document_title: Alvin and the Chipmunks (film)

question_text: the bad guy in alvin and the chipmunks

question_tokens: the bad guy in alvin and the chipmunks

text: Alvin and the Chipmunks (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: The tree that the chipmunks Alvin, Simon, and Theodore live in is cut down, and driven to Los Angeles. After JETT Records purchases it as a Christmas tree, the Chipmunks meet the struggling songwriter and composer, David Seville, who had his latest song rejected by the company's executive, Ian Hawke, his former college roommate. Dave also once had a relationship with his next door neighbor, Claire Wilson.

text: In the process of escaping the JETT building, the Chipmunks hop into a basket Dave stole from one of Ian's coworkers, and follow him home. Once there, Dave discovers the Chipmunks and kicks them out, only to hear them sing "Only You (And You Alone)". He then makes a deal with them; they sing the songs he writes, and he provides food and shelter for them. Unfortunately, when Dave tries to present the Chipmunks to Ian, they fail to sing to him on account of stage fright. The day worsens as Dave is dismissed as the Chipmunks ruin his job presentation by having drawn on it. When Alvin tries to set the mood for Dave's dinner with Claire, things become peculiar, and she rejects Dave after he tells her about the Chipmunks. To make it up to Dave, the Chipmunks go to Ian in an attempt to obtain a record deal.

text: Once the Chipmunks sing Dave's song to Ian, Ian signs them to the label, and calls Dave the next day. After a few singles, the Chipmunks become an international success. When Dave expresses concern for their well-being and insists that the Chipmunks are "children" who do not need so much craziness in their lives, Ian convinces the Chipmunks that Dave is holding them back. After a misunderstanding with Dave, they go to live with Ian. They are enchanted with Ian at first, but once they set off on a nationwide coast-to-coast tour, he takes advantage of their naïvete, changing their image and working them constantly. Meanwhile, Dave misses the Chipmunks, and he wishes that they would return. He calls Ian and asks to talk to them, but Ian declines, and then conceals Dave's motives from the Chipmunks, saying that he sent Dave tickets, but that Dave sent them back. Later, the fact that the Chipmunks are becoming worn out is all over the news. Frustrated by what Ian has done to the Chipmunks, Dave decides to take matters himself by infiltrating their concert to reunite with them.

text: On the night before the big concert that is to transition the coast-to-coast tour into a world tour, a vet explains to Ian that the Chipmunks' voices have worn down due to exhaustion, and suggests that they should take a lengthy rest. Rather than cancel the concert and hand out refunds, Ian advises the Chipmunks to lip sync. With Claire's help, Dave is allowed into the concert, but is ejected by security. Witnessing the commotion, the Chipmunks realize that they've been tricked and, deciding that they have had enough of Ian, they stall the concert. Ian locks them in a cage and prepares to take them for the world tour. Dave tries to convince Ian to let the Chipmunks go, but Ian refuses. Ian then leaves in his limo with the Chipmunks, and Dave chases them, but the Chipmunks have already escaped to Dave's car. Dave immediately pulls over and admits that he loves them like his own family. Meanwhile, Ian looks in the cage, and is shocked to see that the Chipmunks have replaced themselves with international merchandising dolls.

text: Later that night, the Chipmunks are fully accepted as part of the family, and they invite Claire over for dinner again. Alvin accidentally creates a short circuit after having difficulty opening a champagne bottle. Though Dave decides not to say his catchphrase, the short circuit causes a blackout in the kitchen. As a result, Dave can no longer prevent it.

text: In a mid-credits scene, Ian, now unemployed, tries to make three squirrels sing, but fails. After this, a message is shown dedicating the film to the creator of the Chipmunks, Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., "who was crazy enough to invent three singing chipmunks nearly fifty years ago".

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Jason Lee as David "Dave" Seville, a struggling songwriter and father figure to Alvin, Simon and Theodore
David Cross as Ian Hawke, an executive at JETT Records
Cameron Richardson as Claire Wilson, Dave's ex-girlfriend
Jane Lynch as Gail, Dave's advertising boss
Kevin Symons as Ted
Frank Maharajh as Barry
Veronica Alicino as Amy
Beth Riesgraf as Mother in Store
Adriane Lenox as Vet
Erin Chambers as Press Coordinator
Oliver Muirhead as Butler
Don Tiffany as Engineer
Lorne Green as Director
Greg Siebel as Photographer
Jayden Lund as Security Guard
Chris Classic as Dj

text: Voices[edit]

text:
Justin Long as Alvin
Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon
Jesse McCartney as Theodore
Adam Riancho as French Doll
Axel Alba as Spanish Doll

text: Release[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 27% based on 108 reviews, with a rating average of 4.5 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Though cutely rendered, Alvin and the Chipmunks suffers from bland potty humor and a rehashed kids' movie formula."[4] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, the film is considered to have "generally unfavorable reviews" with a rating score of 39 based on 23 reviews.[5] Joe Leydon of Variety called the film a "harmless and frequently humorous trifle that might be a potent B.O. performer, if only by default, during a holiday season surprisingly short on kidpics" and noted that "homevid prospects are huge";[6] the home video prediction later proved to be accurate. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave it two stars out of four, saying it is "about as good as a movie with these characters can probably be...at some level, the movie may even be doing something satirical about rock stars and the hype machine."[7] The critics for The Guardian and The Observer were split, with Philip French saying it is a "film that kids will love and adults will find tolerable" and Peter Bradshaw giving it one star out of five and calling it a "thoroughly brain-dead semi-animated family comedy".[8]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Alvin and the Chipmunks was released in North America on December 14, 2007. Despite negative reviews, the film grossed $44,307,417 in 3,475 theaters its opening weekend averaging to about $12,750 per venue, and placing second at the box office behind I Am Legend.[9] According to Box Office Guru, the first weekend was twice as much as Fox originally expected. Its second weekend was $28,179,556, behind National Treasure: Book of Secrets and I Am Legend. On its third weekend, it surpassed I Am Legend for #2 at the box office, but still ranked behind National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The film closed on Thursday June 5, 2008, making $217,326,974 domestically and $144,009,659 overseas for a total of $361,336,633 worldwide, making it a huge commercial success considering the film's modest $60 million budget.[9] The sustained box-office success of the film surprised 20th Century Fox; Elizabeth Gabler of Fox 2000 told the Los Angeles Times "I look at the numbers every day, and we just laugh."[10] Given its budget, Alvin was far more profitable than either I Am Legend or National Treasure: Book of Secrets.[10] According to MTV, it also became the highest-grossing talking animal/cartoon adaptation until its sequel. It is also 20th Century Fox's highest-grossing film domestically to be released in 2007.[1]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Alvin and the Chipmunks was released for DVD and Blu-ray on April 1, 2008. The DVD release is presented on a double-sided disc, featuring both full screen (1.33:1 aspect ratio) and widescreen formats (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish and French Dolby Surround with English and Spanish subtitles. Special features include a preview of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, a history of The Chipmunks, and an explanation of how the singing is created.[11] The Wal-Mart edition includes a bonus exclusive music CD.[11] The Kmart edition includes a free junior novel of the film.[11] The Best Buy edition includes 3 mini plush toys of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore in a collectible box.[11]

text: Awards[edit]

text:
2008 Kids' Choice Awards: Favorite Movie (winner)
2008 Young Artist Awards: Best Family Feature Film (Fantasy or Musical) (nominee)
2008 BMI Film & TV Awards: BMI Film Music Award (winner)

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Soundtrack album by The Chipmunks

Released
November 20, 2007 (2007-11-20)

Genre
Pop, rock, hip hop, dance, Christmas

Length
48:17

Label
Razor & Tie

Producer
Ali Dee Theodore

The Chipmunks chronology

Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks
(2004)Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks2004
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2007)
Christmas with The Chipmunks (2008 reissue)
(2008)Christmas with The Chipmunks (2008 reissue)2008

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Sampler

Released April 1, 2008 (2008-04-01)
Genre Pop, rock, hip hop, dance
Length 16:01
Label Razor & Tie
Producer Ali Dee Theodore

text: The soundtrack was released November 20, 2007, three weeks before the film's opening and contains new versions of old songs such as "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas, Don't Be Late)" (as made famous by David Seville and The Chipmunks), cover versions of songs such as "Bad Day" (as made famous by Daniel Powter) and "Funkytown" (as made famous by Lipps Inc.) and new songs such as "Coast 2 Coast", "Get You Goin'" and "Get Munk'd". The second track on the album is "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)", a remake version, without Jason Lee as the voice of Dave. However, the seventh track, the rock version of the song, features Lee as the voice of Dave. The soundtrack is the first album to be released in three years by Bagdasarian Productions, and is the group's 43rd album overall. Four songs from the album have charted on the Billboard Hot 100.

text: The album has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over one million copies.

text: Reception[edit]

text:
Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating

Allmusic
[12]

text: In December 2007, the album debuted at #133 on the Billboard 200. In its second week of sales, however, the album jumped to #67 on the chart.

text: The album's highest peak was #5 on the Billboard 200, making it the group's highest on the chart album since Chipmunks in Low Places (which peaked at #21).

text: The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA and has sold over 1,000,000 copies in the United States. By doing this, the album has become the group's first RIAA-certified album since Chipmunks in Low Places (which also went Platinum). Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack has become the Chipmunks' third Platinum album and sixth RIAA-certified album total.

text: Songs[edit]

text: Four songs from the album managed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 during the month of December 2007. By doing this, it became the group's first charting songs in 47 years ("Alvin for President" became the last charting single for the group; it peaked at #95 in 1960). Despite this feat, none of the songs were released as singles or ever solicited to mainstream radio (although it is possible that kid-oriented radio stations, such as Radio Disney, might have played them anyway) and charted solely because of high digital downloads caused by the anticipation of the group's film, Alvin and the Chipmunks.

text: The four songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 (and with the chart peaks included and the songs' Hot Digital Songs peaks) were:

text:
Song
Chart
Position

"Witch Doctor (2007 Version)" (featuring Chris Classic)
US Billboard Hot 100
62

"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) (2007 Version)"
66

"Bad Day"
67

"Funkytown"
86

"Witch Doctor (2007 Version)" (featuring Chris Classic)
US Hot Digital Songs
16

"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) (2007 Version)"
28

"Bad Day"
51

text: Track listing[edit]

text: A soundtrack sampler was released along with the DVD of the film in a two pack sold exclusively at Walmart.[13] This features five songs produced exclusively for the soundtrack.

