Is THE GANGS OF NEW YORK Historically Accurate, and Why Should We Care?

"When THE GANGS OF NEW YORK came out I did a series of interviews discussing the accuracies and inaccuracies of the movie, a matter that this talk will explore in-depth: how accurate was the movie's treatment of ethnic gangs, the role of gang leaders, the sheer carnage of urban violence, the impact of the Civil War on the social life of the city, the volcanic eruption of the 1863 draft riots, and especially black life, Irish-black relations, and the role of race? Did the movie really capture what
it was like to live in New York City at the time of the Civil War? And, perhaps, most importantly,
the talk will explore the question of why it matters whether GANGS and other films that tackle historical subjects are accurate or not?"