MICHAEL
BALLHAUS, ASC
Gangs of New York
Michael Ballhaus, ASC was born and raised in Germany. His parents were stage performers
and he had several relatives in the film business. During his teens, he spent
countless hours watching them make movies. Ballhaus began his career shooting
television films. He and director R.W. Fassbinder collaborated on 15 features,
including The Stationmaster’s Wife, Fox and His Friends, The Marriage
of Maria Braun and Lili Marleen. Ballhaus shot his first film in the United
States, Dear Mr. Wonderful, in the early 1980s. After Hours
marked the first of his collaborations with director Martin Scorsese. It was followed
by The Color of Money, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, The Age
of Innocence and Gangs of New York. His credits also include Postcards
from the Edge, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Air Force One, and the telefilm
Death of a Salesman. This is Ballhaus’ third Oscar nomination.
The others were for Broadcast News and The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Synopsis:
It’s the middle of the 19th century. The Civil War is raging, and gangs
of Irish immigrants are fighting a bloody turf war with local thugs on the streets
of New York. The story is set against a backdrop of poverty and political corruption.
The story revolves around a young man, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who is seeking
revenge against the powerful gang leader, Daniel Day-Lewis, who killed his father.
The film also features Cameron Diaz.
Quote:
“We (he and Scorsese) had a conversation about his intentions, but there
were never any discussions about lighting or which lenses I should use. He trusts
me to translate his ideas into images. That’s what makes our relationship
so wonderful. I watched him rehearse and knew exactly what he wanted…. There
was always a lot of atmosphere in the air. We had smoke in almost every scene.
There were fires burning…and every shot is moving. Sometimes they’re
just little sideways moves with a handheld camera, but the camera is always in
motion.”
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