Gangs of New
York
Visually stunning, Scorsese shows us
glimpses of Opium dens, dilapidated tenements, brothels, dives,
rat-killing dogs, con men, crooked cops and other low lives
permeating the area.
The final
scene is rather poignant. The skyline of Manhattan is
seen in the distance from a graveyard. It is haunting as
well as nostalgic. Gradually the skyline changes from the
1860’s to the present. It is a powerful statement
of what we have become.
Although the
movie has some weaknesses and historical flaws, it is overall a
magnificent at historical drama. Sets, period costumes,
cinematography, music and casting were brilliant. The
“Gangs of New York” deserves a rating of three and
a half stars.
--Gregory J. Christiano
More about the
Five Points and
“The Gangs”...
Five Points and
“The Gangs”...
How did contemporaries see the Five
Points and its people? Mr. Christiano has assembled news
articles in Where “The
Gangs” Lived, first in a series at urbanography.com.
The U.S.
Government has a website describing its archeological dig at
the Five Points. The Five Points
Site.
The Real Gangs of
New York at HistoryTelevision.ca.
Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson, holding cross), is flanked by Happy Jack (John C. Reilly) and
Monk McGinn (Brendan Gleeson).
Recommended
Books In Print
Books In Print
The Gangs of New York: An Informal History
of the Underworld, by Herbert Asbury, Jorge Luis (Forward).
Five Points: The Nineteenth Century New York
City Neighborhood that Invented Tap Dance Stole Elections
and Became the Worlds Most Notorious Slum,” by Tyler Anbinder
Empire City: New
York Through the Centuries, Kenneth T. Jackson and David S. Dunbar,
editors.
Gotham: A
History of New York City to 1898, by Edwin Borrows and
Mike Wallace.
New York by
Gas-Light and Other Urban Sketches, by George G. Foster,
Originally published in 1850, edited by Stuart M. Blumin, 1990
THE LOST STREETS OF THE FIVE POINTS AND
PARADISE SQUARE
[Original street names with
location and new name]:
ANTHONY STREET – Hudson Street east to Five Points
at Orange Street – Renamed WORTH STREET.
ORANGE STREET – Chatham Street (Park Row) near
Pearl north to Prince Street – Renamed BAXTER STREET.
CROSS STREET – From Chambers and Elm Streets to
Mott St. near the Bowery – Renamed PARK STREET. The
Old Brewery was located on Cross Street near Anthony &
Orange on the southwest side. Most of Park Street has
disappeared and the remaining section has been renamed MOSCO
STREET (betw. Mulberry and Mott).
LITTLE WATER STREET - Between Cross and Anthony Streets on
the west side of Five Points. Originally this street
ended in a cul-de-sac called Cow Bay (over Collect Pond).
Most of the notorious tenement houses were located here.
Little Water Street no longer exists.
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