text:
Track listing[14] All songs performed by The Chipmunks except noted

No.
Title
Writer(s)
Performing Artist(s)
Length

1.
"Bad Day"
Daniel Powter
The Chipmunks
3:47

2.
"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) DeeTown OG Mix"
Ross Bagdasarian
The Chipmunks
2:34

3.
"Follow Me Now (featuring Jason Gleed1)"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:07

4.
"How We Roll"1"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:54

5.
"Witch Doctor (featuring Chris Classic)"
Ross Bagdasarian
The Chipmunks
3:03

6.
"Come Get It (featuring Rebecca Jones1)"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:34

7.
"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) DeeTown Rock Mix"
Ross Bagdasarian
The Chipmunks
2:14

8.
"Funkytown"
Steve Greenberg
The Chipmunks
3:34

9.
"Get You Goin'"1"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:16

10.
"Coast 2 Coast"1"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
2:47

11.
"Mess Around"1"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:20

12.
"Only You (And You Alone)"
Buck Ram, Ande Rand
The Chipmunks
2:50

13.
"Ain't No Party (featuring Rebecca Jones and Chris Classic1)"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
2:43

14.
"Get Munk'd (featuring Al D1)"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:01

text:
Bonus tracks

No.
Title
Writer(s)
Performing Artist(s)
Length

15.
"Witch Doctor Classic Version2"
Ross Bagdasarian
The Chipmunks
2:15

16.
"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) Classic Version3"
Ross Bagdasarian
The Chipmunks
2:17

text:
[show]Soundtrack CD Sampler

No.
Title
Writer(s)
Performing Artist(s)
Length

1.
"How We Roll"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:54

2.
"Get You Goin'"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:16

3.
"Get Munk'd (featuring Al D)"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:01

4.
"Ain't No Party (featuring Rebecca Jones and Chris Classic)"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
2:41

5.
"Mess Around"
The DeeTown Syndicate for DeeTown Entertainment, Inc.
The Chipmunks
3:20

text:
1Denotes original song
2Performed by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. as David Seville. This version is technically without the Chipmunks.
3Featuring Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. as David Seville (speaking only) and the singing voice for Alvin, Simon and Theodore.

text: Personnel[edit]

text:
Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. — lead guitars and the sung vocal of Alvin
Steve Vining — bass on track 8 and the sung vocal of Simon
Janice Karman — the sung vocal of Theodore
Jason Lee — spoken voiceover on track 7 (as "David Seville")
Justin Long - spoken voiceover on tracks 1 & 2 (as "Alvin")
Matthew Gray Gubler — spoken voiceover on tracks 1 & 2 (as "Simon")
Jesse McCartney — spoken voiceover on tracks 1 & 2 (as "Theodore")
Jason Gleed — guest vocals and rhythm guitars
Chris Classic — secondary guest lead vocals
Rebecca Jones — tertiary guest lead vocals
Ali Dee Theodore — keyboards, bass (except track 8) and drum programming
Alana Da Fonseca — uncharacterized backing vocals
Joey Katsaros — manipulation of original concept album samples and uncharacterized backing vocals
Zach Danzinger — live drums and uncharacterized backing vocals
Vinny Alfieri — uncharacterized backing vocals
Andy Richards — string synthesizer on track 4, piano on track 8
Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. — piano on track 15, the singing voice of Dave on track 15, and the spoken voice of Dave, as well as singing voices for Alvin, Simon, and Theodore on track 16
Aaron Sandlofer —keyboards, bass, guitar, drums & uncharacterized backing vocals

text: Charts[edit]

text:
Chart (2007)
Peak
position
Certification
Sales

United States Billboard 200
5
Platinum[15]
1,000,000+

text: Score album[edit]

text: The film's original score was composed and conducted by Christopher Lennertz, a fan of the Chipmunks since childhood.[16] La-La Land Records released a limited edition album on September 19, 2008.

text:
Main Title (1:07)
I'm Late (:40)
Ever? (2:07)
Dave's Theme (:48)
No More Nuts/Storing Food for the Winter (4:43)
Rescue the Gear/Toaster Waffles (1:44)
Leave Me Alone (2:17)
I'll Clean Out My Office (1:35)
Are You Awake? (1:13)
Christmas Morning (4:09)
Live with Uncle Ian (2:36)
Dinner! (2:07)
Dave Remembers/Missing the Boys (1:08)
Get Them! (1:03)
Dave's Phone Call (1:06)
Theodore's Nightmare (1:05)
I Want to Go Home (1:28)
Alvin!!!/You'll Never Take Us Alive (4:09)

tag: ol

text: Marketing[edit]

text: Video game[edit]

text: The video game for this film was released December 4, 2007 for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, and the PC, just ten days before the film was released. It was written and produced by DeeTown Entertainment.

text: Sequels[edit]

text: A sequel, titled Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, was released on December 23, 2009. Zachary Levi joined the cast to replace Jason Lee due to his small role and because of his role on My Name Is Earl; the main cast members reprised their roles for the sequel and the film also re-introduced the Chipettes. A third film, titled Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, was released on December 16, 2011. A fourth film, titled Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, was released on December 18, 2015.


document_title: Les Misérables (2012 film)

question_text: who played little eponine in les miserables movie

root

text: Les Misérables (2012 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1815, French prisoner Jean Valjean is released on parole from the Bagne of Toulon after serving nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread and trying to escape multiple times. On the outside, Valjean’s paroled status prevents him from getting work. He is offered shelter by the kindly Bishop of Digne, but Valjean steals his silverware. Captured by police and taken to the Bishop, Valjean is shocked when the Bishop says that he gave him the silver, telling him to use it to do something worthwhile with his life. Valjean breaks his parole to start a new life.

tag: p

text: Eight years later, Valjean is factory owner and mayor of Montreuil, Pas-de-Calais. He is shocked when a Toulon prison guard Javert arrives as his new chief of police. Javert suspects Valjean’s identity when he rescues an injured worker trapped under a heavy cart. One of Valjean’s workers, Fantine, is dismissed by the factory foreman upon learning she is sending her earnings to her illegitimate daughter Cosette, who lives with the greedy innkeepers, the Thénardiers. To support her daughter, Fantine becomes a prostitute but is arrested by Javert when she attacks an abusive customer. Valjean, learning who she is, rescues her and takes her to the hospital.

text: Valjean learns a man has been wrongly identified as him, and reveals his true identity to a court before returning to the dying Fantine, promising to care for Cosette. Javert arrives but Valjean escapes, finding Cosette and pays Fantine’s debts to the Thénardiers. Valjean and Cosette flee Javert, hiding in a convent, aided by the worker Valjean rescued before. Nine years later, Valjean has become a philanthropist and helps the poor in Paris. General Lamarque, the only government official sympathetic to the poor, dies, and a group of revolutionists called the Friends of the ABC plot to rebel against the monarchy. Marius Pontmercy, a member of the Friends, encounters Cosette and they fall in love, asking Éponine, the Thénardiers’ daughter to help find her.

text: After Marius and Cosette meet and confess their love, Éponine prevents her father from robbing Valjean’s house. Valjean, believing Javert is near, makes plans to flee to England with Cosette. Cosette writes a letter for Marius, but Éponine hides it, intending on dying with Marius during the rebellion. During Lamarque’s funeral procession, the revolt begins and barricades are built across Paris. Javert pretends to be an ally to spy on the rebels but the street urchin Gavroche exposes him as a policeman. During the first skirmish against the soldiers, Éponine takes a bullet for Marius and dies in his arms, giving him Cosette’s letter and confesses to him beforehand. Gavroche takes Marius’ reply to Valjean, who joins the revolution to guard Marius.

text: Valjean offers to execute Javert but actually releases him, faking his death. By dawn, the soldiers are close to ending the revolution, storming the students’ barricade and execute everyone save Marius and Valjean, who escape into the sewers. Thénardier comes across Valjean and the unconscious Marius, stealing the latter’s ring, before pointing a way out. Valjean finds Javert waiting for him, ignoring his nemesis’ threats. Javert, morally confused by the mercy of Valjean, commits suicide by throwing himself in the Seine. Marius recovers but is traumatised by the death of his friends.

text: Marius and Cosette plan to marry but Valjean, concerned his presence would threaten their happiness, makes plans to leave and reveals his identity to Marius, who promises to remain silent. Cosette and Marius marry but the Thénardiers crash the wedding to try and blackmail Marius, Thénardier saying he witnessed Valjean carrying a murdered corpse and produces the stolen ring. Marius assaults Thénardier who reveals Valjean is at the convent. The dying Valjean reunites with Cosette and Marius, giving them letters of confession, before peacefully dying, guided away by Fantine and the Bishop’s spirits.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Actor

