Hubert de la Bouillerie, Film Editor and Director, Dies at 75
Hubert de la Bouillerie, a film editor who later directed television and feature films, died on August 8 in Los Angeles. He was 75. Variety reported the death on 27 October.
Editors shape the raw footage of a film into its finished form. They decide which shots stay, which go, and in what order the story unfolds. Their names rarely appear on posters, but their work runs through every frame on screen.
De la Bouillerie's credits span several decades. He performed additional editing on "Woodstock," the 1970 documentary about the music festival. He also edited "Tango & Cash," the action comedy, and George Miller's "The Witches of Eastwick." According to The Hollywood Reporter, he also edited "Rollerball." He served as editor on "Police Academy 5" and "Police Academy 6."
He later moved behind the camera as a director. He directed "The Right to Remain Silent," a television film from 1996, and "The Apocalypse," a science-fiction film from 1997. He also published a novel, "Of Love and Evil: The Birth."
His personal life included a marriage to Hilary Saltzman, daughter of the film producer Harry Saltzman. His wife, Debbie Robins de la Bouillerie, died before him. He is survived by his two children, Jacqueline Bell and Alexandre de la Bouillerie.
Film history often follows the directors and stars, but the editing room is where many of the decisions that shape a movie get made. Career work like his tends to be remembered through the films themselves, long after the people who cut them have left the room.
