document_title: Bristol Motor Speedway

question_text: how fast do nascar cars go at bristol

question_tokens: how fast do nascar cars go at bristol

text: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Overview[edit]

text: Bristol Motor Speedway is the fourth largest sports venue in America and the eighth largest in the world, housing up to 162,000 people. The track is so short that speeds here are far lower than is typical on most NASCAR oval tracks, but they are very fast compared to other short tracks due to the high banking. These features make for a considerable amount of "paint swapping" at the NASCAR races where the initial starting grid of 40 vehicles each in the Monster Energy Cup Series & the Xfinity Series, and 32 in the Truck Series, extends almost halfway around the track, meaning that slower qualifiers begin the race almost half a lap down. The congestion inherent in this facility and the power of the cars and trucks has been likened to "flying fighter jets in a gymnasium" (or a "washing machine" or a "toilet"). The track is one that tends to be either loved or hated by the fans and the drivers. Purists who grew up driving or attending races at older short tracks located at fairgrounds and similar places tend to love Bristol, while those raised on superspeedway racing tend to chafe at the lower speeds.

text: Bristol races are often the scene of the highest number of yellow-flag caution laps in the NASCAR season; with so many cars in such a small space, contact is almost inevitable. Until the Beneficiary Rule was instituted in 2004 (the rule was instituted after the races at Bristol in 2003), the short lap length and the unpredictable nature of the racing meant that this was one of the few remaining NASCAR tracks at which it was feasible for a driver to come back to win a race from several laps down; at most modern tracks, especially superspeedways, that was almost impossible. The short lap length also cuts the other way; any unscheduled pit stop for reasons such as a cut tire will result in the driver going two or more laps down as it is almost impossible to get anything done to a car during the time taken to complete one circuit, especially under green-flag conditions (approximately 15 seconds). Thus, the disadvantage of losing laps means the chances of earning a free pass under the Beneficiary Rule is harder, since a driver losing two laps under a green-flag pit stop would have to race their way past the leader before the caution waved to regain one of their laps back, unless there are no cars one lap behind.

text: The drag strip at this facility has long been nicknamed Thunder Valley. Both current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races held at Bristol are for 500 laps; the spring race (historically a day race; however, the 2006 race ended under nighttime conditions because of Standard Time and the late afternoon start) is sponsored by area grocery chain Food City, and considered one of NASCAR's top ten annual races.[3] The late summer race (the popular night-time race, considered "the toughest ticket in NASCAR" to obtain) has rotated among several sponsors. From 2001 to 2015, Newell Rubbermaid sponsored this race, first under its Sharpie brand (2001–2009) and then its Irwin Tools brand (2010–2015). Starting in 2016, Bass Pro Shops will be primary sponsor of the summer race, with the National Rifle Association as a secondary sponsor.

text: Bristol is a very fertile ground for other levels and types of racing; Xfinity Series races here often draw over 100,000 spectators, making it one of the best-drawing Xfinity venues, and resulted in the Fox network televising the race nationally from 2004 to 2006 and ABC doing the same in 2007 and 2008.

text: In 2004, it was the first Xfinity Series race of the season televised on broadcast network television, and the race, which had been 150 laps in 1982, 200 laps in 1984, and 250 laps since 1990, was a 300-lap race in 2006.

text: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ran a stand-alone race in June from 1995 to 1999 with the NASCAR Autozone Elite Division, Southeast Series. Since 2003, the race has been a midweek (Wednesday) night race as part of the August night race weekend. In 2009, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour ran a combined race prior to the truck race. In 2017, the race was for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour after NASCAR absorbed the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour into the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour prior to the 2017 season.

text: Many of the fans come from the East Tennessee area, but thousands more come from all parts of the country to experience Bristol's unique brand of racing. Even in the off-season, the complex attracts fans during the Christmas season by facilitating a miles-long holiday lights display that culminates with a lap on the actual speedway track itself.

text: Angle of banking[edit]

text: The track long advertised its banking as 36 degrees, which at one time made it the most steeply banked track used by NASCAR. However, BMS now lists its banking at 24 to 30 degrees, reflecting the results of the track's most recent resurfacing in 2007.