Role

Jackman, HughHugh Jackman

Valjean, JeanJean Valjean

Crowe, RussellRussell Crowe

Javert, Javert

Hathaway, AnneAnne Hathaway

Fantine, Fantine

Seyfried, AmandaAmanda Seyfried

Cosette, Cosette

Redmayne, EddieEddie Redmayne

Pontmercy, MariusMarius Pontmercy

Tveit, AaronAaron Tveit

Enjolras, Enjolras

Barks, SamanthaSamantha Barks

Éponine, Éponine

Isabelle Allen, Isabelle Allen

Young Cosette

Daniel Huttlestone, Daniel Huttlestone

Gavroche, Gavroche

Wilkinson, ColmColm Wilkinson

Bishop Myriel, Bishop Myriel

Bonham Carter, HelenaHelena Bonham Carter

Madame Thénardier, Madame Thénardier

Baron Cohen, SachaSacha Baron Cohen

Thénardier, Thénardier

Blagden, GeorgeGeorge Blagden

Grantaire

Carvel, BertieBertie Carvel

Bamatabois

Donnelly, KillianKillian Donnelly

Combeferre, Combeferre

Fee, FraFra Fee

Courfeyrac, Courfeyrac

Brammer, AlistairAlistair Brammer

Prouvaire, JeanJean Prouvaire

Vick, GabrielGabriel Vick

Feuilly, Feuilly

Skinner, HughHugh Skinner

Joly, Joly

Lewis, IwanIwan Lewis

Bahorel, Bahorel

Neal, StuartStuart Neal

Lesgles, Lesgles

Fraser, HadleyHadley Fraser

National Guard Leader, National Guard Leader

Chasen, HeatherHeather Chasen

Madame Magloire, Madame Magloire

Glen, GeorgieGeorgie Glen

Mademoiselle Baptistine, Mademoiselle Baptistine

Godfrey, PatrickPatrick Godfrey

Monsieur Gillenormand, Monsieur Gillenormand

tag: table

text: Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, a Frenchman released from Toulon prison after 19 years of imprisonment for stealing bread and failed attempts at escaping from the prison.[13] Around June 2011, Jackman met with producer Cameron Mackintosh to audition in New York.[14] To prepare for the role, Jackman lost 15 pounds (6.8 kg) and later regained 30 pounds (14 kg) to mirror his character's success.[14] He avoided drinking coffee, warmed up at least 15 minutes every day, kept Ricola lozenges, drank as much as seven litres of water per day, sat in steam three times a day, took cold baths and used a wet washcloth over his face while flying, citing the musical's original co-director Trevor Nunn for his training.[15] He worked extensively with vocal coach Joan Lader, and managed to extend his vocal range, which he originally categorised a high baritone, up to tenor.[16]

text: Russell Crowe as Javert, a police inspector dedicating his life to imprisoning Valjean once again.[13] Before being cast as Javert, Crowe was initially dissatisfied with the character. On his way to Europe for a friend's wedding, Crowe came to London and met with producer Cameron Mackintosh. On meeting with Tom Hooper, he told the director about his concerns about playing Javert, and after meeting with him, Crowe was "determined to be involved in the project and play Javert. I think it had something to do with Tom's passion for what he was about to undertake, and he clearly understood the problems and he clearly understood the challenge."[17] On visiting Victor Hugo's home in Paris, Crowe said, "[The house's curator] told me about [19th century detective Eugene Francois] Vidocq, a man who had been both a prisoner and a policeman, the man credited with inventing undercover police work when he established the Brigade de Surete."[14]

text: Anne Hathaway as Fantine, and Amanda Seyfried plays Cosette.[18][19][20] Fantine is a struggling factory worker and mother of an illegitimate child, Cosette, who is kept by the Thénardiers until Valjean buys her from them. When Hathaway was cast, she stated, "There was resistance because I was between their ideal ages for the parts—maybe not mature enough for Fantine but past the point where I could believably play Cosette."[14] On developing Cosette, Seyfried said, "In the little time that I had to explain Cosette and give the audience a reason [to see her] a symbol of love and strength and light in this tragedy, I needed to be able to convey things you may not have connected with in the show."[21] A vocal coach was enlisted to help her with the songs.[22] Isabelle Allen as the young Cosette, a child.[23] On working with her fellow actors, Allen said, "They gave us lots of tips and mostly [made] sure we were all OK. They were really nice."[24]

text: Eddie Redmayne as Marius Pontmercy, a student revolutionary who is friends with the Thenardiers' daughter, Éponine, but falls in love with Cosette.[25][26][27] He found director Hooper's vision "incredibly helpful". On collaborating with Hooper, Redmayne said, "He was incredibly collaborative. Certainly during the rehearsal process, we sat with Tom and the Victor Hugo book adding things."[28] It was Redmayne who suggested to Hooper that his character's song, "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables", should begin a cappella in order to better express Marius' guilt and pain.

text: Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen play the Thénardiers, a pair of swindling innkeepers.[29][30][31] Hooper previously collaborated with Bonham Carter in The King's Speech, in which she portrayed Queen Elizabeth, King George VI's wife.[32] Baron Cohen and Bonham Carter previously co-starred in the film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. When Baron Cohen accepted the role of Thénardier, he had to abandon Django Unchained.[33]

text: Samantha Barks as Éponine, the Thénardiers' daughter.[34] Having previously played the role at the 25th Anniversary concert and in the West End production, Barks said "there was similarities in playing the role—they're the same character—but Eponine in the novel and Eponine in the musical are two kind of different girls, so to me it was the thrill of merging those two together, to get something that still had that heart and soul that we all connect to in the musical, but also the awkward, self-loathing teenager that we see in the novel, trying to merge those two together." She found Jackman "fascinating to learn from, and I feel like that's the way it should be done".[35]

text: Aaron Tveit as Enjolras, the leader of Les Amis de l'ABC. Hoping to play Marius, Tveit submitted an audition tape in which he sang "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" and "In My Life". He had never performed any role in the musical. He also said of Enjolras that "once I got more and more familiar with the material and when I read the novel, I was like, 'Wow this is a really, really great role,' and I felt very much better suited for it." Tveit said the shooting of the film was "almost as grueling as a marathon".[36]

text: Colm Wilkinson and Frances Ruffelle, two of the original cast members involved in the Broadway and West End productions of the English version (as Jean Valjean and Éponine, respectively), make appearances. Wilkinson plays the Bishop of Digne, while Ruffelle plays a prostitute.[37] Hadley Fraser, who previously played Grantaire in the 25th Anniversary Concert and Javert at West End, appears as the Army General. Another West End actor, Gina Beck, appears as one of the "Turning Women". Michael Jibson plays the foreman of the factory in which Fantine works and is fired from.[31]

text: Several actors in the West End production of the musical appear members of the student society, including George Blagden as Grantaire;[38] Killian Donnelly as Combeferre; Fra Fee as Courfeyrac; Alistair Brammer as Jean Prouvaire; Hugh Skinner as Joly;[39] Gabriel Vick as Feuilly;[40] Iwan Lewis as Bahorel; and Stuart Neal as Bossuet. Blagden was cast in January 2012.[41] Other stage actors including Hannah Waddingham, Daniel Evans and Kerry Ellis have small parts in the film along with actors who previously starred in various productions of Les Misérables.[31][42]

text: Musical numbers[edit]

text: A highlights soundtrack album was released via Universal Republic 21 December 2012.[43] Republic Records confirmed 25 January 2013, via Twitter that a 2-disc deluxe soundtrack was in production alongside the DVD and Blu-ray; it was released 19 March 2013.[44]

text: The film contains every song from the original stage musical with the exception of "I Saw Him Once" and "Dog Eats Dog", although many songs have been partially or extensively cut. "The Attack on Rue Plumet" and "Little People" were especially shortened. In addition, the Bishop sings with Fantine during "Valjean's Death" instead of Eponine, as was in the stage musical. "Stars" was also moved to before "Look Down", which echoes the original 1985 London production. The lyrics of some songs were also changed to suit the changes in setting or narrative to the stage musical. In addition to the cuts, a new song, "Suddenly" was added, new music was composed for the battle scenes, and the order of several songs changed from the stage musical. Several major pieces, primarily as "Who Am I?", "Stars", and the two "Soliloquy" pieces are performed in a different key than most recordings.

text:
"Look Down" – Convicts, Javert, Valjean†§
"On Parole" – Valjean, Bishop of Digne
"The Bishop" – Bishop of Digne†§
"Valjean's Soliloquy" – Valjean†§
"At the End of the Day" – Poor, Foreman, Workers, Factory Women, Fantine, Valjean†§
"The Runaway Cart" – Valjean, Javert
"The Docks (Lovely Ladies)" – Sailors, Old Woman, Fantine, Crone, Whores, Pimp, Toothman§
"I Dreamed a Dream" – Fantine†§
"Fantine's Arrest" – Bamatabois, Fantine, Javert, Valjean§
"Who Am I?" – Valjean§
"Fantine's Death" – Fantine, Valjean§
"The Confrontation" – Javert, Valjean†§
"Castle on a Cloud" – Young Cosette, Mme. Thénardier†§
"Master of the House" – Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier, Inn Patrons†§
"The Well Scene" – Valjean, Young Cosette§
"The Bargain" – Valjean, Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier§
"The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery" – Thénardier, Valjean, Mme. Thénardier, Young Cosette§
"Suddenly" – Valjean†§
"The Convent" – Valjean§
"Stars" – Javert§
"Paris/Look Down" – Gavroche, Beggars, Enjolras, Marius, Students§
"The Robbery" – Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier, Éponine, Valjean§
"Javert's Intervention" – Javert, Thénardier§
"Éponine's Errand" - Éponine, Marius
"ABC Café/Red and Black" – Students, Enjolras, Marius, Grantaire, Gavroche†§
"In My Life" – Cosette, Valjean, Marius, Éponine§
"A Heart Full of Love" – Marius, Cosette, Éponine†§
"The Attack on Rue Plumet" – Thénardier, Thieves, Éponine, Valjean
"On My Own" – Éponine†§
"One Day More" – Valjean, Marius, Cosette, Éponine, Enjolras, Javert, Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier, Cast of Les Misérables†§
"Do You Hear the People Sing?" – Enjolras, Marius, Students, Beggars§
"Building the Barricade (Upon These Stones)" – Enjolras, Javert, Gavroche, Students§
"Javert's Arrival" – Javert, Enjolras§
"Little People" – Gavroche, Students, Enjolras, Javert§
"A Little Fall of Rain" – Éponine, Marius§
"Night of Anguish" – Enjolras, Marius, Valjean, Javert, Students
"Drink With Me" – Grantaire, Marius, Gavroche, Students†§
"Bring Him Home" – Valjean†§
"Dawn of Anguish" – Enjolras, Marius, Gavroche, Students§
"The Second Attack (Death of Gavroche)" – Gavroche, Enjolras, Students, Army Officer§
"The Sewers" – Valjean, Javert§
"Javert's Suicide" – Javert†§
"Turning" – Parisian women§
"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" – Marius†§
"A Heart Full of Love [Reprise]" – Marius, Cosette, Valjean, Gillenormand§
"Valjean's Confession" – Valjean, Marius§
"Suddenly [Reprise]" – Marius, Cosette§
"Wedding Chorale" – Chorus, Marius, Thérnardier, Mme. Thérnardier§
"Beggars at the Feast" – Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier§
"Valjean's Death" – Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Bishop of Digne†§
"Do You Hear the People Sing? [Reprise] / Epilogue" – The Cast of Les Misérables†§

text:
† Included on the highlights edition soundtrack
§ Included on the deluxe edition soundtrack

