2008 Woodie Awards
Honor society combines teaching with movies
Phi Alpha Theta to show 'Gangs of New York'
Carly Wolfrom
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Entertainment
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Phi Alpha Theta is a relatively new club at The College of Saint Rose. Formed a little over three years ago, Phi Alpha Theta is the history honors society whose members are all passionate about the past and wish to spread that fascination around campus.
"We want to get students interested in history," said Kimberly Young, a student at Saint Rose and the President of Phi Alpha Theta. "By bringing Hollywood into the picture, we think we can increase both students' historical knowledge and students' awareness of our organization on campus. We wanted a movie that appeals to a broad audience and we believe this movie is a good choice."
"Gangs of New York" does have a factor of entertainment for everyone, even those who aren't in love with history. For the girls, there's leading actor Leonardo DiCaprio. For the guys, there's Cameron Diaz. Daniel Day-Lewis, who recently won the Oscar for Best Actor, also stars in the movie. It's reported that he maintained his accent for the entire production of the film, even when off set.
The director, Martin Scorsese, is considered to be one of the greatest American filmmakers of this time. Some of his other successful movies include "Taxi Driver," "Goodfellas," and "The Departed."
"Gangs of New York" takes place during the 1840s in the Five Points of New York City. The Five Points was a roughly five-square-block area centered on the intersection of Cross Street (today's Park Street), Anthony Street (today's Worth), and Orange Street (today's Baxter). This area is known presently as Little Italy and Chinatown. The Five Points was a haven for immigrants during the nineteenth century. When the Potato Famine of the 1840s occurred, thousands of Irish immigrants flocked to the Five Points. The flux of people led to overcrowded, derelict tenement buildings with pigs and sewage running through the streets.
An increase in ethnic hostility and outright violence also rose in this area. The original, American-born British and Dutch inhabitants of the Five Points didn't appreciate what they saw as an Irish invasion of their territory. Numerous gangs developed and would evolve into the infamous corrupt city government of William "Boss" Tweed and Tammany Hall.
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