John Arthur Jympson (16 September 1930 – 3 June 2003) was a British film editor. He edited films such as Zulu (1964), A Hard Day's Night (1964), Kaleidoscope (1966), Frenzy (1972) and A Fish Called Wanda (1988).

Career Jympson was born on 16 September 1930 in London. He attended Dulwich College and left aged 17 in 1947 intending to become a veterinary surgeon. His father, Jympson Harman, the film critic for The Evening News, secured him a position as a runner at Ealing Studios. He worked in the cutting-room, aiding Peter Tanner on the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets, before participating in two years of National Service. He returned to Ealing and worked on the films The Cruel Sea (1953) and The Ladykillers (1955). Jympson became an assembly cutter on I Was Monty's Double in 1958.

His break came in 1959 while working under William Hornbeck on Suddenly, Last Summer where his work earned him the credit of assembly editor. The film's success and a recommendation from Max Benedict meant Jympson was hired to edit films himself for the first time, namely A French Mistress and Suspect in 1960, each for the Boulting brothers. Jympson met actor and producer Stanley Baker when editing the 1962 film A Prize of Arms; the two worked together on The Man Who Finally Died and 1964's Zulu, which Tony Sloman called Jympson's "career-high" saying the film was "magnificently edited". He followed this up with a further success, A Hard Day's Night, a film starring the Beatles, was released to critical acclaim. The film's editing style has been strongly praised and is considered highly influential.

James B. Harris picked Jympson to edit his directorial debut The Bedford Incident in 1965, the year he also edited Sands of the Kalahari. He edited Where Eagles Dare (1968) and aided the film's director Brian G. Hutton on set. Jympson edited Kelly's Heroes (1970), and the Peter Sellers' films The Bobo (1967) and The Optimists of Nine Elms (1973). Alfred Hitchcock selected Jympson to edit Frenzy in 1972; off set the two became good friends.

Jympson was hired to edit Star Wars (1977). Director George Lucas had wanted to use Richard Chew, but selected Jympson as a more affordable local option who would not require a work permit for the film's shoot in the UK and as he liked his work on A Hard Day's Night. Jympson began cutting the film together while Lucas was still filming in Tunisia; as Lucas noted, the editor was in an "impossible position" because Lucas had not explained any of the film's material to him. When Lucas watched Jympson's rough cut for the first time, he disliked what he saw, and after further work was unable to resolve his issues, opted to fire Jympson halfway through the film's production, feeling the editor did not "mesh" with what he wanted from the film. Lucas replaced him with Paul Hirsch, Chew and his wife Marcia Lucas. According to reports, Jympson's edit contained about 30-40% different footage from the film's final version.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Housesitter (1992), Splitting Heirs (1993), Circle of Friends (1995), Haunted (1995) and In and Out (1997) were some of Jympson's later editing projects. Sloman says A Fish Called Wanda was "probably the biggest success of his career." Jympson received a BAFTA nomination for his editing of the film. His final film was 1999's Mad Cows.

Personal life Jympson married Maureen Hemsworth, a costume department worker at Ealing, in 1954. He suffered a stroke before editing his final film, Mad Cows, and later had both of his legs amputated due to diabetes. He died on 3 June 2003.

Filmography

Films All as editor unless stated Year Title Notes 1949 Kind Hearts and Coronets Second assistant editor; uncredited 1955 The Ship That Died of Shame Second assistant editor; uncredited 1955 Joe MacBeth Assistant editor 1957 Town on Trial Assembly cutter 1957 The Long Haul Assembly cutter 1958 I Was Monty's Double Assembly cutter 1959 Suddenly, Last Summer Assembly cutter 1960 A French Mistress 1960 Suspect 1961 The Treasure of Monte Cristo 1962 Stork Talk 1962 A Prize of Arms 1963 It's All Happening 1963 The Man Who Finally Died 1964 Zulu 1964 A Hard Day's Night 1965 Dingaka 1965 The Bedford Incident 1965 Sands of the Kalahari 1966 Kaleidoscope 1967 Maroc 7 1967 The Bobo 1968 Deadfall 1968 Where Eagles Dare 1970 The Walking Stick 1970 Kelly's Heroes 1971 Flight of the Doves 1972 Frenzy 1973 Night Watch 1973 The Optimists 1974 The Dove 1975 The Old Curiosity Shop 1976 Ace Up My Sleeve 1976 The Incredible Sarah 1977 A Little Night Music 1979 Meetings with Remarkable Men 1981 Shark Boy of Bora Bora Supervisor editor 1981 Riding High 1981 Green Ice 1983 High Road to China 1985 Bad Medicine 1986 Little Shop of Horrors 1988 Honor Bound 1988 A Fish Called Wanda 1989 The Mighty Quinn 1991 King Ralph Uncredited 1992 Housesitter 1993 Splitting Heirs 1995 Circle of Friends 1995 Haunted 1997 In & Out 1999 Mad Cows

Television Year Title Notes 1980 The Martian Chronicles Supervisor editor; mini-series 1984 The Far Pavilions Mini-series 1985 Gulag TV film 1990 Women and Men: Stories of Seduction TV film

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