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: In 1988, Alan Parker was considered to direct a film adaptation of the Les Misérables musical. However, in 1991, Bruce Beresford signed on to be the film's director.[45]

text: In 1992, producer Cameron Mackintosh announced that the film would be co-produced by TriStar Pictures.[46] However, the film was abandoned. In 2005, Mackintosh later confirmed that interest in turning the musical into a film adaptation had resumed during the early months of that year. Mackintosh said that he wanted the film to be directed by "someone who has a vision for the show that will put the show's original team, including [Mackintosh], back to work." He also said that he wanted the film audiences to make it "fresh as the actual show".[47]

text: In 2009, producer Eric Fellner began negotiations with Mackintosh to acquire the film's rights and concluded it near the end of 2011. Fellner, Tim Bevan, and Debra Hayward engaged William Nicholson to write a screenplay for the film.[14] Nicholson wrote the draft within six weeks time.[14]

text: The DVD/Blu-ray release of Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary Concert confirmed an announcement of the musical's film adaptation.[48]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: In March 2011, director Tom Hooper began negotiations to direct Les Misérables from the screenplay by William Nicholson.[49] Production on the film officially began in June that year, with Cameron Mackintosh and Working Title Films co-producing. Having already approached Hooper prior to production with the desire of playing Jean Valjean, Hugh Jackman began negotiations to star in the film alongside Paul Bettany as Javert.[50][51] Other stars who became attached to the project included Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.[52]

text: In September 2011, Jackman was officially cast as Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe was cast as Javert.[53] The following month, Mackintosh confirmed that Fantine would be played by Hathaway. Before Hathaway was cast, Amy Adams, Jessica Biel, Tammy Blanchard, Kristin Kreuk, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet and Rebecca Hall had reportedly been considered for the part.[54] For the role, Hathaway allowed her hair to be cut short on camera for a scene in which her character sells her hair, stating that the lengths she goes to for her roles "don't feel like sacrifices. Getting to transform is one of the best parts of [acting]."[55] The role also required her to lose 25 pounds (11 kg).[14]

text: In addition to Hathaway’s weight loss, Hugh Jackman also lost an extreme amount of weight for the opening scene as Jean Valjean when he is imprisoned in a labor camp. To achieve an emaciated look, Jackman committed to a minimalistic diet and intense work outs. In an interview with Epix, Jackman revealed that he went on 45 minute morning runs on an empty stomach which Hathaway later used as a weight loss tactic with Jackman's help, and he went on a 36-hour liquid fast. This allowed him to rapidly lose ten pounds and caused his eyes and cheeks to sink severely.[56] With these efforts, Jackman was able to successfully look unrecognizable as Jean Valjean in the opening scene.

text: In November 2011, Eddie Redmayne joined the cast as Marius Pontmercy.[25] It was reported that the shortlist of actresses for the role of Éponine included Scarlett Johansson (who also auditioned for the role of Fantine), Lea Michele, Tamsin Egerton, Taylor Swift, and Evan Rachel Wood.[57][58]

text: In January 2012, the press reported that the role of Éponine had officially been offered to Taylor Swift, but Swift later stated that those reports were not entirely accurate.[59][60][61][62] At the end of the month, Mackintosh made a special appearance during the curtain call of the Oliver! UK tour at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, announcing that the tour's Nancy, Samantha Barks, who had played Éponine in the West End production and in the 25th Anniversary concert, would reprise the role in the film.[34] Barks had been auditioning for 15 weeks by that point.[63]

text: Originally, an unknown was sought for the role of Cosette, with an open casting call in New York City in December 2011.[64] In January 2012, reports surfaced that Amanda Seyfried had been offered the role instead.[65] Eddie Redmayne confirmed both Seyfried's casting and that of Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier in an interview on 12 January.[18] Hooper confirmed that he would stick to the musical's essentially sung-through form and would thus introduce very little additional dialogue.[27] Hooper confirmed that the film would not be shot in 3D, expressing his opinion that it would not enhance the emotional narrative of the film and would distract audiences from the storytelling.[66]

text: Following this announcement, reports surfaced in the press that Sacha Baron Cohen had begun talks to join the cast as Thénardier and that Aaron Tveit had been cast as Enjolras.[67][68] Later that month, the press officially confirmed Tveit's casting as Enjolras.[19][20] Colm Wilkinson and Frances Ruffelle (the original Valjean and Éponine, respectively, in the West End and Broadway productions) appeared in the film. Wilkinson played the Bishop of Digne, and Ruffelle had a cameo as a prostitute.[37] George Blagden was cast as Grantaire.[38] In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Front Row, Tom Hooper revealed that Claude-Michel Schönberg will be composing one new song and additional music. The director also expanded on the performers singing live on set, which he felt would eliminate the need to recapture "locked" performances and allow more creative freedom. More details of this were confirmed by Eddie Redmayne in an interview. He stated that the cast would sing to piano tracks (via earpiece) and that the orchestra would be added in post-production.[69]

text: In February 2012, casting auditions involving extras for the film took place at the University of Portsmouth and Chatham Maritime in Chatham.[70] Several days later, Mackintosh officially confirmed that Bonham Carter would play Madame Thénardier.[30] He also announced that the title of the newly created song for the film is "Suddenly" and that it "beautifully explains what happens when Valjean takes Cosette from the inn and looks after her."[71] At the end of the month, The Sun reported that the long-rumoured Baron Cohen had been cast in the role of Monsieur Thénardier.[72]

text: The cast began rehearsals in January 2012, with principal photography due to begin in March.[73] The press officially confirmed Baron Cohen's casting during the latter month.[31] No table read took place before filming.[22]

text: Filming[edit]

text: With a production budget of $61 million,[7] principal photography of the film began 8 March 2012 in Gourdon. Filming locations in England included Boughton House, Winchester College, Winchester Cathedral Close, Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth, Chatham Dockyard,[74] St Mary the Virgin Church, Ewelme, South Oxfordshire[75] and Pinewood Studios.[9][76][77][78] In April 2012, crews built a replica of the Elephant of the Bastille in Greenwich.[79][80] In the novel, Gavroche lives in the decaying monument.

text: On-location filming also took place at Gourdon, Alpes-Maritimes in France. Footage of Hathaway singing "I Dreamed a Dream", a song from the musical, was shown at CinemaCon 26 April 2012. Russell Crowe confirmed 5 June 2012, on Twitter that he had finished filming. He was later followed by Samantha Barks, confirming that all of her scenes had too been completed. Jackman stated that all filming had been completed 23 June 2012.[81] Some late filming occurred in Bath, Somerset, in October 2012 where stunt shots for Javert's suicide scene had to be reshot due to an error found with this footage during post-production. Bath was not the original filming location for this scene, but the late footage was captured at Pulteney Weir.[82]

text: Post-production[edit]

text: The film's vocals were recorded live on set using live piano accompaniments played through earpieces as a guide, with the orchestral accompaniment recorded in post-production, rather than the traditional method where the film's musical soundtracks are usually pre-recorded and played back on set to which actors lip-sync. Production sound mixer Simon Hayes used 50 DPA 4071 lavalier microphones to record the vocals.[83] Hooper explained his choice:

text:
“
I just felt ultimately, it was a more natural way of doing it. You know, when actors do dialogue, they have freedom in time, they have freedom in pacing. They can stop for a moment, they can speed up. I simply wanted to give the actors the normal freedoms that they would have. If they need a bit for an emotion or a feeling to form in the eyes before they sing, I can take that time. If they cry, they can cry through a song. When you're doing it to playback, to the millisecond you have to copy what you do. You have no freedom in the moment – and acting is the illusion of being free in the moment.[84]
”

text: Although this unique live recording method has been stated as "a world's first" by the creative team, several film musicals have used this method before, including early talkies, as lip-syncing wasn't perfected, the 1975 20th Century Fox film At Long Last Love, the adaptation of The Magic Flute that same year, and more recently in the 1995 adaptation of The Fantasticks, in the 2001 film version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and in the 2007 film Across the Universe with songs by The Beatles.

text: Producers announced 27 August 2012, that recording sessions for Les Misérables would begin in London 10 October and featured a 70-piece orchestra. They was also announced that composer Claude-Michel Schönberg was composing additional music to underscore the film.[85] Universal Studios executives were granted a viewing of the rough cut of the film 9 September 2012, without the orchestra tracks. They greeted the cut with "extreme excitement".

text: Distribution[edit]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: The film's first teaser trailer debuted online 30 May 2012, and later in theatres with Snow White and the Huntsman, The Bourne Legacy and Argo.[86]

text: Producers released an extended first look on the film's official Facebook page 20 September 2012. This short introduces and explains Hooper's method of recording vocals live on set, comparing it to the traditional method of pre-recording the vocals in a studio months in advance. Hugh Jackman stated that filming in this way allows him more creative freedom with the material and that he "only has to worry about acting it." Both Hooper and the actors believe that this choice of production method will make the film feel much more emotional, raw, and real. The actors praised Hooper for his method and provide brief interviews throughout the video. Hooper mentions, "I thought it was an amazing opportunity to do something genuinely groundbreaking."[87]

text: Clips of Jackman, Hathaway, Seyfried, Redmayne and Barks singing were received very positively, especially the teaser trailer's presentation of "I Dreamed a Dream" by Hathaway. Producers released a new poster, featuring young Cosette (in what is essentially a real-life version of the musical's emblem), played by Isabelle Allen, 24 September 2012, on the film's official Facebook page.[88] They released posters featuring Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine, and Cosette 12 October,[89] with additional posters of Thénardiers and Marius released 1 November 2012.