text: Even before the resurfacing, there was some dispute as to the accuracy of the measurement. In the 1980s, ESPN often claimed the turns were banked at 35 degrees during television telecast of events at the track. In an interview with Stock Car Racing's Larry Cothren, driver Ryan Newman openly disputed the measurement of the banking of Bristol Motor Speedway's turns. Newman's crew measured the banking during a test session to aid with setups, and found that the turns were banked 26 degrees, rather than the advertised 36 degrees. A Camping World Truck Series open test noted the banking had dropped following resurfacing, to 22–27 degrees, in a variable banking configuration.[4]

text: Pit roads[edit]

text: Another anomaly is that the short overall length means that there are two sets of pits, which also prevents a garage from being built due to limited space. Until 2002, slower starters were relegated to those on the backstretch. That year, the rules were changed to form essentially one long pit road. Thus, Bristol has unique rules about pit road — during caution, drivers who are wanting to pit must enter pit road in turn 2, drive all the way down the back stretch through the apron of turns 3 and 4 and down the front stretch, exiting pit road in turn 1. This rule eliminated the inherent disadvantage of pitting on the back stretch. During green flag pit stops, cars with pit stalls on the back stretch enter the pits in turn 2 and exit in turn 3; those with pits on the front stretch enter in turn 4 and exit in turn 1. Since the new pit rules were instituted, several drivers (most notably Jeff Gordon)[5] have made major mistakes during green flag pit stops by driving through both pit roads when only one is necessary for green flag pit stops.

text: Track history[edit]

text: Bristol Motor Speedway could very easily have opened in 1961 under a different name. The first proposed site for the speedway was in Piney Flats, Tennessee, but, according to Carl Moore, who built the track along with Larry Carrier and R. G. Pope, the idea met local opposition. So the track that could have been called Piney Flats International Speedway was built 5 miles (8.0 km) up the road on U.S. Highway 11-E in Bristol. The land upon which Bristol Motor Speedway is built was formerly part of Gray's Dairy, at one point one of the largest dairies in the eastern half of the United States. Larry Carrier and Carl Moore traveled to Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 to watch a race and it was then that they decided to build a speedway in northeast Tennessee. However, they wanted a smaller model of CMS, something with a more intimate setting and opted to erect a .5-mile (800 m) facility instead of mirroring the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) track in Charlotte.

text: Work began on what was then called Bristol International Speedway in 1960 and it took approximately one year to finish. Carrier, Moore and Pope scratched many ideas for the track on envelopes and brown paper bags.

text: Purchase of the land on which BMS now sits, as well as initial construction of the track, cost approximately $600,000. The entire layout for BMS covered 100 acres (0.40 km2) and provided parking for more than 12,000 cars. The track itself was a perfect .5 miles (800 m), measuring 60 feet (18 m) wide on the straightaways, 75 feet (23 m) wide in the turns, and the turns were banked at 22 degrees. Seating capacity for the very first NASCAR race at BMS – held on July 30, 1961 – was 18,000. Prior to this race the speedway hosted weekly races. The first driver on the track for practice on July 27, 1961 was Tiny Lund in his Pontiac. The second driver out was David Pearson. Fred Lorenzen won the pole for the first race at BMS with a speed of 79.225 mph (127.500 km/h). Atlanta's Jack Smith won the inaugural event – the Volunteer 500 – at BMS. However, Smith was not in the driver's seat of the Pontiac when the race ended. Smith drove the first 290 laps then had to have Johnny Allen, also of Atlanta, take over as his relief driver. The two shared the $3,225 purse. The total purse for the race was $16,625. Country music star Brenda Lee, who was 17 at the time, sang the national anthem for the first race at BMS. A total of 42 cars started the first race at BMS but only 19 finished.

text: In the fall of 1969, BMS was reshaped and re-measured. The turns were banked at 36 degrees and it became a 0.533-mile (858 m) oval.

text: The speedway was sold after the 1976 season to Lanny Hester and Gary Baker. In the spring of 1978, the track name was changed to Bristol International Raceway. In August that year, the first night race was held on the oval, one that would become one of the most popular and highly anticipated events on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series calendar.

text: On April 1, 1982, Lanny Hester sold his half of the speedway to Warner Hodgdon. On July 6, 1983, Hodgdon completed a 100 percent purchase of Bristol Motor Speedway, as well as Nashville Speedway, in a buy-sell agreement with Baker. Hodgdon named Larry Carrier as the track's general manager. On January 11, 1985, Hodgdon filed for bankruptcy. Afterwards, Larry Carrier formally took possession of the speedway and covered all outstanding debts.

