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Women’s Work in British Film and Television

Anne Coates
Editor

Coates, Anne V. (Editor)

Anne Coates was born in Reigate, Surrey in 1925 and initially worked as a nurse before entering the film industry in the late 1940s as an assistant in the cutting rooms, first for Religious Films at Elstree then at Pinewood Studios. During a professional career spanning sixty years she worked as an editor in both Britain and Hollywood on a number of films including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Elephant Man (1980) and Erin Brockovich (2000). She has been Oscar-nominated several times, winning an Oscar for her work on Lawrence, and is the recipient of numerous industry awards. She still works in the film industry and most recently edited Fifty Shades of Grey (2015). In her interview Anne discusses her childhood and early career in film, starting as second assistant editor to the respected British editor Reggie Mills on End of the River (1947). She discusses the formal environment of the British film industry in the 1950s, working long hours and mentoring people in the profession. She talks about her initial ambition to direct and how editing allowed her to maintain a balance between work and raising children. Anne also reflects on her own practice as an editor and the meaning it has for her as a creative practice.

©Melanie Bell

Interview

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How to cite this page

Women’s Work Oral Histories/Oral Histories/Melanie Bell, Women’s Work in British Film and Television, https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/bectu/Oral Histories,Saturday 4th May 2024.

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