Jack Valenti, a man mostly known around these parts as the controversial president of the Motion Picture Association of America, died earlier today ( result of a stroke he had in March). Valenti was equally respected and criticized for his stances on the motion picture rating system. He was a film industry lobbyist who started his political life in John F. Kennedy’s and then Lyndon B. Johnson’s White House.
A large number of film buffs (and filmmakers, for that matter) probably weren’t among Valenti’s biggest fans, with a lot of that ire on display in This Film Is Not Yet Rated, the great Kirby Dick film that exposed members of the MPAA and their methods in rating. But Valenti did gain a lot of respect for his fight against copyright infringement which has already seriously affected the music industry, and has only begun to seriously affect the world of film. And let us all not forget the method of censorship in place prior to Valenti’s appointment. To an admirable extent, the man flew with the increasing liberal culture in America for a very long time.
In 2004, Valenti retired from the MPAA, was married for forty-five years and is survived by three children. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
