Gangs of New York Movie

[Psalm45_9]

Has their been any Catholic review about this film? I only got to watch the first half an hour of it but it gave me an insight into the anti-catholic sentiment the immigrants must have encounterd when they came to this country. What is your opinion of this film?

 

[Ortho]

Psalm45:9:

Has their been any Catholic review about this film? I only got to watch the first half an hour of it but it gave me an insight into the anti-catholic sentiment the immigrants must have encounterd when they came to this country. What is your opinion of this film?

Excellent movie. One might want to read about Bishop John Hughes who was bishop of NY at the time. The guy was incredible. The Catholic Irish in NY at that time were a mess. There were some good reasons folks didn’t like them. Hughes used the Church to organize and reform them. That man was a real leader. He makes today’s bishops look like weenies.

 

[Peter_Wright]

Psalm45:9:

Has their been any Catholic review about this film? I only got to watch the first half an hour of it but it gave me an insight into the anti-catholic sentiment the immigrants must have encounterd when they came to this country. What is your opinion of this film?

USCCB review of Gangs of New York

Brutal historical drama set in 1863 New York City where the vengeance-fueled son (Leonardo DiCaprio) of a slain Irish immigrant gang leader befriends his father’s murderer (Daniel Day-Lewis) while secretly plotting to kill him and unite the immigrant gangs to overthrow their native rivals and the corrupt politicians backing them. As directed by Martin Scorsese, the Civil War historical context gets short shrift compared to the relentlessly indulgent focus on personal and mob violence. Excessive graphic violence linked to religious zeal, a sexual encounter, extended bordello nudity, brief drug abuse, racial epithets, intermittent rough language and recurring profanity. O – morally offensive. (R) 2002.

 

[Troy7]

Great movie! One of Scorcese’s best!

Impressive period piece about that era. Daniel Day Lewis is mesmerizing. De Caprio is good as well. Great flick. Highly recommended!

 

[Ortho]

Troy7:

Great movie! One of Scorcese’s best!

Impressive period piece about that era. Daniel Day Lewis is mesmerizing. De Caprio is good as well. Great flick. Highly recommended!

Lewis played the best bad guy I have ever seen. He sets the standard for all future villains…

 

[Ar13l]

I hate to revive an old thread but I just saw this movie and the Departed as well.

What’s up with Scorsese’s constant use of Catholic motif in his movies? I know Coppola used it to show irony in the Godfather movies. What’s Scorsese’s underlying message?

As far as Gangs of New York, I think it has a strong message of the will to power and how repulsive it is.

 

[Sweeney]

I hate to revive an old thread but I just saw this movie and the Departed as well.

What’s up with Scorsese’s constant use of Catholic motif in his movies? I know Coppola used it to show irony in the Godfather movies. What’s Scorsese’s underlying message?

As far as Gangs of New York, I think it has a strong message of the will to power and how repulsive it is.

Both movies are about us Irish, and we’re Catholic. Not a big deal.

 

[YinYangMom]

I hate to revive an old thread but I just saw this movie and the Departed as well.

What’s up with Scorsese’s constant use of Catholic motif in his movies? I know Coppola used it to show irony in the Godfather movies. What’s Scorsese’s underlying message?

As far as Gangs of New York, I think it has a strong message of the will to power and how repulsive it is.

I don’t think there is an underlying message by Scorcese as much as Catholicism was dominant and influential in the NY Gang and Godfather periods. It would be difficult to portray that time period without touching upon the power held by Catholicism.

In The Departed, Deniro’s character definitely carries a chip on his shoulder against the church which seems to stem from his school years, We know now that many of the sexual abuse cases took place in the time frame which would have been the Deniro character’s boyhood, so it’s not as if all members of the Church were stellar representatives of the faith then, or now.

When one is making a film about gangs in society and Catholicism is the dominant religion of the time and geographic area it would be inconsistent to pretend not a single representative of the Church participated in that life style along with the gang members.

 

[Sweeney]

I don’t think there is an underlying message by Scorcese as much as Catholicism was dominant and influential in the NY Gang and Godfather periods. It would be difficult to portray that time period without touching upon the power held by Catholicism.

In The Departed, Deniro’s character definitely carries a chip on his shoulder against the church which seems to stem from his school years, We know now that many of the sexual abuse cases took place in the time frame which would have been the Deniro character’s boyhood, so it’s not as if all members of the Church were stellar representatives of the faith then, or now.

When one is making a film about gangs in society and Catholicism is the dominant religion of the time and geographic area it would be inconsistent to pretend not a single representative of the Church participated in that life style along with the gang members.

DeNiro is not in “The Departed”.

 

[YinYangMom]

DeNiro is not in “The Departed”.

Oh my! You’re right… now there’s a sad state of affairs when Deniro’s physique is such that I confused him with Jack Nicholson!

My bad But, yeah, Nicholson’s character then…