Maltin To Receive ASC Distinguished Achiev. Award

[Tim Tyler]

Leonard Maltin will receive an Award of Distinction from the American Society of Cinematographers. He will be feted during the 19th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards ceremonies on February 13 at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland.

 

"Leonard Maltin has earned the admiration of our members for his insightful commentaries about both contemporary and classic films," says Owen Roizman, ASC, who chairs the organization's awards committee. "He understands that moviemaking is a collaborative process and consistently draws attention to films that merit attention rather than reporting which pictures won the weekend battles at the box office."

 

Roizman notes that countless numbers of fans rely on Maltin as a trusted source of information and opinion about aesthetic and entertainment values of movies worth viewing at the cinema and in their households on DVD and other home video formats.

 

He also lauds Maltin's contributions to chronicling the history of the industry. Roizman cites The Art of the Cinematographer, which consists of conversations with Arthur Miller, ASC, Hal Mohr, ASC, Harold Rosson, ASC, Lucien Ballard, ASC and Conrad L. Hall, ASC. Maltin wrote the book (as Behind the Camera) in 1971 and updated it in 1976.

 

"His interviews with those five amazing cinematographers explored territory where very few journalists or authors had previously ventured," Roizman points out. "He asked insightful questions about the roles they played in the collaborative process of filmmaking. It was an extraordinary effort for a 21-year-old student."

 

Maltin has authored an impressive list of books, including his annual reference paperback, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, The Disney Films, Great Movie Comedians, Selected Short Subjects, The Great American Broadcast, and (as co-author) The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang.

 

He has also written, produced and hosted a number of documentaries for cable television and home video, including The Making of High Noon, The Making of The Quiet Man, Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story, and Young Duke: The Making of Movie Star. He hosts the popular DVD series Walt Disney Treasures, and appears on the "Night at the Movies" segments on classic films for Warner Home Video.

 

Maltin has also advocated, in writing and eloquent commentaries, about the need to restore and preserve past and current motion pictures as a cultural heritage for future generations. Maltin was a guest curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and has been a member of the National Film Preservation Board since 1997. In the latter role, Maltin participates in the annual selection of 25 films that are restored and preserved by the Library of Congress as a legacy for future generations.

 

"Leonard Maltin's name belongs in the dictionary as a definition for cinephile," ASC President Richard Crudo comments. "There is no category in our annual awards competition for the recognition our members voted to bestow on him. This is a heartfelt tribute to an individual who has made a difference in our lives and our art form."

 

Maltin was born in New York City in 1950. He founded, edited and published Film Fan Monthly Magazine when he was 15 years old, and has edited and annually updated the best-selling Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide since 1969.

 

Maltin earned a journalism degree at New York University in 1972. He was on the faculty at the New School for Social Research in New York from 1973 through 1981, and has taught at the USC School of Cinema-Television since 1998. Maltin has been a commentator and interviewer for the Entertainment Tonight television program since 1982. He also hosts a daily radio feature on home video, which is broadcast on KNX in Los Angeles. He is also a regular contributor to both mainstream and pop culture newspapers and magazines, and served as president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in 1995 and 1996. He publishes a quarterly newsletter for old-movie buffs, Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy, and maintains a website, www.leonardmaltin.com.

 

ASC is one of the oldest existing organizations in the motion picture industry. It was founded by 15 charter members in January 1919. The organization provided a forum where the first generation of cinematographers could share ideas about their art and craft. It was also a platform for advocating progress. Membership has always been by invitation based primarily on the individual's body of work. There are 275 active members of ASC today who trace their roots to some 20 countries. There are also 140 associate members in ancillary sectors of the motion picture industry that support the art and craft of filmmaking.

 

"We inaugurated the annual Outstanding Achievement Awards celebration in 1986 for the primary purpose of recognizing and inspiring the pursuit of excellence," Roizman comments. "We felt it was important for cinematographers to have this feedback from their peers, because so much of what we do is designed to be transparent to audiences. The slightest visual nuance can set the mood of a scene and tone of a film."

 

This is only the third time that the ASC has honored a journalist or critic. ASC presented their Board of Governors Award to former Los Angeles Times critic Charles Champlin in 1991. Past recipients of the ASC Award of Distinction include Roger Ebert in 2003, and historian Kevin Brownlow last year.

 

For more information about the 19th annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards visit www.theasc.com or call 323-969-4333.