American Cinematographer - February 2007 - 59

Opposite:

legendary. He has also shot films for
John Sayles, James L. Brooks, Mike
Nichols, Francis Ford Coppola,
Robert Redford, Wolfgang Petersen
and Barry Sonnenfeld, among

Michael

Ballhaus, ASC
takes obvious
relish in his
chosen

others.

I loved doing it,
they wouldn't
give me any
money!" he

Along the way, Ballhaus has
created a jaw-dropping body of
work. His 15 films with Fassbinder
would alone merit

a career

enthuses. This

achieve¬

page, top:

notable
titles include Whity, Beware of a
Holy Whore, The Bitter Tears ofPetra
ment

von

award; particularly

Ballhaus

operates a
broadcast
camera

The

days in Baden-

Broadcast News, The Fabulous Baker

Boys and Gangs ofNew York, and the
latter picture also earned him an
ASC Award nomination. His

other

U.S. credits include After Hours,

BWPUFCria2ncMPoCtevuoi0orscelautd.mxhlb,sy,

ABMMailcoPhueSfs,

courtesy

Phot s

Baden. Bottom:
Ballhaus

(standing in

output is even more

impressive. Ballhaus has earned
Academy Award nominations for

The
Color of Money, The Last Temptation
of Christ, Working Girl, GoodFellas,
Postcards from the Edge, Guilty by
Suspicion, Bram Stoker's Dracula,
The Age of Innocence, Quiz Show, Air
Force
One,
Primary Colors,
Something's Gotta Give and The
Departed. Suffice to say, the man
knows his way around a camera.
The American Society of
Cinematographers will formally
applaud Ballhaus for his artistry by
presenting him with the ASC

during

his television

The
Marriage of Maria Braun. But his
Stateside

A

youthful

Kant, Martha, Fox and His

Friends, Chinese Roulette,
Stationmaster's Wife and

career.

"If everyone
knew how much

Ballhaus'
was

almost

career

in the arts

preordained. He

was

born in Berlin in 1935 to stage
actors Oskar Ballhaus and Lena

encouraged his creativ¬
ity. He recalls that in 1943, "with
bombs falling on Berlin every
night," the family took refuge in the
quiet Bavarian town of Coburg.
Hutter, who

"My parents influenced me a lot,"
Ballhaus says. "Right after the war,
they founded a cultural agency and
began inviting orchestras and con¬
ductors to come to Coburg to play
works by the great German com¬
posers: Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms.
Two years

Frankische

later, they founded the
Theater,

which

was

center) gets
ready to roll

-

literally -
while shooting
the 1969 film
Deine
Zartliclikeiten

(Your
Tenderness)
Ibiza with

on

a

camera

assistant,
director Herbert

Vesely (seated
in car) and

producer Peter
Schamoni

(right).

International Award at the

organi¬
gala, to be
held on Feb. 18 in Los Angeles.
Although he has earned many acco¬
lades over the years, Ballhaus says
the International Award is particu¬
larly special. "This award comes
from the best cinematographers in
zation's annual awards

the world,

which

means a

lot to

me.

hard over the
years, but I've also been very lucky,"
he says with characteristic modesty.
"Making movies was a hobby that I
turned into my job. If everyone
I've worked pretty

knew how much I loved

doing it,
they wouldn't give me any money!"
American

Cinematographer 59
American Cinematographer - February 2007

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