text: Release[edit]

text: Les Misérables was originally to be released 7 December 2012 before the studio moved it to 14 December in the United States; however, 18 September 2012, they delayed the film's release date to 25 December, so as not to conflict with the opening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which opened 14 December. Because of this, it opened alongside Django Unchained.[10] Release date for the United Kingdom was 11 January 2013.[90]

text: Les Misérables was screened for the first time at the Lincoln Center in New York City, 23 November 2012, and received a standing ovation from the crowd.[91][92] This was followed by a screening the next day in Los Angeles, which also received positive reviews.[93]

text: Les Misérables premiered 5 December 2012, at the Empire, Leicester Square in London.[2] Red carpet footage was screened live online in an event hosted by Michael Ball, the original Marius of the West End. The film was released in select IMAX theatres in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Montreal the same day as its domestic theatrical release, 25 December 2012.[94] Les Misérables was released internationally by IMAX theatres on 10 January 2013.[94]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film was confirmed for home release 13 May 2013 on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD in the United Kingdom; it was released in the United States 22 March 2013. The DVD contains three featurettes: The Stars of Les Misérables, Creating the Perfect Paris, and The Original Masterwork: Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, along with an audio commentary from director Tom Hooper. The Blu-ray has all DVD features including four additional featurettes: Les Misérables Singing Live, Battle at the Barricade, The West End Connection, and Les Misérables On Location.[95]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Les Misérables earned $148,809,770 in North America and $293,000,000 in other territories for a worldwide total of $441,809,770.[8] In North America, Les Misérables opened 25 December 2012 in 2,808 theatres, placing first at the box office with $18.1 million.[96] This amount broke the record for the highest opening day gross for a musical film, previously held by High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and was also the second highest opening day gross for a film released on Christmas Day.[97] It earned $27.3 million in its opening weekend, placing third behind Django Unchained and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.[98]

text: The film was released in the United Kingdom 11 January 2013 and earned £8.1 ($13.1) million in its opening weekend, making it the largest opening weekend for a musical film, as well as for Working Title.[99]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 69% approval rating with an average rating of 6.9/10, based on an aggregation of 231 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Impeccably mounted but occasionally bombastic, Les Misérables largely succeeds thanks to bravura performances from its distinguished cast."[100] On Metacritic, the film achieved an average score of 63 out of 100 based on 41 reviews, signifying "generally favorable reviews".[101] The film was generally praised for its acting and ensemble cast, with Jackman, Hathaway, Bonham Carter and Barks being singled out for praise. The live singing, which was heavily promoted in marketing for the film, received a more divided response.

text: Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph gave the film five stars: "Les Misérables is a blockbuster, and the special effects are emotional: explosions of grief; fireballs of romance; million-buck conflagrations of heartbreak. Accordingly, you should see it in its opening week, on a gigantic screen, with a fanatical crowd."[102]

text: The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw concurred: "Even as a non-believer in this kind of "sung-through" musical, I was battered into submission by this mesmeric and sometimes compelling film ...".[103] Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times gave a positive review, saying that the film "is a clutch player that delivers an emotional wallop when it counts. You can walk into the theater as an agnostic, but you may just leave singing with the choir."[104] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said, "Besides being a feast for the eyes and ears, Les Misérables overflows with humor, heartbreak, rousing action and ravishing romance. Damn the imperfections, it's perfectly marvelous."[105]

text: Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said, "As the enduring success of this property has shown, there are large, emotionally susceptible segments of the population ready to swallow this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean it's good."[106]

text: Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote: "[Director Tom] Hooper can be very good with actors. But his inability to leave any lily ungilded—to direct a scene without tilting or hurtling or throwing the camera around—is bludgeoning and deadly. By the grand finale, when tout le monde is waving the French tricolor in victory, you may instead be raising the white flag in exhausted defeat."[107]

text: Justin Chang of Variety wrote that the film "will more than satisfy the show's legions of fans." Chang praised the performances of Jackman, Hathaway, Barks, Tveit and Seyfried (i.e., every leading cast member except Crowe and Redmayne) but said that the film's editing "seems reluctant to slow down and let the viewer simply take in the performances."[108]

text: Callum Marsh of Slant Magazine gave the film 1 star, and wrote: "Flaws—and there are a great many that would have never made the cut were this a perfectible studio recording—are conveniently swept under the rug of candid expression ... the worst quality of Les Misérables's live singing is simply that it puts too much pressure on a handful of performers who frankly cannot sing.... Fisheye lenses and poorly framed close-ups abound in Les Misérables, nearly every frame a revelation of one man's bad taste ... One would be hard-pressed to describe this, despite the wealth of beauty on display, as anything but an ugly film, shot and cut ineptly. Everything in the film, songs included, is cranked to 11, the melodrama of it all soaring. So it's odd that this kind of showboating maximalism should be ultimately reduced to a few fisheye'd faces, mugging for their close-up, as the people sing off-key and broken."[109] Chicago Tribune critic Michael Philips gave the film only one and a half stars, writing: "The camera bobs and weaves like a drunk, frantically. So you have hammering close-ups, combined with woozy insecurity each time more than two people are in the frame. ...too little in this frenzied mess of a film registers because Hooper is trying to make everything register at the same nutty pitch."[110]

text: Some specific performances were reviewed very positively. Anne Hathaway's performance of ballad "I Dreamed a Dream" was met with praise, with many comparing its showstopper-like quality to Jennifer Hudson's performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls.[111] Christopher Orr of The Atlantic wrote that "Hathaway gives it everything she has, beginning in quiet sorrow before building to a woebegone climax: she gasps, she weeps, she coughs. If you are blown away by the scene—as many will be; it will almost certainly earn Hathaway her first Oscar—this may be the film for you."[112] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post writes that "The centerpiece of a movie composed entirely of centerpieces belongs to Anne Hathaway, who as the tragic heroine Fantine sings another of the memorable numbers".[113] Joy Tipping of The Dallas Morning News described Hathaway's performance as "angelic".[114]

text: Claudia Puig of USA Today describes her as "superb as the tragic Fantine".[115] Travers felt that "A dynamite Hathaway shatters every heart when she sings how 'life has killed the dream I dreamed.' Her volcanic performance has Oscar written all over it."[105] Lou Lumenick, critic for New York Post, wrote that the film is "worth seeing for Hathaway alone".[116] She was widely considered to be the frontrunner for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress,[117] ultimately winning it.

text: Eddie Redmayne also received considerable praise for his performance with Bloomberg News saying that "Eddie Redmayne—most recently seen as the eager young production assistant in My Week with Marilyn—delivers by far the most moving and memorable performance in the film as the young firebrand Marius, who, along with his fellow students, is caught up in France's political upheavals in the 19th century."[118]

text: Samantha Barks earned praise for her portrayal of Éponine, with Digital Journal saying: "Samantha Barks plays Éponine with such grace, sweetness, and sadness that it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role",[119] while Claudia Puig of USA Today calls her "heartbreakingly soulful",[115] Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times describes her performance as "star-making",[120] and Roger Friedman of Showbiz411.com says she "just about steals the film".[121]

text: Crowe's performance was less well received and even Crowe agreed that the film suffered from poor vocal performances. Emma Gosnell, writing for The Daily Telegraph, stated that she walked out of the showing due to the poor singing, specifically citing Crowe and Jackman as the cause. Playback singer Marni Nixon said "[Crowe] was nothing. It wasn't that he was choosing to sing like that, he just couldn't do anything else" and that Jackman acted well but "could have done with a nobler voice".[122] American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert tweeted several disparaging messages, including "why not cast actors who could actually sound good?" and "the singing was so distracting at times it pulled me out", to which Crowe replied via Twitter: "I don't disagree with Adam, sure it could have been sweetened, Hooper wanted it raw and real, that's how it is".[123] Nixon rebutted this: "We're talking about a musical. Is that real? People don't go around singing 'La la la la' to each other all day!"[122]

text: In 2013, the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including the Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hugh Jackman,[124] and went on to win in three categories: Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Sound Mixing.

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Award
Date of ceremony
Category
Nominee
Result
Ref

Academy Awards
24 February 2013
Best Picture
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, and Cameron Mackintosh
Nominated
[124]

Best Actor
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway
Won

Best Original Song
"Suddenly" by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer, and Alain Boublil
Nominated

Best Costume Design
Paco Delgado
Nominated

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Won

Best Sound Mixing
Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, and Simon Hayes
Won

Best Production Design
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Nominated

American Film Institute
11 January 2013
Movies of the Year
Won
[125]

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award
28 January 2013
Best International Film
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, and Cameron Mackintosh
Nominated
[126]

Best International Actor
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

British Academy Film Award
10 February 2013
Best Film
Nominated
[127]

Best British Film
Nominated

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Anne Hathaway
Won

Best Cinematography
Danny Cohen
Nominated

Best Costume Design
Paco Delgado
Nominated

Best Makeup and Hair
Lisa Westcott
Won

Best Sound
Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, and John Warhurst
Won

Best Production Design
Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson
Won

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
10 January 2013
Best Film
Nominated
[128]

Best Acting Ensemble
The Cast of Les Misérables
Nominated

Best Actor
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway
Won

Best Director
Tom Hooper
Nominated

Best Song
"Suddenly"
Nominated

Best Cinematography
Danny Cohen
Nominated

Best Art Direction
Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson
Nominated

Best Editing
Chris Dickens and Melanie Oliver
Nominated

Best Costume Design
Paco Delgado
Nominated

Best Makeup
Lisa Westcott
Won

Chicago Film Critics Association
17 December 2012
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway
Nominated
[129]

Best Art Direction
Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson
Nominated

Most Promising Performer
Samantha Barks
Nominated

Directors Guild of America Award
2 February 2013
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
Tom Hooper
Nominated

Dorian Awards
17 January 2013
Film of the Year

Nominated
[130][131]

Film Performance of the Year - Actor
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Film Performance of the Year - Actress
Anne Hathaway
Won

Visually Striking Film of the Year

Nominated

Golden Globe Award
13 January 2013
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Won
[132]

Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Hugh Jackman
Won

Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Anne Hathaway
Won

Best Original Song
"Suddenly"
Nominated

Grammy Awards
26 January 2014
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Cameron Mackintosh, Lee McCutcheon, and Stephan Metcalfe
Nominated
[133]

Hollywood Film Festival
23 October 2012
Best Trailer
Erin Wyatt
Won
[134]

Producer of the Year
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, and Cameron Mackintosh
Won

