# I just saw Gangs of New York **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2002, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187 "2002-12-21T05:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187/61 "2003-01-27T02:51:05Z")
FWIW there was an excellent article on the real draft riots and the making of the movie. They did some interesting research that turned up a wax cylinder recording of Walt Whitman reciting part of _Leaves of Grass_ that revealed a recognizable Brooklyn accent. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187/62 "2003-01-27T03:03:42Z")
Argh, the artical was in _The Smithsonian_. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187/63 "2003-01-28T01:16:46Z")
i also caught the age discrepancy for bill. i think that his accent was early 18th century english pirate. the movie was pretty good, tho. i think that the bad far outweighed the good. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187/64 "2003-02-10T21:04:15Z")
What was the nationality of “Bill the Butcher.” I thought he was Irish, but looked down on the Irish that were not born in America. Is his nationality made clear? Also what was up the four men who were hanged as an object lesson for the inhabitants of 5 corners. These men did not appear to be at all distressed that they were about to be hanged. The one who gave a speech from the gallows seemed to be play acting. I thought at first that the hanging might be a scam and that the men knew they weren’t really going to be hanged. Did these men not mind dying because they had nothing else to live for, or were they mentally deficient, or had sums of money been paid to their families, or what? I thought the performance by DDL was worth the price of admission. It is strange that he had not made a movie for 5 years, and had to be convinced to do this one. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187/65 "2003-02-10T21:07:39Z")
Acck!! what was up **with** the four men… ---
**Author:** ![SLASH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SLASH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SLASH)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187/66 "2003-02-22T05:49:31Z")
There was another thread about that, and I think they said something to the effect of what you were thinking(nothing to live for). And I think Bill’s nationality was probably English with maybe some Dutch? ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187/67 "2003-02-22T08:29:04Z")
I just watched “Gangs” for the third time (this time on DVD at home) and felt the movie improved from the repeated viewings…makes one hope for a official extended DVD release, despite what Scorsese and Miramax Pictures have to say about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-gangs-of-new-york/144187.md?page=3)