The End - the Classic Film Obituary thread 2017 [CLOSED]

The End - the Classic Film Obituary thread 2017 [CLOSED] Apr 13, 2017 17:05:28 GMT

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Post by petrolino on Apr 13, 2017 17:05:28 GMT

Apr 13, 2017 2:28:43 GMT gunshotwound said:

Michael Ballhaus August 5, 1935 - April 12, 2017

Michael Ballhaus, the revered cinematographer who brought his distinct visual sense to the works of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, has died at 81. The German director of photography earned three Academy Award nominations throughout his career, which spanned more than half a century. Last year he was recognized with a Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the Berlin Film Festival.

Among his best-known films were Fassbinder’s “The Marriage of Maria Braun,” James L. Brooks’ “Broadcast News” (which earned him his first Oscar nod) and “The Departed,” one of several collaborations with Scorsese — Ballhaus also lensed “After Hours,” “The Last Temptations of Christ,” “Goodfellas” and “The Age of Innocence.” He began his career in Germany, first coming to attention for the many films he made with Fassbinder, before making his way to Hollywood.

Once there, he also worked with Mike Nichols (“Working Girl,” “Postcards From the Edge”), Robert Redford (“Quiz Show”) and Barry Levinson (“Sleepers”), among many others. Ballhaus was born in Berlin on August 5, 1935. His cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

"Virtuoso German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus began his career holding lightweight cameras and shooting day and night, often with only available light and at incredible speed, for Rainer Werner Fassbinder in the 1970s. His fluid work in After Hours accentuates the delirium and adds some disorienting camera angles and the blur of neon lights, illuminating faces now with reds, now acid greens and blues. Throw in jazzy cutting by Scorsese’s long time favourite editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, and you have a team born to make wild movies together. Scorsese has noted that the film was “an exercise completely in style”, but it has always been more than that. “I was… remembering how to make a picture. To have a smaller crew, move faster…” Paul’s (Griffin Dunne) headlong downwards trajectory comes to seem part of a demented domino theory or possibly even a mousetrap-like game."

- Jonathan Dawson, Senses Of Cinema

“It was Michael who really gave me back my sense of excitement in making movies. For him, nothing was impossible. If I asked him for something difficult, he would approach it with enthusiasm ... For over 20 years, Michael Ballhaus and I had a real creative partnership, and a very close and enduring friendship. By the time we met, he had already made film history with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and I revered him. He was a lovely human being, and he always had a warm smile for even the toughest situations—anyone who knew him will remember his smile."

- Martin Scorsese, Deadline

Thanks for the movies.

Michael Ballhaus Rest in Peace