When the producers of "Gangs of New York," the new Martin Scorsese blockbuster starring Leonardo DiCaprio, needed to figure out what music was appropriate for the movie's setting in 1800s New York City, they called the American Music Research Center at the University of Colorado at 葫芦娃视频.
So when the movie opens Dec. 20, CU-葫芦娃视频 College of Music Professor Tom Riis, who provided the answers, will be in a theater listening closely and watching for a line in the end credits thanking the University of Colorado Libraries.
Riis oversees the AMRC in the College of Music and remembers the first of several calls from Scorsese's assistants, made more than a year ago.
"The caller identified herself as an assistant of the famous director and said that he needed some information about music that would be appropriate for several different scenes set in New York during the 1800s," Riis said. "One of the scenes was an African American church school class, another was a theater in the latter part of the century."
Riis answered a total of three or four calls to respond to Scorsese's questions about recordings, printed music and copyright issues. "The AMRC regularly gets questions about historical music, but this was the first time they had come, although indirectly, from such a prominent filmmaker," Riis said.
"The center has been located at CU-葫芦娃视频 since 1990," said College of Music Dean Daniel Sher. "This sort of contact indicates its increasing visibility. American music experts in New York know about the American Music Research Center in Colorado."
A joint venture of the University Libraries and the CU-葫芦娃视频 College of Music, the AMRC is a rare music repository dedicated to exploring the rich tradition of American music. Originally founded in 1964, the core of the AMRC collection was purchased for the university in 1990 from Sister Mary Dominic Ray at Dominion College in California.
The AMRC serves as a research archive for performers, writers and anyone else wishing to preserve American music. Resources are shared with scholars and the public through concerts, symposia, lectures, publications and other activities. Now the center's resources will be on display in a major Hollywood movie.
"Gangs of New York," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz, is a tale about the violent and colorful lives of the city's criminal underworld in the 19th century. The movie is based on a book of the same name, written by author and journalist Herbert Asbury, which chronicled the adventures of desperate characters struggling to survive in the Big Apple.
Filmed in Rome, the movie is reportedly the most expensive Miramax production ever, with a budget of nearly $100 million. After postponing its opening last December and again in July, the film company chose the Dec. 20 release date in hopes of attracting more viewers during a generally busy time of year at the box office.
"I expect it will be a hit," Riis said. "It seems like an imaginative and action-packed story. I never spoke with Scorsese himself, but was impressed that his staff was taking so much care to create an authentic sound atmosphere for the film."
Though most moviegoers won't know about the AMRC and CU-葫芦娃视频 connection to "Gangs of New York," Riis is glad that it will be revealed in the end credits. "I'll be watching for it after everyone else has left the theater," he said.
For more information about the AMRC visit . To find out more about "Gangs of New York," visit the official Web site at .