text: For many years, teams were unable to park their transporters inside the infield, nor did the track have any significant garage area. Team transporters were parked in a lot outside of the track. During racing periods, crews and participants were landlocked by the track, and thus, unable to return to the transporters for spare parts, repairs, or rest. In the early 1990s, the infield was reconfigured and completely paved. Teams began parking the transporters in an orchestrated, extremely tight arrangement that takes several hours, and highly skilled drivers, to accomplish. Teams are now able to work out of their transporters in the same fashion as other facilities.

text: In 1992, the speedway abandoned the asphalt surface that it had used since its inception, switching to the concrete surface it is now famous for.

text: On January 22, 1996, Larry Carrier sold the speedway to Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI), at a purchase price of $26 million. At the time of the sale, the facility seated 71,000. On May 28 of the same year, the track's name was officially changed to Bristol Motor Speedway. By August, 15,000 seats had been added bringing the seating capacity to 86,000.

text: BMS continued to grow and by April 1997, it was the largest sports arena in Tennessee and one of the largest in the country, seating 118,000. The speedway also boasted 22 new skyboxes. For the 1998 Goody's 500, the speedway featured more than 131,000 grandstand seats and 100 skyboxes. Improvements to the speedway since Smith took possession are in excess of $50 million. Under Smith's ownership, all seating sections have been renamed for past race winners and NASCAR champions.

text: The capacity for the 2000 Food City 500 was 147,000 as the Kulwicki Terrace and Kulwicki Tower were completed. Both were named after NASCAR star Alan Kulwicki, who was the reigning Cup Series champion when he died in a plane crash in 1993 while on his way to the spring race at Bristol, which he won the previous year. As a tribute to retiring star Darrell Waltrip, the entire Turn 3 and 4 sections were renamed in his honor in 2000, including a section of seats in Turn 4 near the start-finish line marked as alcohol free. (Waltrip refused to drive for a team in 1987 because its sponsor was associated with alcoholic beverages.) Sections were also named in honor of the Allison family and David Pearson as part of the renaming of grandstands.

text: In both 2000 and 2001, the track was temporarily converted to a dirt track to host the World of Outlaws' Channellock Challenge. The conversion involved moving 8,000 cubic feet (230 m3) of red clay onto the track's surface.[6] 700 cubic yards (540 m3) of sawdust were laid down first to cover the paved surface. The track was widened by 12 feet (3.7 m) to 14 feet (4.3 m) and the banking was reduced from 36° to somewhere between 22° to 24°.[7] While the races proved to be very popular, the process of installing and removing a temporary surface required 14,000 truckloads of material to be shipped in and out of the track which wore heavily on the roads around the track.[8]

text: As has been the case since the SMI purchase of BMS, improvements continued in and around the Speedway in 2002. The season saw the addition of a long-awaited infield pedestrian tunnel, allowing access into and out of the infield during on-track activity. Also in 2002, a new building was constructed in the infield to house driver meetings. That same year also witnessed the christening of a new BMS Victory Lane atop the newly constructed building. Kurt Busch won the 2002 Food City 500 on March 24 and became the first Cup winner in the new BMS winner's circle. Additional improvements in 2002 included new scoreboards located on the facing of the suites in Turns 2 and 3. On Monday, August 26, 2002, work began on the most ambitious construction project since SMI's purchase of BMS in 1996. The entire backstretch, including the Speedway's last remaining concrete seats, was demolished. The new backstretch increased the venue’s seating capacity to more than 160,000. The new backstretch includes three levels of seating and is topped with 52 luxury skybox suites. These seats are also named for leading NASCAR figures, with Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Junior Johnson each having a section of the new seats named for them; Dale Earnhardt was given a section on top in his memory.

text: A 5,000 seat section of the turn 1 and 2 grandstand, on top of the Alan Kulwicki Grandstand, is now named the Rusty Wallace Tower. Additional improvements included a scoring pylon with a four-sided video screen akin to those in sports arenas hanging from their ceilings; after the 2007 Food City 500, a resurfacing of the entire concrete track along with widening the track 3 feet (0.91 m) and reshaping the turns with variable banking, which was completed for the 2007 Sharpie 500 in August and their support events in the Busch (now Xfinity Series) and Craftsman Truck Series (now Camping World Truck series).

