I've always wanted to go rock climbing. But you know how it goes. It's somewhere on that proverbial WHEN I CAN FIND THE TIME list, right between learning to play the guitar and hiking the Appalachian Trail, I think. The good part is when I do finally get around to rock climbing, I think I'll probably be a whiz. After all, I've been in training for almost a year now, publishing a small magazine. I mean, how much different could it be? In both endeavors you put it all on the line and take that first tentative step upward. You know it's gonna be tough, but know you have stamina, too. Your adrenaline flows, and you strain all your resources. Sometimes you aren't sure where your next handhold will be, or if there'll be one there at all. About halfway up you start to wonder if maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad idea to search a little harder for those safety lines, like everyone warned you. But it's too late now. You never look up because you know it'll just be discouraging and, of course, you never, ever look down. Just when your muscles start to get numb, you hoist yourself over another ledge and now you can see it - the peak. You want to rest but if you do you know you may not get up again. So you press on. And finally...

Well, actually, that's as much training as I've done. But how tough could the est of the climb be? The hard part's gotta be out of the way. Right?

No small magazine can even think about getting to the top without the complete dedication of its overworked, underpaid staff. Before last issue our art director extraordinaire, Tim Gabor, without whose help MovieMaker would have had an infinitely more difficult time getting started, turned the reins over to a new production staff. Our ew team has the talent and enthusiasm to keep us on track, but I have to apologize for personally missing a few beats editorially during the transition. The most glaring, most unforgivable of the errors last issue was in Lyall Bush's fine piece on "The Decline of the Western," in which the ending was "sawed off." Reprints of the complete piece are available to readers upon request.

Standing: B. Murray, J. Kincaid, K. Thorstensen, T. Gabor, D. Price. Sitting: T. Rice, W. Quesinberry, M. Doane, (middle) R. Savignano.

This month we're proud to say we were picked up by three new distribution companies which will help to get MovieMaker out to more readers in key cities across North America. We'd also like to welcome our new advertisers, especially FilmLites, Noteworthy International and the New York Film Academy.

Editorially, you're holding one of the issues we're most pleased with thus far. Tom Allen's piece on film schools is important reading if you're debating whether or not to attend. Jon Silberg's interview sheds a bit of light on one of my favorite directors, Lina Wertmuller, who is as full of contradictions as she is talent. And speaking of talent, I know you'll enjoy Marianne Cotter's frank discussion with Walter Hill, an outspoken, independent-minded American artist in the mold ofJohn Ford, Howard Hawks and, yes, even Sam Peckinpah. Hope you enjoy issue #9.