Michael Kahn (film editor)
Michael Kahn (born December 8, 1935) is an American film editor. His credits range from TV's Hogan's Heroes to feature films directed by George C. Scott (The Savage is Loose) and Steven Spielberg, with whom he has had an extended, notable collaboration for more than thirty years.
Life and career[edit]
Kahn was born in New York City. He is one of the few editors who still edits on film (though he has edited digitally on projects not directed by Spielberg). Kahn acknowledged "People find it hard to believe that Steven and I still edit film on a Moviola and a KEM. [But] Steven feels that film got us where we are today and he loves the smell of it and feel of it. We started that way and both really enjoy it."[1] George Lucas remarked "Michael Kahn can cut faster on a Moviola than anybody can cut on an Avid."[2] The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn became the first film Kahn edited digitally using Avid for Spielberg,[3] though he has edited digitally before for projects like Twister.[4]
Awards[edit]
Kahn is the most-nominated editor in Academy Awards history with eight nominations. In addition Kahn holds the record for the most wins (three) in the category of the Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, tied with Thelma Schoonmaker, Daniel Mandell, and Ralph Dawson. All of the films for which he won Oscars were directed by Steven Spielberg: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998).
He has also received six BAFTA nominations for Best Editing, winning two for Schindler's List and Fatal Attraction.
Kahn has been selected for membership in the American Cinema Editors (ACE).[5] In 2011, he received the Career Achievement Award of the American Cinema Editors. At the ceremony, Steven Spielberg said of editing: "this is where filmmaking goes from a craft to an art."[6]
Filmography[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Ian Freer (May 2008). "The Indiana Jones Diaries". Empire. p. 26.
- ^ Richard Corliss (2006-03-14). "A Conversation with George Lucas". Time. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (January 2012). "Cinematic Siblings Still Thinking Analogue in a Digital World". Editors Guild Magazine. Motion Picture Editors Guild. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ Davidson, Keay (June 1, 1996). Twister: The Science of Tornadoes and the Making of a Natural Disaster Movie. New York City: Gallery Books. p. XX. ISBN 0671000292. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ "American Cinema Editors > Members", webpage archived by WebCite from this original URL on 2008-03-04.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (February 19, 2011). "'Social Network' Wins Best Edited Dramatic Feature at ACE Eddie Awards". The Hollywood Reporter.
External links[edit]
- Michael Kahn at the Internet Movie Database
- Cinema Editor Magazine Interview with Kahn
- Kahn on cutting War Horse - BTL
- Flickering Myth Article about Kahn
- Post Magazine Article on Kahn
- Movies Made Easy Interview with Kahn