text: The 2006 Pixar film Cars used Bristol Motor Speedway as the inspiration for the fictional Motor Speedway of the South, featured in the film's opening scene. Cars director and NASCAR fan John Lasseter made it a 1-mile track, compared with Bristol's half-mile, to make the straightaways little longer for some of the scenes and allow for fans in the infield.[9]

text: A Guinness World Record was set in August 2008 when the sell-out crowd completed the largest crowd-wave in history.[10]

text: Another world record was set in August 2009 for the largest karaoke with a sold out crowd. Later, when the race was red flagged, the crowd performed the wave again, apparently tying the world record.

text: On Saturday, March 20, 2010, during the NASCAR "Saturday Night Showdown", where retired NASCAR drivers drove in a 35-lap race for charity, a terrifying crash involving Larry Pearson and Charlie Glotzbach ended up in a near-tragedy. The race was put under immediate red flag. Pearson spun out in turn 2, and as his car was sliding down the track, Glotzbach exited turn 2 and rammed into the driver's door of Pearson's car. As Glotzbach climbed out of his car and went to the infield care center, Pearson was unconscious in his car while rescue workers sawed off the roof of the car to get him out. After they got Pearson out, he regained consciousness, as reported by his brothers who talked to him. They also reported that Larry was able to move his arms around. Pearson was air lifted to a nearby hospital. Later, Glotzbach was driven to the same hospital. Before the race started back up, NASCAR legend David Pearson (Larry's father), who was also racing that day, withdrew from the race and went down to the hospital to see his son.

text: On the week ending August 21, 2010, Kyle Busch became the first driver ever to win races in all three NASCAR national series during a single race meeting.[11] He began the historic week by winning the Truck race on Wednesday.[11] Two days later, he won the Nationwide race following an incident with Brad Keselowski. Late in the race, the two raced for the lead side-by-side before Keselowski bumped Busch during a pass. Busch responded with a harder bump to Keselowski, spinning the latter out. After the race, the two took verbal potshots at one another. Then, during driver introductions immediately before the Cup series race, Keselowski introduced himself and then shouted "Kyle Busch is an ass!"[12] Ultimately, there were no on-track incidents between the two in the Cup race.[11] Busch also exchanged words with David Reutimann after the Cup race.

text: Busch would repeat this feat at Bristol in 2017, again winning all 3 races during a single race weekend.

text: In 2016 the scoring pylon was replaced by a large 4-sided display hung by cables over the center of the infield. Named "Colossus TV", the track claims it is the largest outdoor-hung display of its kind in the world, with each screen measuring 30 feet (9.1 m) by 63 feet (19 m).[13]

text: BMS has announced a new event called the U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing in May 2017.[14] The event will feature five classes of cars that are featured at local weekly tracks: Super Late Models, Pro (Crate) Late Models, Southern Modifieds, Late Model Stock, Street Stocks, and Compact (4 cylinder) cars.[14] Champion Racing Association will be the lead sanctioning body of the event. The Super Late Model class is co-sanctioned with CRA Super Series, CARS Super Late Model Tour, and Southern Super Series cars.[14]

text: Bristol Dragway[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: In addition to the speedway, there is a .25-mile (0.40 km) dragstrip that hosts an annual NHRA event each year, the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Prior to its status as an NHRA national event track, the Bristol Dragway was the flagship strip of the rival IHRA organization; the strip's owner Larry Carrier formed the IHRA at the Bristol Dragway in November 1970. The relationship ended when Bruton Smith took over its ownership. The dragstrip has long been nicknamed Thunder Valley due to its location and surrounding scenery.

text: Bristol Dragway hosts all 3 nationally touring NHRA series, plus the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Racing Series, NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League, AHDRA, and the Super Chevy Show.

text: Non-motorsports usage[edit]

text: In the fall of 2002, students from Sullivan East High School in Bluff City, Tennessee attended the skyboxes at the Speedway as temporary school facilities, due to an outbreak of black mold that closed the school for nearly 6 weeks.[15]

text: In October 2010, Remote Area Medical held a health clinic on the infield of the track, providing free vision, dental and general-medical care to people who do not have medical insurance.[16] The free clinic at Bristol Motor Speedway has become an annual event with Tri-Cities Remote Area Medical continuing the service on the speedway's infield in the Spring of 2012 and again in Spring 2013.[17][18]

text: During the holiday season, Bristol Motor Speedway hosts Pinnacle Speedway in Lights, an event featuring christmas light displays along a 5-mile route around the Speedway and its grounds, as well as other activities. The event benefits various local charities.[19]