Spotlight Award
Samantha Barks
Won

Houston Film Critics Society
5 January 2013
Best Picture
Nominated

Best Director
Tom Hooper
Nominated

Best Actor
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway
Won

Best Cinematography
Danny Cohen
Nominated

Best Original Song
"Suddenly"
Won

5th Annual Lancashire Film Critics Awards
30 March 2013
Best Film

Won
[135]

Best Director
Tom Hooper
Won

London Film Critics Circle
20 January 2013
British Film of the Year
Nominated

Actor of the Year
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Supporting Actress of the Year
Anne Hathaway
Won

Young British Performer of the Year
Samantha Barks
Nominated

Los Angeles Film Critics Association
9 December 2012
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway
(also for The Dark Knight Rises)
Nominated

MTV Movie Awards
14 April 2013
Best Female Performance
Anne Hathaway
Nominated
[136]

Best Breakthrough Performance
Eddie Redmayne
Nominated

Best Musical Moment
Anne Hathaway
Nominated

New York Film Critics Circle Award
3 December 2012
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway
(also for The Dark Knight Rises)
Nominated

New York Film Critics Online
3 December 2012
Movies of the Year
Won

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway
Won

Producers Guild of America Award
26 January 2013
Best Theatrical Motion Picture
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, and Cameron Mackintosh
Nominated
[137]

Satellite Award
16 December 2012
Best Film
Nominated
[138]

Best Cast – Motion Picture
The Cast of Les Misérables
Won

Best Actor – Motion Picture
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Eddie Redmayne
Nominated

Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Anne Hathaway
Won

Samantha Barks
Nominated

Best Art Direction and Production Design
Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson
Nominated

Best Costume Design
Paco Delgado
Nominated

Best Editing
Chris Dickens and Melanie Oliver
Nominated

Best Original Song
"Suddenly"
Won

Best Sound
John Warhurst, Lee Walpole, and Simon Hayes
Won

Saturn Awards
26 June 2013
Best Action / Adventure
Nominated
[139]

Best Actor
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway
Nominated

Best Performance by a Younger Actor
Daniel Huttlestone
Nominated

Best Costume
Paco Delgado
Won

Best Production Design
Eve Stewart
Nominated

Screen Actors Guild Award
27 January 2013
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
The Cast of Les Misérables
Nominated
[140]

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Anne Hathaway
Won

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Nominated

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
10 December 2012
Best Film
Nominated
[141]

Best Acting Ensemble
The Cast of Les Misérables
Won

Best Actor
Hugh Jackman
Nominated

Best Supporting Actress
Samantha Barks
Nominated

Anne Hathaway
Won

Best Director
Tom Hooper
Nominated

Best Art Direction
Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson
Nominated

Best Cinematography
Danny Cohen
Nominated

Young Artist Award
5 May 2013
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor
Daniel Huttlestone
Nominated
[142]

Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress Ten and Under
Isabelle Allen
Won


document_title: Mandelbrot (cookie)

question_text: what is the difference between mandelbrot and biscotti

text: Mandelbrot (cookie)

text:
Mandelbrot

A sliced loaf of Mandelbrot

 Cookbook: Mandelbrot   Media: Mandelbrot

text: Mandelbrot (Yiddish: מאַנדעלבראָט),[1][2][3] with a number of variant spellings,[A] and called mandel bread in English-speaking countries and kamishbrot in Ukraine, is a Jewish cookie popular amongst Eastern European Jews. The Yiddish word mandelbrot literally means almond bread, a reference to its common ingredient of almonds. It is typically formed by baking a loaf which is then cut into small slabs and twice-baked in order to form a crunchy exterior. The cookies were popular in Eastern Europe among rabbis, merchants and other itinerant Jews as a staple dessert that kept well.[4]

text: Its precise origin is unknown, as is its historic relationship with biscotti, a similar Italian cookie. While mandelbrot and biscotti both have a crunchy exterior, mandelbrot is slightly softer than biscotti due to its higher oil and/or butter content.

text: Additional ingredients vary between bakers, but common additions include almonds, walnuts, cinnamon, chocolate chips or diced candied fruit. Mandelbrot is called kamishbrot in Ukraine, and the two terms are often used interchangeably in the United States.[5]


document_title: Oracle

question_text: one of ancient greek's most influential religious figures was the oracle at

question_tokens: one of ancient greek 's most influential religious figures was the oracle at

text: Oracle

text: Description[edit]

text: The word oracle comes from the Latin verb ōrāre "to speak" and properly refers to the priest or priestess uttering the prediction. In extended use, oracle may also refer to the site of the oracle, and to the oracular utterances themselves, called khrēsmoi (χρησμοί) in Greek.

text: Oracles were thought to be portals through which the gods spoke directly to people. In this sense they were different from seers (manteis, μάντεις) who interpreted signs sent by the gods through bird signs, animal entrails, and other various methods. [1]

text: The most important oracles of Greek antiquity were Pythia, priestess to Apollo at Delphi, and the oracle of Dione and Zeus at Dodona in Epirus. Other temples of Apollo were located at Didyma on the coast of Asia Minor, at Corinth and Bassae in the Peloponnese, and at the islands of Delos and Aegina in the Aegean Sea.

text: The Sibylline Oracles are a collection of oracular utterances written in Greek hexameters ascribed to the Sibyls, prophetesses who uttered divine revelations in frenzied states.

text: Origins[edit]

text: Walter Burkert observes that "Frenzied women from whose lips the god speaks" are recorded in the Near East as in Mari in the second millennium BC and in Assyria in the first millennium BC.[2] In Egypt the goddess Wadjet (eye of the moon) was depicted as a snake-headed woman or a woman with two snake-heads. Her oracle was in the renowned temple in Per-Wadjet (Greek name Buto). The oracle of Wadjet may have been the source for the oracular tradition which spread from Egypt to Greece.[3] Evans linked Wadjet with the Minoan snake goddess, a chthonic deity and one of the aspects of the Great Mother.[4]

text: In Greece the old oracles were devoted to the Mother Goddess[citation needed]. At the oracle of Dodona she will be called Diōnē (the feminine form of Diós, genitive of PDyaeus; or of dīos, "godly", literally "heavenly"), who represents the earth-fertile soil, probably the chief female goddess of the PIE pantheon. Python, daughter (or son) of Gaia was the earth dragon of Delphi represented as a serpent and became the chthonic deity, enemy of Apollo, who slew her and possessed the oracle.[5]

text: Pythia[edit]

text:
When the Prytanies' seat shines white in the island of Siphnos,
White-browed all the forum—need then of a true seer's wisdom—
Danger will threat from a wooden boat, and a herald in scarlet.

text: The Pythia was the mouthpiece of the oracles of the god Apollo.[7]

text: The Pythia was not conceived to be infallible and in fact, according to Sourvinou-Inwood in What is Polis Religion?, the ancient Greeks were aware of this and concluded the unknowability of the divine. In this way, the ‘revelations’ of the Oracles were not seen as ‘objective’ truth (as they consulted many) [see: Hyp. 4. 14-15]. The Pythia only gave prophecies the seventh day of each month, seven being the number most associated with Apollo, during the nine warmer months of the year; thus, Delphi was the major source of divination for the ancient Greeks. Many wealthy individuals bypassed the hordes of people attempting a consultation by making additional animal sacrifices to please the oracle lest their request go unanswered. As a result, seers were the main source of everyday divination.

text: The temple was changed to a centre for the worship of Apollo during the classical period of Greece and priests were added to the temple organization—although the tradition regarding prophecy remained unchanged—and the priestesses continued to provide the services of the oracle exclusively. It is from this institution that the English word, oracle, is derived[citation needed].

text: The Delphic Oracle exerted considerable influence throughout Hellenic culture. Distinctively, this female was essentially the highest authority both civilly and religiously in male-dominated ancient Greece. She responded to the questions of citizens, foreigners, kings, and philosophers on issues of political impact, war, duty, crime, laws—even personal issues.[8]

text: The semi-Hellenic countries around the Greek world, such as Lydia, Caria, and even Egypt also respected her and came to Delphi as supplicants.

text: Croesus, king of Lydia beginning in 560 B.C., tested the oracles of the world to discover which gave the most accurate prophecies. He sent out emissaries to seven sites who were all to ask the oracles on the same day what the king was doing at that very moment. Croesus proclaimed the oracle at Delphi to be the most accurate, who correctly reported that the king was making a lamb-and-tortoise stew, and so he graced her with a magnitude of precious gifts.[9] He then consulted Delphi before attacking Persia, and according to Herodotus was advised: "If you cross the river, a great empire will be destroyed". Believing the response favourable, Croesus attacked, but it was his own empire that ultimately was destroyed by the Persians.

text: She allegedly also proclaimed that there was no man wiser than Socrates, to which Socrates said that, if so, this was because he alone was aware of his own ignorance. After this confrontation, Socrates dedicated his life to a search for knowledge that was one of the founding events of western philosophy. He claimed that she was "an essential guide to personal and state development."[10] This Oracle's last recorded response was given in 362 AD, to Julian the Apostate.[11]

text: The oracle's powers were highly sought after and never doubted. Any inconsistencies between prophecies and events were dismissed as failure to correctly interpret the responses, not an error of the oracle.[12] Very often prophecies were worded ambiguously, so as to cover all contingencies – especially so ex post facto. One famous such response to a query about participation in a military campaign was "You will go you will return never in war will you perish". This gives the recipient liberty to place a comma before or after the word "never", thus covering both possible outcomes. Another was the response to the Athenians when the vast army of king Xerxes I was approaching Athens with the intent of razing the city to the ground. "Only the wooden palisades may save you"[citation needed], answered the oracle, probably aware that there was sentiment for sailing to the safety of southern Italy and re-establishing Athens there. Some thought that it was a recommendation to fortify the Acropolis with a wooden fence and make a stand there. Others, Themistocles among them, said the oracle was clearly for fighting at sea, the metaphor intended to mean war ships. Others still insisted that their case was so hopeless that they should board every ship available and flee to Italy, where they would be safe beyond any doubt. In the event, variations of all three interpretations were attempted: some barricaded the Acropolis, the civilian population was evacuated over sea to nearby Salamis Island and to Troizen, and the war fleet fought victoriously at Salamis Bay. Should utter destruction have happened, it could always be claimed that the oracle had called for fleeing to Italy after all.

