A clear explanation the primary aims and functions of editing in film is as follows.
             If cinematography defines the "look" of the image, editing determines the rhythm and pace of the film. Editing encompasses not just the process of stringing shots together to make up particular sequences, but involves the assemblage and sequencing of whole scenes or sections of the film, thus determining how the narrative unfolds...
             Importantly, the above quotation refers to the fact those editing and cutting techniques and more than just a sequential way of "stringing shots together". Cutting and editing techniques in film serve a number of essential purposes. These techniques not only give provide form and sequence but also determine the flow and the pace of the film. They also can be used to emphasize certain emotional moments in the film and can add to the artistic integrity and the narrative flow and meaning in the film.
             Classical editing techniques can be seen for example in the first scenes of the acclaimed film, The Godfather. The wedding scene provides a good example of classical cutting techniques in the way that music, dialogue and image are manipulated by the editor to produce a specific atmosphere and flow which is essential to the central themes of the film. There are cuts and changes in the flow of these scenes which creates an incisive and compelling overview of central themes that are initiated in the first wedding scene and built on throughout the film. The differences and the depth of characters in the Corleone family are given shape by the changes between scenes and the way that these changes are related to one another. For example, in the middle of the traditional and seemingly innocent Italian wedding celebration we cut to Michael telling Kay about the way that Johnny Fontane was helped by his father; which creates a contrast between the two seemingly opposing ways of life within the family. This
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