text: Football[edit]

text: In 1961, the track hosted a National Football League preseason game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.[20]

text: In 2005, track owner Bruton Smith made a public offer of $20 million apiece to the University of Tennessee (UT) and Virginia Tech to schedule a non-conference college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies. Smith suggested that grass could be grown in the infield section of the racetrack. Virginia Tech showed much interest and nearly agreed to the proposal, but UT, on the other hand, showed little or no interest and in fact avoided the offer which made this possibility ultimately fall by the wayside.[21]

text: On October 14, 2013, after years of attempts to schedule a game, Virginia Tech, UT, and Bristol Motor Speedway announced plans for the game to be held on Saturday, September 10, 2016. Organizers envisioned attendance for the non-conference game, dubbed the Battle at Bristol, to draw 150,000 spectators, which would surpass the current NCAA record for highest single-game attendance of 115,109 then held by Michigan.[22] Bristol Motor Speedway's location near the Virginia/Tennessee state line placed the game about 125 miles (201 km) from the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia and about 110 miles (180 km) from the UT campus in Knoxville. The game, won 45–24 by the Volunteers, drew an announced crowd of 156,990, breaking the previous record by more than 40,000.[23]

text: The football field remained in place for one week after the Tennessee–Virginia Tech game. On September 17, the local East Tennessee State Buccaneers played their scheduled home game against the Western Carolina Catamounts at BMS, an event billed as Bucs at Bristol.[24] This was ETSU's first Southern Conference home game since dropping football after the 2003 season, not reinstating the sport until 2015.[25] The Buccaneers came back from a 21–3 second-quarter deficit to win 34–31.[26]

text: Races[edit]

text: Current[edit]

text: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

text: NASCAR Xfinity Series

text: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

text: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

text: NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour/Whelen Southern Modified Tour

text: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series

text: Former[edit]

text: ASA National Tour (1982–1983)

text: ARTGO Challenge Series (1987)

text: ASA Late Model Series (2007–2008)

text: ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards

text: CARS Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series

text: Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals (2008)[27]

text: INEX raceCeiver Legends Car Series/Bandoleros

text: Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Car Series (2011)

text: NASCAR All Pro Series (1982–1983, 1994–1997, 1999–2002)

text: NASCAR Goody's Dash Series (1975, 1978–1981, 1986–1987, 1994–2003)

text: NASCAR Grand Touring (1968)

text: NASCAR Late Model Sportsman National Championship (1972, 1977–1978)

text: Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship (2013)

text: Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship Lites (2013)

text: Rolling Thunder Modifieds (2011)[29]

text: UARA-STARS Late Model Series (2004–2005, 2007–2009)

text: World of Outlaws Sprint Cars

text: Records[edit]

text:
Overall fastest lap: Brian Gerster, 12.742 s [150.585 miles per hour (242.343 km/h)] October 1, 2011
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying: Denny Hamlin, 14.573 s [131.668 miles per hour (211.899 km/h)], August 19, 2016
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race (500 laps): Charlie Glotzbach, 2 h 38 min 12 s [101.074 miles per hour (162.663 km/h)], July 11, 1971
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying: Kyle Larson, 14.992 s [127.988 miles per hour (205.977 km/h)], April 22, 2017
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race (300 laps): Kyle Busch, 2:13:59 [71.606 miles per hour (115.239 km/h)], March 25, 2006
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race (250 laps): Harry Gant, 1 h 26 min 2 s [92.929 miles per hour (149.555 km/h)], April 4, 1992
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Qualifying: Kyle Busch, 14.827 s [129.413 miles per hour (208.270 km/h)], August 16, 2017
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race (200 laps): Travis Kvapil, 1 h 12 min 1 s [88.813 miles per hour (142.931 km/h)], August 20, 2003
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Qualifying: Woody Pitkat, 14.654 s [130.940 miles per hour (210.728 km/h)], 2015
ASA Late Model Series Qualifying: Justin Larson, 15.147 s [126.678 miles per hour (203.868 km/h)], 2008
On March 25, 2007, the first race featuring NASCAR's new car design, the "Car of Tomorrow" (COT) was run at Bristol Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the first ever pole award in a Car of Tomorrow, and Kyle Busch won the race, becoming the first winner in the COT.
On August 25, 2008 at the Sharpie 500, Bristol Motor Speedway set the Guinness World Record for the Largest Card Stunt performed at one time. The stunt was performed by the NASCAR fans who attended the event during the National Anthem. The stunt started with an American Flag that covered the entire stands during the National Anthem and was then followed by another stunt which was an advertisement for a Sprint Nextel Fan Sweepstakes.
Bristol Motor Speedway is a true amphitheatre, being completely enclosed by seating, and holds 165,000 people, making it the largest in the world. In comparison, the Roman Colosseum's seating capacity was 50,000 people and the Circus Maximus, a hippodrome, could accommodate an estimated 150,000 spectators.

