LONDON, Apr 14: Filmmaker Martin Scorsese has paid tribute to his colleague and German cinematographer of his directorial “The Departed”, Michael Ballhaus.
Ballhaus passed away on April 11 after a short illness at his home in Germany.
The 74-year-old director said that it was the cinematographer who reintroduced him to the sense of excitement he had for making films, reported The Independent.
“For over 20 years, Michael Ballhaus and I had a real creative partnership, and a very close and enduring friendship.
We started working together in the 80s, during a low ebb in my career. And it was Michael who really gave me back my sense of excitement in making movies. For him, nothing was impossible,” Scorsese said in a statement.
The legendary director adds that Ballhaus had a major influence on him and his filmmaking.
“He gave me an education, and he changed my way of thinking about what it is to make a film. He was a great artist,” Scorsese said.
The director-cinematographer duo had collaborated on six films such as “After Hours” (1985), “The Color of Money” (1986), “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988), “Goodfellas” (1990), “The Age of Innocence” (1993), “Gangs of New York” (2002) and “The Departed” (2006).
Ballhaus was nominated three times for an Academy Award for best cinematography, for “Broadcast News” (1988) and “The Fabulous Baker Boys” (1990), including Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York”. (AGENCIES)
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