Michael Kahn (film editor)

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Michael Kahn
Born (1930-12-08) December 8, 1930 (age 93)
OccupationFilm editor
Years active1964–present

Michael Kahn (born December 8, 1930)[1] is an American film editor known for his frequent collaboration with Steven Spielberg. His first collaboration with Spielberg was for his 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He has edited all of Spielberg's subsequent films[2] except for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which was edited by Carol Littleton. Kahn has received eight Academy Award nominations for Best Film Editing, and has won three times—for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998), which were all Spielberg-directed films.

Early life[edit]

Kahn was born to a Jewish family on December 8 in New York City; while his birth year has been reported as 1935, Kahn said in 2015, when asked if he was 80, that his age at that point was "closer to 85."[1]

Career[edit]

Kahn has edited digitally since at least Twister (1996), though he continued to edit on film with Spielberg long after most editors had stopped doing so.[3][4] In 2008, Kahn acknowledged that "people find it hard to believe that Steven and I still edit film on a Moviola and a KEM. [But] Steven feels 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."[5] George Lucas remarked "Michael Kahn can cut faster on a Moviola than anybody can cut on an Avid."[6] However, since The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011), Kahn has edited Spielberg's films on an Avid machine.[7]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Director Notes
1969 The Activist Art Napoleon
1970 Night Slaves Ted Post
1971 Touch Me Anthony Spinelli
1972 Wild in the Sky William T. Naud
Trouble Man Ivan Dixon
Rage George C. Scott
1973 The Spook Who Sat by the Door Ivan Dixon
1974 Black Belt Jones Robert Clouse
Truck Turner Jonathan Kaplan
Golden Needles Robert Clouse
Buster and Billie Daniel Petrie
Sidney Sheldon
The Savage Is Loose George C. Scott
1975 The Devil's Rain Robert Fuest
The Ultimate Warrior Robert Clouse
1976 The Return of a Man Called Horse Irvin Kershner
1977 Close Encounters of the Third Kind Steven Spielberg Nominated—Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Editing
1978 Eyes of Laura Mars Irvin Kershner
Ice Castles Donald Wrye
1979 1941 Steven Spielberg
1980 Used Cars Robert Zemeckis
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg Academy Award for Best Film Editing
ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Editing
1982 Poltergeist Tobe Hooper
1983 Table for Five Robert Lieberman
Twilight Zone: The Movie Steven Spielberg Segment: "Kick the Can"
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Editing
Falling in Love Ulu Grosbard
1985 The Goonies Richard Donner
The Color Purple Steven Spielberg
1986 Wisdom Emilio Estevez
1987 Fatal Attraction Adrian Lyne BAFTA Award for Best Editing
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Nominated—ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic
Empire of the Sun Steven Spielberg Nominated—Academy Award for Best Film Editing
1988 Arthur 2: On the Rocks Bud Yorkin
1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Steven Spielberg
Always
1990 Arachnophobia Frank Marshall
1991 Toy Soldiers Daniel Petrie Jr.
Hook Steven Spielberg
1993 Alive Frank Marshall
Jurassic Park Steven Spielberg
Schindler's List Academy Award for Best Film Editing
ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic
BAFTA Award for Best Editing
1995 Casper Brad Silberling
1996 Twister Jan de Bont
1997 The Lost World: Jurassic Park Steven Spielberg
Amistad Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Editing
1998 Saving Private Ryan Academy Award for Best Film Editing
ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing
Satellite Award for Best Editing
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Editing
1999 The Haunting Jan de Bont
2000 Reindeer Games John Frankenheimer
2001 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Steven Spielberg
2002 Minority Report
Catch Me If You Can
2003 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life Jan de Bont
Peter Pan P. J. Hogan
2004 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Brad Silberling
The Terminal Steven Spielberg
2005 War of the Worlds Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Editing
Munich Nominated—Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Nominated—ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing
2006 10 Items or Less Brad Silberling
2008 The Spiderwick Chronicles Mark Waters
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Steven Spielberg
2010 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Mike Newell with Mick Audsley and Martin Walsh
2011 The Adventures of Tintin Steven Spielberg Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Editing
Nominated— Annie Award for Best Editing in a Feature Production
War Horse Nominated—ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic
Nominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Editing
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Editing
2012 Lincoln Nominated—Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Nominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Editing
Nominated—International Online Film Critics' Poll Award for Best Editing
2014 Seventh Son Sergei Bodrov
2015 Bridge of Spies Steven Spielberg Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Editing
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Editing
2016 The BFG Saturn Award for Best Editing
2017 The Post Nominated—ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic
Nominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Editing
Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing
Nominated—San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Editing
Nominated—St. Louis Film Critics Association Award for Best Editing
2018 Ready Player One
2021 West Side Story Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Editing
2022 The Fabelmans

Awards and nominations[edit]

With eight Academy Award nominations, Kahn tied with Thelma Schoonmaker for being the most-nominated editor in Academy Awards history. In addition, Kahn holds the record for the most wins (three) in the category of the Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, tied with 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 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).[8] 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."[9] In November 2013, Spielberg created the Michael Kahn Endowed Chair in Editing at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in honor of Kahn. The first to be appointed to the position was Norman Hollyn.[10][11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Tapley, Kristopher (9 December 2015). "Editor Michael Kahn on 'Bridge of Spies' and Four Decades of Steven Spielberg Magic". Variety. "Q: Happy Birthday! You’re 80 years old today, is that right? A: No, closer to 85, actually!"
  2. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (December 8, 2015). "Editor Michael Kahn on 'Bridge of Spies' and Four Decades of Steven Spielberg Magic". Variety. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ King, Susan (April 8, 2018). "Film editor Michael Kahn on his long, award-winning work with Steven Spielberg". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  5. ^ Ian Freer (May 2008). "The Indiana Jones Diaries". Empire. p. 26.
  6. ^ Richard Corliss (2006-03-14). "A Conversation with George Lucas". Time. Archived from the original on June 13, 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "American Cinema Editors > Members", webpage archived by WebCite from this original URL on 2008-03-04.
  9. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (February 19, 2011). "'Social Network' Wins Best Edited Dramatic Feature at ACE Eddie Awards". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. ^ "USC Trustee Steven Spielberg creates Michael Kahn Chair in Editing". University of Southern California. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  11. ^ Philadelphia, Desa (November 13, 2013). "Michael Kahn Honored at SCA". University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Retrieved March 19, 2019.

External links[edit]