Leonardo DiCaprio in Gangs of New York

[jan]

For movie buffs, there is a wonderful bust of Alexander the Great in the movie Gangs of New York. I thought that Leonardo di Caprio was great in his role, and deserved to have been nominated for best actor, but Hollywood has taken to shunning and ignoring his performances. He was so good in this performance that I hope he outshines them all as ATG. He showed great sensitivity, depth, and comprehension of his character. I was so impressed that I am now confident that he will do as well in his portrayal of ATG.Gangs of New York is an excellent movie, and should be seen and enjoyed for its final scene alone. It is about the influx of Irish into the harbors of New York during the Civil War, and the gang wars that ensued. Leonardo and his pal who betrays him made me think that it was a bit of a takeoff of ATG and Hephaestion and other friends too. You can't really miss the comparisons.The final scenes involve looking at NYC over changing decades until the present one. It is a very important movie to see for Alexander buffs.

[jason_xander2000]

JanIm glad you saw the Gangs Of New York, also that you enjoyed it as well, the film was good and all the actors did brilliant I always knew Dicaprio could carry Alexander better than Farrel and in the Gangs he really showed Alexander.I never liked DiCaprio in anything else but he is Alexander and the part fits him like a glove, I am sure when the 2nd film is made with Dicaprio im sure most people wiil be suprised at the same time Farrel is a really good actor and am sure he will play the part but for me he doesnt have the look.I particulally liked Daniel Day Lewis who would also find a part to fit his talent in an Alexander movie, In the old days great actors were cast in movies together, Alexanders would be the greatest story ever told and maybe it would have been better to pool everything into one true movie with a whole host of actors.The strange thing about an Alexander movie,is that they dont have to change anything as the real story of Alexander is much better than any fiction.regardsJason

[beausefaless]

Greetings Jan,I'm glad to hear you coming around to my side of this debate, as I've said before give
these guys a chance before you make your decision. If you were able to see Colin Farrell in the latest Jesse James movie (the best one ever made!) I believe you would agree Oliver Stone made the right choice to play Alexander.Regards,Andrew

[S]

Greetings Jan,I saw this movie; I thought the script weak and the ending predictable but the violence was well-executed (impactful) and honestly portrayed. The story of America in that time period is fascinating for its examination of politics, power and cultural interactions (a companion book would be "A People's History of the United States") and though the movie was a bit over-the-top, it *did* succeed in bringing the brutality of the lives, and oppression of, the working classes to the fore, as well as looking at the corruption at the top... and of course, it is a veiled morality tale. I believe that bust is a common prop, as it appears in numerous movies; it's symbology is usually wealth, though it has been used, when focused on, to denote a comparison to ATG. Of course, sometimes the prop person doesn't care or know *who* the bust is, they just want a prop (laughing- like the trappings used in the ATG movie, a prop person sometimes does not care whether props are period or even regionally appropriate- they want something to signify "exotic", "wealth", etc) I don't see that they were trying to make a connection to ATG and Hephaistion; the "buddy" counterplot is a common story device- in almost every movie or TV show involving human drama. The "friend" becomes the object from which the main character plays off, whether for the good or ill- it brings an element of potential triumph or tragedy.Some movies substitute a "group" for the primary friend ("Lagaan" did this- though it could be said that Bhuvan's "buddy' was Gauri- as did Branaugh in "Much Ado About Nothing" and is seen in "Henry V", etc.) Most shows feature a "buddy" relationship because it is the primary human relationship, worldwide. It existed before ATG and Hephaistion in stories, and will probably always be the most common plot device next to "love stories". It allows each viewer to connect by relating to what they hear in a story or see in a play/movie/TV to the areas of interest in their personal lives and their own emotions regarding a friend or friends..Regards,
Sikander

[jason_xander2000]

SWhat was that long essay you wrote all about.What did it have to do with the comments made about DiCaprio or the Gangs Of New York.You sound a little Like Tolkien perfectionist,where anything that detracts from the book or is different just isnt good enough.Sometimes the book readers need to chill out and not take things too serious text book journalism get you no where only stuck in a rutt sometimes one should try think for yourself.Try answer the posts and not to go off on a phsychology trip.regardsJason

[beausefaless]

Jan knows exactly what I'm talking about as she has criticized these actors in the past and thought their acting ability to play Alexander would be a bit lacking.
If you don't care for my post's don't read em for I'm not changing for you or anyone else!

[Linda]

Manners maketh the man.... and the ability to spell doesn't hurt either. Ho humI haven't seem Gangs of New York, although I hear Daniel Day Lewis hammed it up something rotten, and stole the movie. I like Leo, and did think at one stage he would make a good Alexander. However, I think the film with him has been binned.Linda

[S]

Not to worry- I suspect "Jason" was trying to comment regarding my discussion with Jan. He does not realize that Jan and I often discuss books and movies, and the author/director motives, etc both here and on other sites.... and perhaps he does not realize that such explorations of plot, script, motive etc are also legitimate tangents when discussing movies and books?I hope the ranch fares well. You were correct about hotmail and photos, but I have finally given them to someone who does not use hotmail and hopefully now they will manage to get sent!Regards,
Sikander

[jan]

Hi S,It is because the buddy is so pretty. That is why! And the bust just accentuated it!

[S]

Greetings Jan,*Most* of the young actors (with a couple exceptions, like DiCaprio) from Hollywood are "pretty" these days- they seem cut from the same mold. So I am not certain that your argument here would be very strong.. Regards,
Sikander