El Mundo - June 23, 2002

This originally Spanish article has been translated by an Altavista translator, and comparing this with my poor Spanish I´ve tried to make a readable text of this interesting interview. So it´s a re-translation, and I've let the passages unclear which weren´t clear to me after analyzing them. I hope this is nevertheless an interesting read.

MARTIN SCORSESE. Director of cinema, author of 'Gangs of New York'

"Without a change of mentality, peace will not last and violence will return"

BEAUTIFUL BORJA

MADRID. The history of Gangs of New York is, first of all, the history of one long delay. His director, Martin Scorsese, assures that during many years he wanted to tell this history of New York of 1860, the mud in the streets and its afflicted people, and the ferocious fights between the native communities and the immigrants, the wild antecedents of a war until death among the gangs, which continues in our days between those who are killed in a neverending war in the quarters.

The director of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Age of Innocence whom legions of followers and recipients (the two things are not incompatible) from time and time place on the signboard of "most important living film director" in the past, presented at the Cannes Film Festival an advance look at his Gangs of New York which will not reach the Spanish screens until half-full from the next year.

With his picture of New York in the 19. century Scorsese evokes the most turbulent time in history of the United States, a time of secessions, racism and indiscriminate violence. "A personal debt", maintains Scorsese, servant in the south of Manhattan. Many thousands of million, the unconditional support of the Miramax producer and a splendid distribution (Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day Lewis, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson) have been the guilty ones.

The shooting in the studios of Cinecittà was not easy: according to the rumours, the relations between director and DiCaprio were a perennial source of conflicts. "Lie", settles Scorsese in this interview celebrated in Cannes. "it has been the most rewarding experience of my race", assures the actor.

- You are not the first film director whho deals with this time of history of the United Sates.... Did you have been inspired by other models?

- Well, all we know classic films like BBirth a Nation or Intolerancia, which constitute great exercises of cinematographic grammar around the sprouting of the United States; and - yes - I suppose that, in some way, I have been inspired by certain aspects of them.

- Above being historical and political iit´s a film of action, but with background. Which is its exact vocation?

- Gangs of New York speaks, mainly, of tthe génesis of the modern United States, and in a certain way, it also wants to speak of what this country can become someday, a subject which, as you know, is a true subject of conflict. And all this, counted from a climate of extreme violence... because without any doubt, the 19. century was the most violent time in the history of the U.S.A..

- Does GONY want to offer a determined iimage of the U.S.A.?

- I don't know, to say it shortly, I wouuld say what this film tries to show, is, mainly, that the United States have been historically a country opened to everybody. I really create it.

- Does the implicit and explicit violencce in 'Gangs of New York' take a message, a moral inside?

- No, solely that, in my opinion, the peeace concept does not mean only the absence of violent acts. The attainment of the peace, normally, has to do with an authentic change in the mentality of people... we can verify this clearly by history and by observing the present situation of the world, and it's also a good example what has happened on September 11. There might be moments of peace, a temporary peace... but without a radical change ofthe deep mentality and behavior, this peace will not last for long, the violence will always return.

- Violence of Americans against those whho are aspiring to be ones ... this is a question of the great relevance to the present, if we throw a look to the world-wide problem of immigration.

- Well, it happens that denominated firsst Americans, who arrived first coming from Anglo-Saxon countries, felt better with the Africans than with the Irish, - so why? - because they were protestant, and the Irish were catholic and in certain way they symbolized a different power, the one of the Vatican. The first Americans, however, knew very clearly the separation between Church and State. It is clear that, in those times, like in other times throughout History, the religious factor complicates the things a lot.

- The public and the critic have been waaiting for this film for several years. They have accused you to take too much time in finishing it...

- With the age, every time I become crazzier in perfecting my films, in finishing them as I believe that I have to be perfect. The shooting of Gangs of New York has been finished more than a year ago, exactly in May of 2001, and I wanted to have the ready film for Christmas in 2001... but the postproduction was much extended and took three months more than predicted. Miramax gave much pressure to me to release it for Christmas, but... you know, after all, this one is a great film, which was worth the trouble I've created, I hope.

- It also has been said that it was a roough shooting, and that between you and Leonardo DiCaprio the sparks were jumping.

- Bah, words and more words, many of theem published by a daily Italian sensationalist. To say that I got upset with Leonardo DiCaprio because he was out at nights! That's ridiculous!

- Why did you choose the studios of Cineecittà for the film set and the shooting? Couldn't you shoot it in natural scenes?

- It is truth that, normally, I prefer tto shoot in natural scenes, but the scenery we made at Cinecittà weas practically like natural scenes, everybody was very impresses when they saw them... and additionnally, thus the capacity to control the whole process is bigger.

- The reputation of being anirascible diirector, is it founded or not?

- I don't know. It is true that I had too temporarily stop the shooting because of lack of concentration. In the beginning I thought about a film of five hours, but soon I saw that I would have to leave it two hours and 40 minutes; it is the truth that this has dispersed me a lot, because I couldn´t see clearly the advance of that. I must recognize one thing, that not everything is perfect in me when I´m making a film.

- So what?

- Fundamentally because I have the tendeency to make myself quite nervous when I am in the half of a shooting. Well, generally I am indeed no angel.

- Finally, is it worth to be a movie dirrector? Do you recommend young people to do it or do you warn them of its dangers?

- I believe, to make movies is not an eaasy subject, at least it is not for me. But for those who decide they want to dedicate themselves to this, I must say that nowadays the access to the film director profession is easier than when I began, in the middle of the 60's. I can only give a fundamental advice to them: to be tenacious, not to get tired or hopeless if they fail during the first five or six years.... it´s necessary to go on (to follow and to follow).

Re-translation by anlimara