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Later in the shoot, Ballhaus convinced Scorsese to add a subtly disorienting camera move to a diner scene in which Hill realizes that his supposed ally, Jimmy the Gent (Robert De Niro), may want to kill him. To convey that their relationship is shifting, Ballhaus executed a combination dolly/zoom that stretches the background beyond the two characters, recalling the classic acrophobia shots from Hitchcock’s Vertigo. “It’s a subtle effect,” Ballhaus notes, “but I wanted the audience to realize that this was a key turning point between these two characters.” Ballhaus adds that he will never forget his reaction to the final cut of GoodFellas: “It was so fascinating to see what Marty had done with the editing and everything else that I almost forgot I’d shot the movie! It was really brilliant.” Scorsese and Ballhaus would reteam twice more during the Nineties, on the period films The Age of Innocence (1993; AC Oct. ’93) and Gangs of New York (2002; AC Jan. ’03). Polar opposites in tone, these two pictures — both set in 19th-century New York — show Ballhaus at the height of his artistry. The former, an elegant adaptation of Edith Wharton’s acclaimed novel, presents an impeccably lit, painterly re-creation of New York high society during the Gilded Age. Gangs, a sprawling epic shot at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, details the street-level savagery between murderous criminal factions of a bygone era. “The Age of Innocence is one of my very favorites among all the movies I’ve shot,” he says. “It was a dream to work on — the costumes, the colors, the camera movement.” Ballhaus earned his third Academy Award for Gangs, and he graciously maintains that his job was made easy by “the incredible artistry of our production designer, Dante Ferretti, who built the most amazing sets.” During the rest of this productive decade, Ballhaus demonstrated his range by tackling comedy (Postcards From the Edge, What About Bob?), musical drama (The Mambo Kings), “courtroom noir” (Guilty by Suspicion, AC March ’91); classic horror (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, AC Nov. ’92); cerebral drama (Quiz Show); action-adventure (Outbreak, Air Force One) and politics (Primary Colors). Since 2000, he has dabbled in golf (The Legend of Bagger Vance), romance (Something’s Gotta Give), and more gangland violence with Scorsese (The Departed; AC Oct. ’06). Attempting to sum up his admiration for Ballhaus, Scorsese cites his good friend’s “courteous nature and positive, open attitude.” He adds, “I always complain, but he finds the good side of every bad situation. Things sometimes become overwhelming, but he’ll always say, ‘Don’t worry, we’re gonna be able to do it.’ He always supports you emotionally and psychologically, and he always has a smile in the morning, which is interesting to me, because I don’t smile in the morning! He’ll always say something like, ‘Marty, today is an exciting day.’ And I’ll say, ‘Why?’ And he’ll answer, ‘Because today we get to do that great shot we discussed three days ago.’ Suddenly I’ll remember, ‘Oh, right, we’re doing the big tracking shot!’ He always reminds me that despite all the difficulties, we’re blessed to be doing this kind of work.”
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