This is an article based on an episode of Manhattan Edit Workshop’s “Talkin’ MEWShop.” You can watch the conversation by following or subscribing to the show HERE.
In a recent TALKING MEWSHOP podcast hosted by Raphi Salem and presented by the Manhattan Edit Workshop, legendary film editor Paul Hirsch sat down for an illuminating conversation about his decades-long career. Known for editing classics like Star Wars, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Footloose, Mission: Impossible, and Empire Strikes Back, Hirsch offered an honest and often humorous glimpse into a life spent shaping some of the most iconic films in Hollywood history.
The session kicked off with introductions from hosts Josh Apter and Jason Banke, who reflected on Manhattan Edit Workshop’s 20+ year mission to teach not just how to edit, but why. Their Art of Editing program has become a cornerstone for aspiring editors, emphasizing storytelling over keystrokes. For them, hosting Hirsch—a true pioneer of cinematic editing—was a full-circle moment.
Hirsch shared how his career began unexpectedly. After studying at Columbia University, he landed a job cutting trailers in New York. Through his brother, a junior executive at Universal, he met director Brian De Palma. Their first collaboration was on Greetings (1968), a low-budget film starring a young Robert De Niro. Hirsch candidly recounted the naivety he brought to that first job: “I went into it with the confidence of being completely ignorant.”
Their working relationship grew, eventually leading to Sisters (1972). Hirsch recalled creating a suspenseful early cut using Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score—a bold move that impressed De Palma and later led to Herrmann scoring the film. That turning point, he explained, “made the movie feel like a much bigger production.”
Of course, the defining moment in Hirsch’s career was his involvement with Star Wars. George Lucas, a friend of De Palma’s, saw a cut of Carrie and later asked Hirsch to join the editing team on A New Hope. Hirsch, alongside Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew, reshaped the film into the version that would captivate generations. He modestly described it as being “lucky,” but the hosts were quick to note that luck alone doesn’t shape a legacy like his—talent, timing, and people skills all played a part.
Throughout the conversation, Hirsch emphasized the collaborative nature of editing, noting friendships with icons like Jerry Greenberg (The French Connection) and Richie Marx (Apocalypse Now). While he’s proud of individual titles, he says what matters most is the body of work—the collective impact of stories that audiences still revisit decades later.
Now based in Los Angeles, Hirsch reflected on his roots in New York’s editing scene and how the city shaped him. “For 35 years, my world was between 116th and 45th Street,” he joked. Today, with over 50 films under his belt, Paul Hirsch remains an editor whose work has quite literally helped define modern cinema.
And if you want the full story? As he reminds us—his book A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away is available on Amazon and Audible.