Ben Maddow
Encyclopedia
Ben Maddow was a prolific screenwriter
and documentarian
from the 1930s through the 70s. Educated at Columbia University
, Maddow began his career working within the American documentary movement in the 30s.
In 1936 he co-founded the short-lived left-wing newsreel The World Today
. Under the pseudonym of David Wolff, Maddow co-wrote the screenplay to the Paul Strand–Leo Hurwitz documentary landmark, Native Land
(1942).
He earned his first feature screenplay credit with Framed (1947). Other screenplays include Clarence Brown
's Intruder in the Dust (film) (1949, an adaptation
of the William Faulkner
novel), John Huston
's The Asphalt Jungle
(1950, for which he received an Academy Award nomination), God's Little Acre
(1958, an adaptation of the Erskine Caldwell
novel officially credited to Philip Yordan
), and, again with Huston, an Edgar Award
for Best Mystery Screenplay) and The Unforgiven
(1960).
As a documentarian he directed and wrote such films as Storm of Strangers, The Stairs, and The Savage Eye
(1959), which won the BAFTA Flaherty Documentary Award
. Maddow made his solo feature directorial debut with the striking, offbeat feature An Affair of the Skin
(1963), a well-acted story of several loves and friendships gone sour and marked by the rich characterisations which had distinguished his best screenplays.
His final screenplay was for the horror melodrama The Mephisto Waltz (1970).
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and documentarian
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
from the 1930s through the 70s. Educated at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Maddow began his career working within the American documentary movement in the 30s.
In 1936 he co-founded the short-lived left-wing newsreel The World Today
The World Today
BBC World News is the standard news bulletin featuring the latest international news broadcast throughout most of the day on BBC World News. Some editions also feature brief business and sport reports as well...
. Under the pseudonym of David Wolff, Maddow co-wrote the screenplay to the Paul Strand–Leo Hurwitz documentary landmark, Native Land
Native Land
Native Land is a 1942 documentary film directed by Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand.A combination of a documentary format and staged reenactments, the film depicted the struggle of trade unions against union-busting corporations, their spies and contractors...
(1942).
He earned his first feature screenplay credit with Framed (1947). Other screenplays include Clarence Brown
Clarence Brown
Clarence Brown was an American film director.-Early life:Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to a cotton manufacturer, Brown moved to the South when he was 11. He attended Knoxville High School and the University of Tennessee, both in Knoxville, Tennessee, graduating from the university at the age of...
's Intruder in the Dust (film) (1949, an adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
of the William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
novel), John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
's The Asphalt Jungle
The Asphalt Jungle
The Asphalt Jungle is a 1950 film noir directed by John Huston. The caper film is based on the novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett and stars an ensemble cast including Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe, Louis Calhern, James Whitmore, and, in a minor but key role, Marilyn Monroe, an unknown...
(1950, for which he received an Academy Award nomination), God's Little Acre
God's Little Acre (film)
God's Little Acre is a 1958 American film of Erskine Caldwell's 1933 novel. It was directed by Anthony Mann and shot in black and white by master cinematographer Ernest Haller....
(1958, an adaptation of the Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American author. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native South like the novels Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre won him critical acclaim, but they also made him controversial among fellow Southerners of the time who felt he was...
novel officially credited to Philip Yordan
Philip Yordan
Philip Yordan was an American screenwriter of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who also produced several films.He was also known as a highly regarded script doctor...
), and, again with Huston, an Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best Mystery Screenplay) and The Unforgiven
The Unforgiven (1960 film)
The Unforgiven is a 1960 American western film filmed in Durango, Mexico released in 1960. The film was directed by John Huston and starred Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, Audie Murphy, Charles Bickford and Lillian Gish...
(1960).
As a documentarian he directed and wrote such films as Storm of Strangers, The Stairs, and The Savage Eye
The Savage Eye
The Savage Eye is a "dramatized documentary" film that superposes a dramatic narration of the life of a divorced woman with documentary camera footage of an unspecified 1950s city. In a 1960 review, A. H...
(1959), which won the BAFTA Flaherty Documentary Award
British Academy Television Awards
The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...
. Maddow made his solo feature directorial debut with the striking, offbeat feature An Affair of the Skin
An Affair of the Skin
An Affair of the Skin is a 1963 film written and directed by Ben Maddow. It is a complex story of the romantic entanglements of its several characters as seen through the eyes of a black woman photographer. Shortly after its release, the film was harshly reviewed in Time Magazine and The New York...
(1963), a well-acted story of several loves and friendships gone sour and marked by the rich characterisations which had distinguished his best screenplays.
His final screenplay was for the horror melodrama The Mephisto Waltz (1970).