Robert John Dalva (April 14, 1942 – January 27, 2023) was an American film editor, cinematographer, and director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on The Black Stallion (1979).
Early life and education Dalva was born in New York City. He studied English literature at Colgate University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. From there, he studied filmmaking at Syracuse University and the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he was one of a core group of successful filmmakers known as "The Dirty Dozen". After graduating, he worked for the US Information Agency with Verna Fields.
Career
Editing Dalva's first professor editing credit was of the experimental art film Lions Love (1969), directed by Agnès Varda. He was an early member of Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope.
In 1979, he edited The Black Stallion, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing. His subsequent editing credits included Raising Cain, Jumanji, The Joy Luck Club, Jurassic Park III, Hidalgo, The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Lovelace. He was elected to membership in the American Cinema Editors."American Cinema Editors > Members", webpage archived by WebCite from this original URL on 2008-03-04.
Documentarian Gary Weimberg credited Dalva with inventing the "timeline" method of editing that is now ubiquitous with non-linear video editing.
Cinematography Dalva's USC classmate George Lucas hired him to shoot second unit photography on the original Star Wars. He also did additional photography on The Black Stallion.
He subsequently shot several documentaries. In 1999, he shot 24 episodes of the police procedural television series Nash Bridges.
Directing Dalva directed a behind-the-scenes documentary of Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation.
He made his feature directorial debut with The Black Stallion Returns, the sequel to The Black Stallion. Later, he directed episodes of Crime Story, Nova, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Personal life Dalva married Marcia Smith in 1964, they had four children.
Death Dalva died from lymphoma in Larkspur, California, on January 27, 2023, at the age of 80.
Filmography
Film YearTitleContributed toNotes DirectorEditorDoP. 1969 Lions Love1977Star Wars1979The Black Stallion1983The Black Stallion Returns1985Latino1986On the EdgeConsulting editor1987Heat and Sunlight1989The War of the Roses1992Raising Cain1993The Joy Luck Club1995Jumanji1997Conceiving Ada1999October Sky2001Jurassic Park III2004Hidalgo2005The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio2008Touching Home2010The River WhyConsulting editor2011Captain America: The First AvengerImmortals2012Knife Fight2013LovelaceSweetwater2015Heist2016Precious Cargo2019The HallShort film2021San Francisco Stories
Television YearTitleContributed toNotes DirectorEditorDoP. 1978 Forever TV movie1987Crime StoryEpisode: "Always a Blonde"1999-2000Nash Bridges24 episodes2010Star Wars: The Clone WarsEpisode: "The Deserter"
Documentary works YearTitleContributed toNotes DirectorEditorDoP.1974Close-Up on 'The Conversation'''
| 1975 | Fighting for Our Lives|
| rowspan="2" |Consulting editor |- |1977 |Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives|
|1987 |Nova: Ancient Treasures from the Deep|
|1992 |The Great Eclipse|
|1995 |Carrier: Fortress at Sea|
| rowspan="3" |1997 |Frontline: A Whale of a Business|
|Cadillac Desert
|Real Sex|
|2001 |Send Word, Bear Mother|
|2014 |American Masters: A Fierce Green Fire|
|2017 |Evolution of Organic''
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work ResultAcademy Award1980Best Film EditingThe Black StallionAmerican Cinema Editors Award1980Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic References
External links