941, when Sir Henry "Jock" Delves Broughton was tried for the murder of Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll....
- The Return of the Pink PantherThe Return of the Pink PantherThe Return of the Pink Panther is the fourth film in the Pink Panther series, released in 1975. The film stars Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Clouseau in his third Panther appearance, after the original The Pink Panther and A Shot in the Dark.Herbert Lom also reprises his role as Chief...
- The Great GatsbyThe Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
After leaving Cambridge University with a degree in English, he found employment at Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
and worked in various roles including assistant sound editor. His break came when he worked as assistant editor on the now classic films Whistle Down The Wind
Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind may refer to:* Whistle Down the Wind , a film directed by Bryan Forbes* Whistle Down the Wind , a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the film...
and This Sporting Life
This Sporting Life
This Sporting Life is a 1963 British film based on a novel of the same name by David Storey which won the 1960 Macmillan Fiction Award. It tells the story of a rugby league footballer, Frank Machin, in Wakefield, a mining area of Yorkshire, whose romantic life is not as successful as his sporting...
. Bryan Forbes
Bryan Forbes
Bryan Forbes, CBE is an English film director, actor and writer.-Career:Bryan Forbes was born John Theobald Clarke on 22 July 1926 in Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, West Ham, Essex , and grew up at 43 Cranmer Road, Forest Gate, West Ham, Essex .Forbes trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of...
and Linsey Anderson were so impressed by his ability to edit that he soon graduated to supervising editor and then full editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
. His first complete edit was the John Krish
John Krish
John Krish is a British screenwriter and film director. He has also directed and filmed much archive footage and in particular Our School in 1962, showing the changing ways of Britain's school and the last few years of the 11-plus exam...
directed science fiction movie The Unearthly Stranger (1963). From the late sixties to the late eighties he was always in demand and was regarded as one of the world's leading film editors. He has worked on many prize winning films and with many leading directors and producers. These include Karel Reisz
Karel Reisz
Karel Reisz was a Czech-born British filmmaker who was active in post–war Britain, and one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in 1950s and 1960s British cinema.-Early life:...
, Lindsey Anderson, John Boorman
John Boorman
John Boorman is a British filmmaker who is a long time resident of Ireland and is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General and The Tailor of Panama.-Early life:Boorman was born in Shepperton, Surrey,...
, Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
, Jack Clayton
Jack Clayton
Jack Clayton was a British film director who specialised in bringing literary works to the screen.-Career:A native of East Sussex, Clayton started his career as a child actor on the 1929 film Dark Red Roses...
and Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
. He won a BAFTA in 1967 for his work on Morgan an Unsuitable Case for Treatment and was Oscar nominated in 1972 for Deliverance
Deliverance
Deliverance is a 1972 American thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty in his film debut. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey, who has a small role in the...
. When production of Roman Polanski's Tess
Tess
Tess is a female given name. It can be a diminutive form of Esther, Therese, Theresa or Teresa, or a feminine name of Persian origin.-People named Tess:* Tess Daly , British television presenter* Tess Mattisson , Swedish singer...
(1979) became problematic, he was brought in to assist Alastair McIntyre and get the film completed.
Tom Priestley is the only son of the famous author J.B. Priestley.. Since 1990 he has spent his time more in the world lecturing on film editing and handling the estate of his late father. He is currently president of the J.B. Priestley Society and The Priestley Centre for the Arts in Bradford, West Yorkshire.