Film editor Sally Menke, long-time collaborator of Quentin Tarantino, was found dead today at the far-too-young age of 56. Yesterday evening she was hiking in Griffith Park, LA; at 2:15 a.m. this morning her body was found collapsed on the trail, her faithful dog still sitting next to her. The cause of death is still uncertain, but yesterday’s record-breaking heat wave is suspected to have been a significant factor.
Menke edited every single one of Tarantino’s films, from “Reservoir Dogs” right on through to “Inglourious Basterds,” and it’s hard to imagine where Tarantino would be without her talents. Consider a film like “Pulp Fiction,” so reliant on the editor’s ability to keep both multiple storylines and timelines clear to the viewer. Losing a great talent so soon like this is always so unthinkable. I don’t even know what to say about this. Just be careful out there, Californians; heat waves like this are no joke and it would be a tragedy to lose any more lives so uselessly.
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