“That Cut Is Stanley’s Cut”: Nigel Galt on Editing Eyes Wide Shut alongside Kubrick

      What does it mean to spend 15 months in a room with—let’s just imagine—the most significant filmmaker in history, working on his final project, a work he didn’t live to explain, that remains eternally scrutinized? The person who could provide insight into this is Nigel Galt. From what I gleaned during a Zoom call, Galt is not the elusive figure one might assume from being Stanley Kubrick’s primary collaborator on *Eyes Wide Shut*, but—fitting for a film that reveals new connections, interpretations, meanings, and possibilities (whether logical or not) with each viewing—30 minutes felt far too short, with each of his remarks laden with valuable insight.

      Galt spoke to me as Criterion prepares to release *Eyes Wide Shut* in 4K UHD, which has already stirred some debate due to a color grading that diverges from most people's reference (a 2007 Blu-ray) but, to my eye, felt almost mesmerizing, recalling my experience of seeing the film in 35mm just a year ago. Galt was involved in the initial sound mix and color grading of *Eyes*, and he seems pleased with the chance given to cinematographer Larry Smith for this release. However, that’s just one part of our discussion, which is shared in full below.

      The Film Stage: I rewatched the film this weekend using Criterion’s new disc.

      Nigel Galt: I haven't seen it yet. It arrived, but I haven't had the chance to view it.

      Since you worked on the initial color grade, I’d love to know your thoughts. I saw a 35mm print last year, and I think this is an excellent approximation.

      I’m glad to hear that. I haven't seen a print in quite a while.

      I programmed a screening in New York, and despite its frequent showings, it was nearly sold out. It seems to be a film that people keep returning to, as it evolves and deepens with every viewing.

      I was involved in it for three years. I joined in at the start of shooting—actually before shooting began.

      I imagine you possess insights about *Eyes Wide Shut* that few others do, and I wanted to discuss that with you a bit.

      Sure.

      This wasn’t your first experience with Kubrick.

      No, I worked on *Full Metal Jacket*. That’s how I first met him—as a sound editor. That’s where my collaboration with him began.

      According to the biography by Robert P. Kolker and Nathan Abrams, you began working on the film as early as December 1996.

      Yes, we started filming in mid-November. I came aboard in mid-October to conduct lens tests and similar preparations. Stanley had a habit of conducting countless lens tests that were turned into slides, and he would review them on a slide projector… we tested about 70 lenses—this was part of his typical approach [Laughs] when choosing lenses for a film—and narrowed it down to the primes and variables he liked. So yes, I was involved from start to finish.

      It's well-known that he demanded numerous takes; he expected a lot from his actors. The same biography states that, as the deadline for *Eyes* approached, you were working up to 17 hours each day.

      That’s about right. Stanley operated on New York time when he wasn't shooting. We never saw him before noon, which meant my workday was from noon to midnight, seven days a week.

      Well, thank you for your dedication.

      [Laughs] It’s alright. I knew what I was signing up for.

      I’m curious if there was a tendency in the editing room to favor the most recent take. Did you have a clear idea of where to orient yourselves with that, or were you still reviewing all material?

      What you must appreciate about Stanley is that nothing happened without his presence. His process was entirely methodical. And no, we reviewed everything. With approximately a million-and-a-half feet of film or so [Laughs], the only advantage we had on *Eyes* was that Avid was becoming widely used by then. So we didn’t edit on film; *Full Metal* was cut on film. They used a tape-based system called the montage system for basic editing, and the final cut was done on film. But with *Eyes*, we used Avid, and Stanley had a detailed process for organizing all the material. But we viewed everything. Stanley edited in scene order—always. So the first scene was cut first. He never deviated from this method, which helped, although it could make things more demanding at times.

      He shot an immense amount of footage. But even if he did 60 takes, we reviewed take one and take sixty and all between. This was particularly essential during intense dialogue scenes. That’s when things got interesting. With Avid—which is quite the challenge for assistants—he could break down every line in the film into