text: Dodona[edit]

text: Dodona was another oracle devoted to the Mother Goddess identified at other sites with Rhea or Gaia, but here called Dione. The shrine of Dodona was the oldest Hellenic oracle, according to the fifth-century historian Herodotus and in fact dates to pre-Hellenic times, perhaps as early as the second millennium BC when the tradition probably spread from Egypt. Zeus displaced the Mother goddess and assimilated her as Aphrodite.

text: It became the second most important oracle in ancient Greece, which later was dedicated to Zeus and to Heracles during the classical period of Greece. At Dodona Zeus was worshipped as Zeus Naios or Naos (god of springs Naiads, from a spring which existed under the oak), and Zeus Bouleos (cancellor). Priestesses and priests interpreted the rustling of the oak leaves to determine the correct actions to be taken. The oracle was shared by Dione and Zeus.

text: Trophonius[edit]

text: Trophonius was an oracle at Lebadea of Boeotia devoted to the chthonian Zeus Trophonius. Trophonius is derived from the Greek word "trepho" (nourish) and he was a Greek hero, or demon or god. Demeter-Europa was his nurse.[13] Europa (in Greek: broad-eyes) was a Phoenician princess whom Zeus, having transformed himself into a white bull, abducted and carried to Creta, and is equated with Astarte as a moon goddess by ancient sources.[14] Some scholars connect Astarte with the Minoan snake goddess, whose cult as Aphrodite spread from Creta to Greece.[15]

text: Oracle of Menestheus[edit]

text: Near the Menestheus's port or Menesthei Portus (Greek: Μενεσθέως λιμήν), modern El Puerto de Santa María, Spain, was the Oracle of Menestheus (Greek: Μαντεῖον τοῦ Μενεσθέως), to whom, also, the inhabitants of Gades offered sacrifices.[16][17]

text: "Oracles" in other cultures[edit]

text: The term "oracle" is also applied in modern English to parallel institutions of divination in other cultures. Specifically, it is used in the context of Christianity for the concept of divine revelation, and in the context of Judaism for the Urim and Thummim breastplate, and in general any utterance considered prophetic.[18]

text: China[edit]

text: In China, oracle bones were used for divination in the late Shang dynasty, (c. 1600–1046 BC). Diviners applied heat to these bones, usually ox scapulae or tortoise plastrons, and interpreted the resulting cracks.

text: A different divining method, using the stalks of the yarrow plant, was practiced in the subsequent Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). Around the late 9th century BC, the divination system was recorded in the I Ching, or "Book of Changes", a collection of linear signs used as oracles. In addition to its oracular power, the I Ching has had a major influence on the philosophy, literature and statecraft of China since the Zhou period.

text: Celtic polytheism[edit]

text: In Celtic polytheism, divination was performed by the priestly caste, either the druids or the vates. This is reflected in the role of "seers" in Dark Age Wales (dryw) and Ireland (fáith).

text: Hinduism[edit]

text: In ancient India, the oracle was known as Akashwani or Ashareera vani (a person without body or unseen) or Asariri (Tamil), literally meaning "voice from the sky" and was related to the message of god. Oracles played key roles in many of the major incidents of the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. An example is that Kamsa (or Kansa), the evil uncle of lord Krishna, was informed by an oracle that the eighth son of his sister Devaki would kill him. However, there are no references in any Indian literature of the oracle being a specific person.

text: There are still a few existing and publicly accessible oracles in India. Examples include the Copper Oracle (Tamrapothi) and Silver Oracle (Rupapothi) of Shri Achyutanda Das. These oracles are accessible to everyone at Pothi Ashram located in Kakatpur, Odisha, India.

text: Tibetan Buddhism[edit]

text: In Tibet, oracles have played, and continue to play, an important part in religion and government. The word "oracle" is used by Tibetans to refer to the spirit that enters those men and women who act as media between the natural and the spiritual realms. The media are, therefore, known as kuten, which literally means, "the physical basis".

text: The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in northern India, still consults an oracle known as the Nechung Oracle, which is considered the official state oracle of the government of Tibet. The Dalai Lama has according to centuries-old custom, consulted the Nechung Oracle during the new year festivities of Losar.[19] Nechung and Gadhong are the primary oracles currently consulted; former oracles such as Karmashar and Darpoling are no longer active in exile. The Gadhong oracle has died leaving Nechung to be the only primary oracle. Another oracle the Dalai Lama consults is the Tenma Oracle, for which a young Tibetan woman by the name of Khandro La is the medium for the mountain goddesses Tseringma along with the other 11 goddesses. The Dalai Lama gives a complete description of the process of trance and spirit possession in his book Freedom in Exile.[20] Dorje Shugden oracles were once consulted by the Dalai Lamas until the 14th Dalai Lama banned the practice, even though he consulted Dorje Shugden for advice to escape and was successful in it. Due to the ban, many of the abbots that were worshippers of Dorje Shugden have been forced to go against the Dalai Lama.

text: Pre-Columbian Americas[edit]

text: In the migration myth of the Mexitin, i.e., the early Aztecs, a mummy-bundle (perhaps an effigy) carried by four priests directed the trek away from the cave of origins by giving oracles. An oracle led to the foundation of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. The Yucatec Mayas knew oracle priests or chilanes, literally 'mouthpieces' of the deity. Their written repositories of traditional knowledge, the Books of Chilam Balam, were all ascribed to one famous oracle priest who correctly had predicted the coming of the Spaniards and its associated disasters.

text: Nigeria[edit]

text: The Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria in Africa have a long tradition of using oracles. In Igbo villages, oracles were usually female priestesses to a particular deity, usually dwelling in a cave or other secluded location away from urban areas, and, much as the oracles of ancient Greece, would deliver prophecies in an ecstatic state to visitors seeking advice. Two of their ancient oracles became especially famous during the pre-colonial period: the Agbala oracle at Awka and the Chukwu oracle at Arochukwu.[21] Though the vast majority of Igbos today are Christian, many of them still use oracles.

text: Amongst the related Yoruba peoples of the same country, the Babalawos (and their female counterparts, the Iyanifas) serve collectively as the principal aspects of the tribe's World-famous Ifa divination system. Due to this, they customarily officiate at a great many of its traditional and religious ceremonies.

text: Norse mythology[edit]

text: In Norse mythology, Odin took the severed head of the god Mimir to Asgard for consultation as an oracle. The Havamal and other sources relate the sacrifice of Odin for the oracular Runes whereby he lost an eye (external sight) and won wisdom (internal sight; insight).

text: Hawaii[edit]

text: In Hawaii, oracles were found at certain heiau, Hawaiian temples. These oracles were found in towers covered in white kapa cloth made from plant fibres. In here, priests received the will of gods. These towers were called "'Anu'u." An example of this can be found at Ahu'ena heiau in Kona.[22]


document_title: Cairn Terrier

question_text: what kind of dog was in wizard of oz

question_tokens: what kind of dog was in wizard of oz

text: Cairn Terrier

text: History[edit]

text: Cairns originated in the Highlands of Scotland and the Isle of Skye,[4] initially grouped in the "Skye Terrier" class alongside the Scottish and West Highland White terriers. In the early 1900s, the three breeds began to be bred separately.

text: The Kennel Club of the United Kingdom gave the Cairn Terrier a separate register in 1912; the first year of recognition, 134 were registered and it was in that year that the breed was also given Championship status.[5]

text: Description[edit]

text: The Cairn Terrier has a harsh weather-resistant outer coat that can be black, cream, wheaten, red, sandy, gray, or brindled in any of these colors. Pure black, black and tan, and white are not permitted by many kennel clubs. While registration of white Cairns was once permitted, after 1917, the American Kennel Club required them to be registered as West Highland White Terriers. A notable characteristic of Cairns is that brindled Cairns frequently change colour throughout their lifetimes. It is not uncommon for a brindled Cairn to become progressively more black or silver as it ages. The Cairn is double-coated, with a soft, dense undercoat and a harsh outer coat. A well-groomed Cairn has a rough-and-ready appearance, free of artifice or exaggeration. The Cairn Terrier was registered into the American Kennel Club in 1903.

text: Cairn terriers tend to look similar to a Norwich Terrier, but with some differences (for example the shaggy fur). Their outer layer of fur is shaggy, but they have a soft, downy undercoat. Their ideal weight is also 4.5-7.3 kg (10-16 lb), and the height 9–13 in (23–33 cm).

text: Grooming[edit]

text: Cairn terriers shed very little, but should always be hand stripped. Using scissors or shears can ruin the dog's rugged outer coat after one grooming. Hand stripping involves pulling the old dead hair out by the roots. If done incorrectly, this can cause discomfort to the dog, causing it to shy away from future hand stripping. Removing the dead hair in this manner allows new growth to come in. This new growth helps protect the dog from water and dirt.

text: Cairn terrier ancestors are from Scotland, where the wire coat repels water and keeps the dog dry even in rainy or damp climates.  Keeping the Cairn terrier coat in its original state will prevent possible skin irritations.  As dead hair is removed by stripping the coat, new growth comes in and the skin and coat remain healthy. Clipper-cutting a Cairn might destroy the protective wire coat unique to this breed.

text: It is wise to have a pet examined to rule out heritable skin diseases if a Cairn is obtained from unknown sources (i.e. pet stores, rescues, or puppy mills).[citation needed]

text: Health[edit]

text: These dogs are generally healthy and live on average about 12 to 17 years.[6][7]

text: Survey[edit]

text:
Breeders, owners, and veterinarians have identified several health problems that are significant for Cairns. Some of these diseases are hereditary, while others occur as a result of nonspecific factors (i.e. infections, toxins, injuries, or advanced age).
Currently, the Cairn Terrier Club of America, along with the Institute for Genetic Disease Control in Animals, maintains an open registry for Cairn terriers in hopes of reducing the occurrence of hereditary diseases within the breed. Breeders voluntarily submit their dogs' test results for research purposes, as well as for use by individuals who seek to make sound breeding decisions.

