This movie was greatly underrated and overlooked, but aside from that, it was a great commentary on the era in which it was made, not long after Bush's stolen election. Political corruption, demagoguery, election fraud, racism, anti-immigrant sentiment, homophobia and misogyny are never out of style, but in the wake of the 2016 presidential campaign and result, you can see that the horrors of 150 years ago are still with us, now more than ever.
shareI agree, that aspect of the film has aged remarkably well. It has a lot to say about how society is structured, and I suspect much of it is also a cloaked, allegorical retelling of American's murky political history. The ideas in this movie are powerful. Too bad Scorsese's was contractually obliged to release the movie with such an absurdly brief running time. There is a scene where Cutter and Tammany are talking about some edgy political ideas, and the scene very awkwardly dissolves away and comes back at the end of the conversation! I dunno if they cut it for political reasons, but it's a sign that the political subplots were sacrificed in the final cut.
shareSomething may have been cut for whatever reason. But I remember seeing an interview with Scorsese in which he said there wouldn't be a director's cut, that everything he wanted in the film was there.
shareExcept in those days, the Irish were being recruited as a political base by racist Jacksonian Democrats who supported slavery, whereas progressive Republicans were waging war for the abolition of slavery. The Democrats (like Tweed) were the more conservative party back then.
So the comparison does not add up to today.
Yes. All of the far Leftist wing nuts rioting in the streets, flipping cars over and setting them on fire, burning business establishments, killing police officers all the while calling others savages - they're totally reminiscent of Butcher Bill and his gang of thugs who operate through violence when they don't get they're way.
shareBill the Butcher and his nativists were the violent racists who despised immigrants - just like Trump supporters. You're living in an alternate reality.
shareAnd, EXACTLY like today's democrats, Tweed and his Tammany Hall bunch were the ones using immigrants for political gain.
Hmmm... handing out freebies to immigrants solely for their votes. Sound familiar?
I don't understand what freebies you're talking about, nor how you could gain votes from immigrants who aren't citizens and therefore can't vote. And if you recall, it was the Republicans of first the Bush I then also the Bush II era who tried, with some success, to court the Hispanic vote, pointing to the fact that they had "Hispano" family members. That worked for a while till those people realized that they only wanted votes and weren't going to give anything in return, that the Republican agenda was completely opposite to the interests of minorities and the poor. Let's not even discuss what the incoming administration feels about them.
shareNot a single trump supporter has done that, unlike the thugs recruted by the DNC. If a lie spoken enough it is bound to be belived by the lowest of our society. Im glad you have found your place there at the bottom. Keep reading fake news talking points memo. Are your hands in Soros pockets too?
shareHistory repeats itself over and over again. People will follow a loudmouth, hateful bully anytime they feel threatened.
shareUm, you lost all credibility when you stated Bush "stole" the election. Geeezuss krist man, wake up.
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