tag: ul

text: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series records[edit]

text: (As of 8/17/17)

text:
Most Wins
12
Darrell Waltrip

Most Top 5s
26
Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip

Most Top 10s
37
Richard Petty

Starts
60
Richard Petty

Poles
9
Mark Martin, Cale Yarborough

Most Laps Completed
26026
Terry Labonte

Most Laps Led
4305
Cale Yarborough

Avg. Start*
3.2
Fred Lorenzen

Avg. Finish
2.4
Dick Hutcherson

Miles Completed
13871.67
Terry Labonte

text: * from minimum 5 starts


question_text: director of the united nations office for outer space affairs

root

text: History[edit]

text: This section needs expansion with: history milestones since 1990s founding should be detailed. You can help by adding to it. (October 2016)

tag: table

text: On 13 December 1958 (59 years ago) (1958-12-13), the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) was initially created as a small expert unit within the United Nations Secretariat in New York to assist the ad hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space established by the General Assembly in its resolution 1348 (XIII).[1]

tag: p

text: In 1962, the unit became positioned within the Department of Political and Security Council Affairs (DPSCA), when the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space met for the first time.[citation needed]

text: In 1968, the unit was transformed into the Outer Space Affairs Division of DPSCA.[citation needed]

text: In 1992, the Division was transformed into the Office for Outer Space Affairs within the Department for Political Affairs, relocating to the United Nations Office at Vienna the following year, in 1993.[citation needed]

text: In 2005, the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) was established under the umbrella of the United Nations.[2]

text: In 2006, the UN-SPIDER programme was established to "provide universal access to all countries and all relevant international and regional organizations to all types of space-based information and services relevant to disaster management to support the full disaster management cycle".[3][4]

text: In 2009, Takao Doi became Chief of Space Applications.[citation needed]

text: In 2010, the Human Space Initiative was launched.[5]

text: In March 2014, the Secretary-General appointed Simonetta Di Pippo (Italy) as the new Director of the Office, having previously served as the Director of Human Spaceflight at the European Space Agency.[citation needed]

text: In September 2016, UNOOSA announced the first-ever United Nations space mission, partnering with the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). Using the SNC Dream Chaser spaceplane, UNOOSA will enable developing nations to send microgravity payloads into low-Earth orbit, with a target launch in 2021.[6][7]

text: Mandate[edit]

text: The Office implements the decisions of the United Nations General Assembly and of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The office has the dual objective of supporting the intergovernmental discussions in the Committee and its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee[8] and Legal Subcommittee,[9] and of assisting developing countries in using space technology for development.[citation needed]

text: The mandate has been adjusted a number of times to allow the Office to undertake, among other tasks, the coordination of the inter-agency cooperation within the United Nations on the use of space technology - UN-Space[10] (resolution 3234 (XXIX)),[11] implementing the United Nations Programme on Space Applications[12] (resolution 2601A (XXIV))[13] and the UN-SPIDER[3] Programme for disaster risk management and emergency response (resolution 61/110).[14]

text: The Office also coördinates and coöperates with space agencies and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations involved in space-related activities and, on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, the Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space. The office also helps poor nations suffering from climate change related problems by helping them access satellite images for free.[citation needed]

text: Structure[edit]

text: The Office is composed of the Committee, Policy, and Legal Affairs (CPLA) section, headed by Niklas Hedman, and the Space Applications Section (SAS), headed by Luc St- Pierre. These are coordinated by the Office of the Director managed by Simonetta Di Pippo.[citation needed]

text: The Committee, Policy, and Legal Affairs Section provides substantive secretariat services to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, its Subcommittees, and working groups, as well as contributing to the implementation of the recommendations of UN global conferences. The section further convenes and services the Inter Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities – UN-Space,[10] which is the central inter-agency coordination mechanisms in the UN system on overarching space matters, and which meets annually to discuss current and future activities, emergent technologies of interest, and other related matters, in particular in relation to the global development agenda.[citation needed]

