On Sunday, June 1, 2003, at 09:12 AM, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz wrote:
(Tangential: How did Daniel Day-Lewis
determine what accent to use for 19th century New York City for "Gangs of
New York"?)
He listened to the oldest available recordings -- he mentions one recording of Walt Whitman in particular -- and merged that with the stereotypical Noo Yawk accent (which, like the Boston accent and other regional American accents, seems to be on the wane). I think he also looked at some 19th-century attempts to render a class New Yorker's accent and speech patterns, as well, but I do know that he depended primarily on recordings and his own imagination. Also, while the accent was meant to be evocative of the period, Lewis was no striving for 100% authenticity. Creating a distinctive speaking voice that worked for the character and the movie was more important that absolute accuracy -- especially given that no one else in the movie speaks anything like Bill the Butcher.
- Darcy
----- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston MA
No one likes us I don't know why We may not be perfect But heaven knows we try But all around, even our old friends put us down Let's drop the Big One and see what happens
- Randy Newman, "Political Science"
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