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Michael Ballhaus

Highest Rated: 100% Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven (1976)

Lowest Rated: 13% Uptown Girls (2003)

Birthday: Aug 5, 1935

Birthplace: Berlin, Germany

This distinguished cinematographer reportedly developed an interest in filmmaking after director Max Ophuls allowed him to watch the filming of "Lola Montes" (1955). In 1970, Ballhaus shot "Whity," the first of some 15 films for Rainer Werner Fassbinder. In some ways his work for the enigmatic German director was not a harbinger for Ballhaus' talents. Fassbinder worked at a furious pace, making lighting textures problematic, and his camera was often static, leaving it up to the cinematographer to provide energy in scenes which have been classified as deliberately claustrophobic. While several of these films are known only to cineastes, a few like "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" (1972) and "The Marriage of Maria Braun" (1978) were art-house successes.

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Highest rated movies

100% 88% Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven
Watchlist
100% 89% I Only Want You to Love Me
Watchlist
100% 64% Whity
Watchlist 98% 79% Broadcast News Watchlist
97% 70% The Fabulous Baker Boys
Watchlist
97% 87% Quiz Show
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95% 97% Goodfellas
Watchlist
94% 74% Baby, It's You
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93% 90% The Marriage of Maria Braun
Watchlist 91% 94% The Departed Watchlist
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Michael Ballhaus

Michael Ballhaus DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, director Frank Oz, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, on set, 1988. ©Orion Pictures WILD WILD WEST, Director, Barry Sonnenfeld, discusses a scene, with Cinematographer, Michael Ballhaus, on location, 1999. GANGS OF NEW YORK, Michael Ballhaus, 2002 (c) Miramax. . THE DEPARTED, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, on set, 2006. ©Warner Bros. SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE, Michael Ballhaus, 2003, (c) Columbia THE DEPARTED, foreground: director Martin Scorsese, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, Martin Sheen, on set, 2006. ©Warner Bros. THE DEPARTED, Leonardo DiCaprio, director Martin Scorsese, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, Ray Winstone, Jack Nicholson on set, 2006, (c) Warner Brothers THE DEPARTED, director Martin Scorsese, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, on set, 2006, (c) Warner Brothers IN BERLIN, from left: directors Ciro Cappellari, Michael Ballhaus, 2009. ©Farbfilm-Verleih View more photos

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet 49% 3096 Days Cinematographer - 2013
91% 94% The Departed Cinematographer $132.4M 2006
72% 69% Something's Gotta Give Cinematographer $124.6M 2003
13% 61% Uptown Girls Cinematographer $36.9M 2003
72% 81% Gangs of New York Cinematographer - 2002
43% 65% The Legend of Bagger Vance Cinematographer $30.7M 2000
41% 29% What Planet Are You From? Cinematographer $6.3M 2000
16% 28% Wild Wild West Cinematographer $113.8M 1999
28% 64% The Thirteenth Floor Executive Producer $11.8M 1999
80% 64% Primary Colors Cinematographer $39.0M 1998
79% 66% Air Force One Cinematographer $172.7M 1997
73% 85% Sleepers Cinematographer $53.3M 1996
59% 56% Outbreak Cinematographer $65.9M 1995
97% 87% Quiz Show Cinematographer $24.8M 1994
67% 41% I'll Do Anything Cinematographer $10.2M 1994
88% 75% The Age of Innocence Cinematographer $31.9M 1993
82% 68% The Mambo Kings Cinematographer $6.5M 1992
69% 79% Bram Stoker's Dracula Cinematographer $82.0M 1992
68% 55% Guilty by Suspicion Cinematographer $8.4M 1991
82% 79% What About Bob? Cinematographer $63.5M 1991
95% 97% Goodfellas Cinematographer $42.6M 1990
97% 70% The Fabulous Baker Boys Cinematographer $18.1M 1989
89% 84% Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Cinematographer $40.9M 1988
83% 67% Working Girl Cinematographer $62.2M 1988
82% 84% The Last Temptation of Christ Cinematographer $8.2M 1988
71% 27% The House on Carroll Street Cinematographer $161.7K 1988
98% 79% Broadcast News Cinematographer $49.2M 1987
87% 73% The Color of Money Cinematographer $52.3M 1986
90% 87% After Hours Cinematographer $10.9M 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Private Conversations Unknown (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet 33% Old Enough Cinematographer - 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Das Autogramm Cinematographer - 1984
80% 50% Heartbreakers Cinematographer - 1984
94% 74% Baby, It's You Cinematographer - 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sheer Madness Cinematographer - 1983
65% 76% Despair Cinematographer - 1979
93% 90% The Marriage of Maria Braun Cinematographer - 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet Nur zum Spaß, nur zum Spiel Cinematographer - 1977
40% 79% The Stationmaster's Wife Cinematographer - 1977
75% 78% Satan's Brew Cinematographer - 1976
83% 69% Chinese Roulette Cinematographer - 1976
100% 89% I Only Want You to Love Me Cinematographer - 1976
100% 88% Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven Cinematographer - 1976
86% 87% Fox and His Friends Cinematographer - 1975
86% 88% Martha Cinematographer - 1974
85% 85% The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant Cinematographer - 1972
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cold Blood Cinematographer - 1971
100% 64% Whity Cinematographer - 1971