text: Furthermore, the section is concerned with the establishment of a legal and regulatory framework governing space activities, and the office is actively fostering capacity-building in the area of space law and policy. In order to keep track of all objects in earth orbit, the office manages a searchable online register of objects launched into outer space, mandated under the Registration Convention.[citation needed]

text: The Space Applications Section works on building capacities in the practical application of space technology and space-derived information for development. The Programme concentrates its efforts on ensuring the equal access of all countries to new space-based technologies, especially developing nations. To facilitate the capacity building with focus on developing countries, the office provides three initiatives:[citation needed]

text:
The Human Space Initiative focuses on the public outreach to promote increased awareness among Member States to the benefits of space technology and its applications.[5]
The Basic Space Technology Initiative enhances access to space application tools for sustainable development through building capacity in basic space technology.[15]
The Basic Space Science Initiative supports the growth of small research groups in universities and research institutions in the developing countries in the fields of astronomy and space science.[16]

text: The Programme also focuses efforts on the potential of space-based information for disaster management and emergency response. The UN-SPIDER programme (established 2006) helps to achieve this objective by being a gateway to space information for disaster management support, serving as a bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities and being a facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening, in particular for developing countries.[3][4]

text: The International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) promotes voluntary cooperation on matters of mutual interest related to civil satellite-based positioning, navigation, timing, and value-added services. To support the work of ICG, the Office was designated as the Executive Secretariat of ICG. In that capacity, UNOOSA is organizing regional workshops, training courses, and international meetings focusing on capacity-building in the use of GNSS-related technologies in various rapidly growing fields of science and industry.[2]

text: Staff[edit]

text: Citizens of more than 50 countries have served as staff members, consultants, and interns.[citation needed]

text: Staff members of the Office have a wide range of educational backgrounds, including space science (including interdisciplinary fields), physics, engineering, computer science, political science, international affairs, and law (including public international law and space law).[citation needed]

text: Before Simonetta Di Pippo became Director of the Office (2014), she was Director of Human Spaceflight at the European Space Agency. Mr. Niklas Hedman serves as Chief of the Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section Mr Luc St-Pierre as Chief of the Space Applications Section.[citation needed]

text: At different times, a number of other distinguished people, including Adigun Ade Abiodun, Vladimír Kopal, Mazlan Binti Othman, Luboš Perek, Nandasiri Jasentuliyana, and Takao Doi served at various positions.[citation needed]


document_title: Pyramid of the Sun

question_text: who built the temple of the sun in mexico

text: Pyramid of the Sun

text: History[edit]

text: The name Pyramid of the Sun comes from the Aztecs, who visited the city of Teotihuacan centuries after it was abandoned; the name given to the pyramid by the Teotihuacanos is unknown. It was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 100 CE, brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size of 224.942 meters (738 feet) across and 75 meters (246 feet) high, making it the third largest pyramid in the world,[7] though still just over half the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza (146 metres). The second phase also saw the construction of an altar atop of the pyramid which has not survived into modern times. The Adosada platform was added to the pyramid in the early third century, at around the same time that the Ciudadela and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent were constructed.

text: Over the structure the ancient Teotihuacanos finished their pyramid with lime plaster imported from surrounding areas, on which they painted brilliantly colored murals. While the pyramid has endured for centuries, the paint and plaster have not and are no longer visible. Jaguar heads and paws, stars, and snake rattles are among the few images associated with the pyramids.

text: It is thought that the pyramid venerated a deity within Teotihuacan society, however, little evidence exists to support this hypothesis. The destruction of the temple on top of the pyramid, by both deliberate and natural forces prior to the archaeological study of the site, has so far prevented identification of the pyramid with any particular deity.

text: Structure measurements, location and orientation[edit]

text:
Dimension[8]
Value

Height
71.17 metres or 233.5 feet

Base perimeter
794.79 square metres or 8,555.0 square feet

Side
223.48 metres or 733.2 feet

1/2 side
111.74 metres or 366.6 feet

Angle of slope
32.494 degrees

Lateral surface area
59,213.68 square metres or 637,370.7 square feet (assumes perfect square base and smooth faces)