text: Some of the more common hereditary health problems found in the Cairn are:[8][9]

text:
Bronchoesophageal fistula
Cataracts
Corneal dystrophy
Craniomandibular osteopathy (lion jaw)
Diabetes mellitus
Entropion
Hip dysplasia
Hypothyroidism
Krabbe disease (globoid cell leukodystrophy)
Legg-Calvé-Perthes syndrome
Lens luxation
Luxating patella
Ocular melanosis
Portosystemic shunt
Progressive retinal atrophy
Soft tissue sarcoma
Von Willebrand disease

text: Living conditions[edit]

text: Cairn terriers exist happily in an apartment if sufficiently exercised.[citation needed] They are very active indoors and suffice even without a yard.[citation needed]  Daily walks  help keep Cairn terriers happy and healthy. Fenced-in yards are strongly recommended for safety and well being as well as being kept on leash when not in the yard.

text: Cairn terriers are particularly easily trained; ethical breeders  strongly suggest obedience school or some other type of training to direct Cairn terrier's focus on the owner as the one in command if they are going to be used for hunting. If allowed to take control of the household, behavior problems may develop that can only be resolved by hiring a professional dog trainer.  Many breeders only sell puppies to dedicated dog owners who agree to basic obedience school.

text: Exercise[edit]

text: Cairns are active dogs, thus need a daily walk.  Play takes care of a lot of their exercise needs; however, as with all breeds, play will not fulfill their primal instinct to walk. Dogs which do not get to go on daily walks are more likely to display behavior problems. They also enjoy a good romp in a safe open area off leash, such as a large fenced yard.

text: According to Temple Grandin in her book Animals Make Us Human, dogs need 45 minutes to one hour per day of playing and seeking.  After fulfilling this, dogs become balanced and well-mannered. Obedience school is often a good start to creating interactive play using words or commands for a dog to perform specific actions on cue.  Teaching a Cairn terrier tricks is also a clever way to direct their active energy into acceptable controlled dog games.

text: Famous Cairns[edit]

text: Terry, the dog that played Toto in the 1939 screen adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, was a brindle Cairn terrier. Due to the identification of the State of Kansas with the original story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a resident of Wichita has begun a drive to make the Cairn terrier the official dog of Kansas.[10] Terry also had a role in the Shirley Temple film Bright Eyes, and 12 other films.

text: In media[edit]

text:
In I Love Lucy,  Little Ricky had a Cairn terrier named Fred.
J. Edgar Hoover notably bred Cairn terriers and gifted them to high ranking government officials during his career.
UK TV presenter Paul O'Grady often features a Cairn terrier called Olga on his primetime chat show; dark in colour, Olga is a rescue dog.
Also in the UK, Pauline Fowler actress Wendy Richard in the BBC TV show EastEnders had a Cairn she fondly named Betty.  Betty made an appearance as Toto on BBC's "Strictly Come Dancing" (series 10) after Vincent Simone and his celebrity partner Dani Harmer danced a waltz to "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz.
George Lopez's family dog on the ABC TV series George Lopez, is a Cairn terrier named Mr. Needles, named by the son, Max, for the extremely high number of shots that the incredibly sick former stray received from the veterinarian.
Portrait of a Lady, Nicole Kidman, Cairn Terrier throughout movie [11]
Australian television soap series Neighbours had a Cairn terrier named Audrey which belonged to the character Libby Kennedy.[12]
The character of Romulus, owned by Ray Milland's character, Steven Tolliver, in Cecil B. De Mille's epic Reap the Wild Wind (1942) was a Cairn terrier.
A few years later, in The Uninvited (1944), the Ray Milland character also had a Cairn terrier.
Thimble the dog was a brindle Cairn terrier played by Danvers. Thimble appeared once in episode five, season five of the British television drama Upstairs, Downstairs.
A wheaten Cairn Terrier named Kobe was featured in Dunston Checks In,  Lost And Found, and the opening scenes of Twister.
In USA Network's Mr. Robot, Rami Malek's character Elliot Alderson has a Cairn terrier named Flipper.[13]
In the film Kingsman: The Secret Service, the character Harry Hart owned a Cairn terrier named Mr. Pickle. In the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Eggsy uses a similar Cairn terrier puppy to trigger Hart's memories after he suffered amnesia.

text: In books[edit]

text:
In the Maximum Ride book series, Total, the talking dog, is a Cairn terrier.
In the first edition of L. Frank Baum's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1899), though Baum did not specify in the text what breed Toto was, illustrator W. W. Denslow drew him as a Cairn Terrier.
In Donald Barthelme’s short story "Chablis," the narrator says that his baby wants, according to his wife, a "Cairn Terrier."[14]


document_title: Take Your Pick!

question_text: who hit the gong on take your pick

question_tokens: who hit the gong on take your pick

text: Take Your Pick!

text: History[edit]

text: The first version of the television show was produced by Associated-Rediffusion (later Rediffusion London), while the revival was made by Thames Television, whose arrival as the new London weekday ITV company had led to the demise of the original show.

text: During the gameplay, contestants would answer a series of questions without using the words yes or no in what was known as the "Yes-No Interlude". If they failed to answer all the questions, they would subsequently be gonged off the stage. If successful, however, contestants would answer more questions to win modest monetary prizes. At the climax of the show, contestants would be offered the choice of whether to "take the money" (take all money they had earned so far) or "open the box", which could contain good prizes such as a holiday or a washing machine. It could also contain booby prizes such as a mousetrap or a bag of sweets.

text: The first version was hosted by Michael Miles. After its demise, Miles hosted a similar show for Southern Television called Wheel of Fortune, not to be confused with the later Wheel of Fortune of the same title. Bob Danvers-Walker, who was the voice of Pathé News from 1940 until its demise in 1970, was the show's announcer. Alec Dane was on hand to bang the gong. Harold Smart was at the electronic organ.

text: Singer and TV presenter Des O'Connor became the host for the second version, which aired from 1992 to 1999. His future wife, Australian born Jodie Wilson, was one of the hostesses; she would later be replaced by former Neighbours twins Gayle and Gillian Blakeney, also from Australia.

text: The show was again revived for one night as part of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon in 2005. This was a series presented of the Geordie duo, who presented classic ITV gameshows as part of the channel's 50th anniversary in their own style.

text: A similar formula was used for Pot of Gold, another game show hosted by O'Connor.

text: The game was played during the ninth series of Britain's Got More Talent.

text: Gameplay[edit]

text: Yes-No interlude[edit]

text: In this opening game, the host asked the contestant a series of questions in a 60-second span. The contestant could not say "yes" or "no", nor could they nod or shake their heads. If they did, the co-host would bang the gong and the contestant would be eliminated (unless other contestants did the same).

text: Box numbers and the prizes[edit]

text: There were 10 boxes numbered from 1 to 10. Three of them would contain booby prizes, one would contain a card awarding a star prize (e.g., a small car or vacation package), and six would contain cards announcing other prizes (e.g., appliances, furniture, or a "treasure chest" of cash). No-one, including the host, knew what each box contained.

text: Contestants would be asked general-knowledge questions. If they answered three out of four questions correctly, they picked a key from a set of ten, corresponding to one of the first ten boxes. The host would then try to buy back the key with increasing amounts of cash, up to about £50 (or, in the revival, a number of hundreds of pounds). One box also included a key to box 13, which would trigger another round of bidding while the contestant had to choose between their first prize, cash, or box 13 which could have an expensive household item or a booby prize.

text: Cultural references[edit]

text: A sketch in Monty Python's Flying Circus (called "Spot the Brain Cell" in a later audio version) has John Cleese playing an "evil" game show host, hitting contestants over the head with a giant hammer, which is clearly a wildly exaggerated version of Michael Miles (the game he is hosting is a parody of the "Yes-No Interlude"). An early version of this sketch appeared in At Last the 1948 Show. For a time, after Miles' death, the sketch was not shown by the BBC, but it has since been reinstated.

text: Also, in the Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook sketch in Monty Python's Flying Circus, a prosecutor (played by Eric Idle) plays the game with Alexander Yalt (played by Michael Palin). The prosecutor manages to gong Yalt "out" for answering a question with "yes" (although Yalt was probably unaware of playing the game in the first place).

text: A sketch in the BBC Radio comedy series The Burkiss Way featured a "Dinosaur-Cheese Interlude", in which contestants were required to answer questions without mentioning any species of dinosaur or any variety of cheese (besides Edam, which was "made" backwards). Naturally, all the contestants did accidentally mention them.

text: A fifth-season episode of the radio show Hancock's Half Hour (broadcast May 1958) had Tony Hancock appear on the (unnamed) show and win £4,000.

text: The British progressive rock band Hatfield and the North named one of their songs "The Yes No Interlude". It is included in their second LP, The Rotters' Club.

text: The 1970s radio programme I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again made frequent references to Take Your Pick! with phrases such as (in this case, apropos of a vampire rabbit and its coffin): "Stake the bunny!" "Hop in the box!"

text: Transmissions[edit]

text: Associated-Rediffusion[edit]

text:
Series
Start date
End date
Episodes

1
23 September 1955
1 June 1956
36

2
21 September 1956
14 June 1957
39

3
20 September 1957
13 June 1958
39

4
19 September 1958
26 June 1959
41

5
18 September 1959
10 June 1960
39

6
16 September 1960
23 June 1961
41

7
15 September 1961
8 June 1962
39

8
14 September 1962
7 June 1963
39

9
13 September 1963
5 June 1964
39

10
18 September 1964
11 June 1965
39

11
24 September 1965
18 March 1966
26

12
30 September 1966
12 May 1967
33

13
29 September 1967
26 July 1968
44

text: Only 6 out of the 494 episodes from the Associated-Rediffusion era survived from the archives including episode 2 of series 1, episode 39 of series 10, episodes 1–2 of series 12 and episodes 18 and 44 of series 13.[2]

text: Thames[edit]

text:
Series
Start date
End date
Episodes

1
24 February 1992
11 May 1992
10

2
8 July 1992
24 December 1992
12

3
12 July 1994
23 November 1994
20

4
13 May 1996
26 August 1996
16

5
5 June 1998
23 December 1999
16