Hollywood, CA, April 13, 2001 - Academy Award-winning® film composer Elmer Bernstein celebrates his 50th anniversary year in 2001 by scoring "Gangs of New York," directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz. The Miramax film recently completed principal photography in Rome and is scheduled for late 2001 release.

"Gangs of New York" marks the sixth collaboration with Scorsese, whose Bernstein-scored films include "The Grifters," Academy Award-nominated "The Age of Innocence" and "Bringing Out The Dead."

Based on a book by Herbert Asbury, "Gangs of New York" is an epic drama that chronicles the criminal exploits of gang members, outlaws, crooked cops and corrupt politicians who flourished in New York City's underworld in the middle of the 19th Century.