``Gangs of New York'' The first collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio, a vivid depiction of New York in its early days.

Gangs of New York Synopsis

New York, 1846. The turf war between American-born whites and Irish immigrants intensifies, and the two gangs go into full-scale confrontation. Amsterdam, a boy whose father was killed in front of his eyes, returns to the city 15 years later, vowing revenge on Bill, the boss of the gang that killed his father. He infiltrates Bill's gang, which controls the city, hiding his identity, but there he meets a beautiful and mysterious woman named Jenny, and falls in love with her, which is forbidden...

Index

• Scorsese's penchant for reinterpreting history
• What he said at the press conference when the film was released
• Daniel Day-Lewis, the Monster actor
• Late 19th century New York recreated at Cinecittà
• Robbie Robertson and Scorsese's elaborate musical selections

Scorsese's penchant for reinterpreting history

2023 has been the "Martin Scorsese Year" for the first time in a long time. His first directorial work in four years since " The Irishman " (2019), "Killers of the Flower Moon ," is at the forefront of the American awards race, and its high quality has attracted attention. Although it is a long film at three and a half hours, I was surprised by its unfading power. The co-starring of two big stars familiar from Scorsese's films, Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role and Robert De Niro in the supporting role, was also a hot topic, but the dignified and excellent performance of the lead actress Lily Gladstone, who was selected for the role, is also unforgettable. Scorsese's unfading energy was also felt in the fact that he was able to bring out the best performance from an actress who was not well known until then.

Yes, even in his 80s, Scorsese continues to forge ahead. Killers of the Flower Moon was a groundbreaking reinterpretation of American history, shedding light on the unknown history of Native Americans in the 1920s.

Looking back on his career as a historian, one film that seems particularly important is "Gangs of New York," released in 2002. Set in New York in the late 19th century, it vividly depicts the chaotic world before New York took shape as a city, and finds something that connects to the present day. Scorsese captured the gritty scenery of New York in his breakthrough works in the 1970s, " Mean Streets " (1973) and " Taxi Driver " (1976), but "Gangs of New York" depicts the original scenery of New York, full of primitive power.

"Gangs of New York" trailer

At the time, Scorsese himself commented, "As I get older, I'm more and more drawn to the history of this country and New York. American history is still short, far behind that of Europe and Asia. But every bit of New York's history excites me" (from the DVD audio commentary for "Gangs of New York").

In this work, he reinterpreted the scenery of New York, which is his roots, and superimposed the image of a wilderness on the city built in Cinecittà, Italy, making it a "Scorsese-style Western." And in 2023, he completed a different form of "Western" by making " Killers of the Flower Moon, " set in the wilderness of Oklahoma in the early 20th century.

Gangs of New York was Scorsese's first film of the 21st century, and it was also his first collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio, who would later become his signature duo.

What he said at the press conference when the film was released