Ken Kelsch, Cinematographer for ‘Bad Lieutenant’ and Other Abel Ferrara Films, Dies at 76
Ken Kelsch, the longtime cinematographer for Abel Ferrara, has died from COVID and pneumonia at the age of 76, his son, Chris, said on Facebook.
“If you knew him, you probably have a story about him. He really was a great man, loved by many. A war hero who filled every room with his presence. An artist who never stopped being himself,” Chris Kelsch wrote. “A caring father who would do anything for his kids and grandkids. Shared his experience, wisdom, and love with all. Our family will deeply miss him and always love him as im sure many of you will as well.”
Kelsch shot 12 of Ferrara’s films, most notably his 1992 neo-noir “Bad Lieutenant” starring Harvey Keitel as a corrupt, vice-riddled police lieutenant addicted to cocaine, heroin, sex and gambling. It was the first time the pair had worked together since collaborating on Ferrara’s 1979 debut film, “The Driller Killer.”
“The Ken Kelsch/Abel Ferrara world, the world we live in, is one of moral dilemma. Abel never actually left his Catholicism behind, and I don’t think I have either,” Kelsch told Filmmaker Magazine in 2019. “We’ve evolved, we’re both sober, Abel for a long time, myself for 30 years. The things I’ve done in the past that I find horrifying now, I’ve dealt with them. I was only sober two years when ‘Bad Lieutenant’ was made. That was rough for me.”
It was through “Bad Lieutenant” that Kelsch developed his signature handheld style of cinematography.
“Don’t trap the actors in the bars of what you do light, make sure you have a reason for putting a light up other than exposure,” Kelsch said about his style. “Put the camera on your shoulder, be unfiltered, unfettered, and go out there and do what has to be done. I always considered myself a minimalist and a naturalist.”
The duo would then partner on ten more films through 2019, including the 1996 crime drama “The Funeral” starring Christopher Walken and the 2011 apocalyptic drama “4:44 Last Day on Earth” starring Willem Dafoe. Outside of his collaborations with Ferrara, Kelsch shot episodes of the Patricia Arquette TV drama “Medium” and Stanley Tucci’s 1996 directorial debut “Big Night.”
Born in New Jersey, Kelsch served as a Green Beret during the Vietnam War. In a 2019 interview with Filmmaker Magazine, he spoke openly about “terrifying” the experience was and how he was “too busy reading Hemingway to realize that this wasn’t how war really was.”
“I thought being a Green Beret would get me chicks, and then I come back and it’s the height of the anti-war movement, and let’s just say, people didn’t exactly appreciate my service. And it’s something I’ve learned about my whole life: God laughs when you make plans,” he said.
In addition to his DP work, Kelsch also served as a film school professor at Montclair State and Five Towns College in New York. He is survived by his son, Chris, his daughters, Joy and Nina, and his grandchildren, Gavin and Quinn.
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