Peroni was born in Manhattan, New York City and grew up in the borough of Queens.[1] Her collaboration with Altman extended over eight films.[2] Altman said of Peroni "I trusted her totally with everything, I was planning on using her in the next film. She and I saw very much the same way — we just read each other so well."[1]
The Player is a marvellous example of collaborative editing, Peroni matching Altman's tone with exactitude. Early on, a cut from a zoom-in to the gun in Humphrey Bogart's hand on a postcard sent to Tim Robbins is perfectly successively matched with what appears to be a black frame, in which a reveal shows that it's an open drawer in which the postcard has been placed. Another felicitous sequence is the one in the Pasadena police station, where the Robbins character is arraigned as Lyle Lovett swats a fly and Whoopi Goldberg and her associates ridicule Robbins with laughter. This is beautifully edited; well-shot, too, but the rhythm is built in the cutting.
Peroni's work on Short Cuts (1993) has been discussed by Krin Gabbard, who wrote, "Altman has invited his audiences to provide connections among scenes that float loosely about each other at the same time that he has benefited from the intelligent choices made by the film's editor Geraldine Peroni."[4]
Peroni was found dead at her home in 2004.[2] Her death was ruled a suicide by the New York coroner, a fact reportedly disputed by her family.[5] She was in the midst of editing Brokeback Mountain. Dylan Tichenor completed Peroni's work; he later said, "I learned to edit from her, when she was Robert Altman's editor and I was her apprentice on The Player, and I worked with her for five years. While she was cutting Brokeback Mountain, she died rather suddenly, tragically. The first month was really difficult, seeing the work she'd done, all her selections and knowing her thinking behind it. Soon, it got to be cathartic and good to spend this time with her- I found myself thinking about her all the time through this process and it was a gift to me in that way."[6] Tichenor and Peroni were nominated for numerous editing awards for Brokeback Mountain, including the BAFTA Award and the American Cinema Editors Eddie.
The Wire episode "Back Burners" was dedicated to her memory. The credits of Brokeback Mountain also read "In Loving Memory of Geraldine Peroni".
Filmography
The director(s) of each film are listed in parentheses.
1990: Vincent & Theo (Altman; with Françoise Coispeau). Peroni's first film with Altman as editor. Altman was working in France and wanted an additional, English speaking editor. He had met Peroni when she was an assistant on O.C. and Stiggs.[7]
The Motion Picture Editors Guild published an obituary for Peroni; she had joined the Guild in 1985. The obituary incorporates a quote from Robert Altman. Benoit, Sharon (September–October 2004). "Passages: Picture Editor Geraldine Peroni". Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter. Motion Picture Editors Guild. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. She was just smarter than I was ... she became my taste ... I'll try to remember what she taught me for the future ... she had an honest human attitude. I certainly have a lot of respect for her. An editor becomes a part of your brain.