Volume
1,184,828.31 cubic metres or 41,841,817 cubic feet (assumes perfect square base and smooth faces)

text: The orientation of the structure may hold some anthropological significance. The pyramid is oriented slightly northwest of the horizon point of the setting sun on two days a year, August 12 and April 29, which are about one divinatory calendar year apart for the Teotihuacanos. The day of August 12 is significant because it would have marked the date of the beginning of the present era and the initial day of the Maya long-count calendar. In addition, many important astronomical events can be viewed from the location of the pyramid that are important in terms of both agriculture and belief systems of the ancient society.

text: The pyramid was built over a man-made tunnel leading to a "cave" located six metres down beneath the centre of the structure. Originally this was believed to be a naturally formed lava tube cave and interpreted as possibly the place of Chicomoztoc, the place of human origin according to Nahua legends. More recent excavations have suggested that the space is man-made and could have served as a royal tomb.[9] Recently scientists have used muon detectors to try to find other chambers within the interior of the pyramid, but substantial looting has prevented the discovery of a function for the chambers in Teotihuacan society[citation needed].

text: Recovered artifacts[edit]

text: Only a few caches of artifacts have been found in and around the pyramid. Obsidian arrowheads and human figurines have been discovered inside the pyramid and similar objects have been found at the nearby Pyramid of the Moon and Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent in the Ciudadela. These objects may have represented sacrificial victims. A unique historical artifact discovered near the foot of the pyramid at the end of the nineteenth century was the Teotihuacan Ocelot, which is now in the British Museum's collection.[10] In addition, burial sites of children have been found in excavations at the corners of the pyramid. It is believed that these burials were part of a sacrificial ritual dedicating the building of the pyramid.


document_title: Road to Perdition

question_text: who played michael sullivan jr in road to perdition

text: Road to Perdition

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1931, during the Great Depression, Michael Sullivan, Sr. is an enforcer for Irish mob boss John Rooney in Rock Island, Illinois. Rooney raised the orphan Sullivan and loves him more than his own biological son, Connor. Rooney sends Connor and Sullivan to meet with disgruntled associate Finn McGovern, but Connor shoots McGovern, resulting in Sullivan gunning down McGovern's men. Sullivan's twelve-year-old son Michael, Jr. had hidden in his father's car and witnesses the event. Despite Sullivan swearing his son to secrecy and Rooney pressuring Connor to apologize for the reckless action, Connor murders Sullivan's wife Annie and younger son Peter. At the same time, he sends Sullivan to an ambush at a speakeasy. Sullivan realizes it's a set-up, kills two men at the bar, and escapes. He goes to Chicago with his son to seek Al Capone, for work and to discover the location of Connor, who has gone into hiding.

text: Capone's underboss Frank Nitti rejects Sullivan's proposals, before informing Rooney of the meeting. Rooney reluctantly allows Nitti to dispatch assassin Harlen Maguire, who is also a crime scene photographer, to kill Sullivan. Maguire tracks him and his son to a roadside diner, but fails to kill Sullivan; realizing Maguire's intentions, Sullivan escapes through the bathroom and punctures Maguire's car tire before fleeing.

text: In reaction to the ordered hit, Sullivan begins robbing banks that hold Capone’s money, hoping to trade it for Connor. Sullivan is impeded when the mob withdraws its money, so he visits Rooney's accountant Alexander Rance at his hotel. The encounter is a set-up, with Rance stalling Sullivan until Maguire enters with a shotgun. In the ensuing crossfire, Rance is killed, Maguire is injured by flying glass shards, and Sullivan escapes with the ledgers; as Sullivan flees, Maguire shoots him in his left arm.

text: When his father collapses from his wound, Michael Jr. drives his father to a farm, where a childless elderly couple help him recover. Sullivan bonds with his son and discovers from the ledgers that Connor has been embezzling from his father for years, using the names of dead men. As the Sullivans depart, they give the couple much of the stolen money. Sullivan confronts Rooney with the information while they attend Mass. Rooney already knew about the embezzlement and that Connor was likely to die, if not by Sullivan's hand then by the Chicago Outfit once Rooney dies. He still refuses to give up his son. He encourages Sullivan to leave with his son.

text: Later one night, cloaked by darkness and rain, Sullivan dispatches Rooney's entire entourage with his Thompson submachine gun and walks directly up to Rooney. As Rooney mutters that he is glad his killer is Sullivan, a reluctant Sullivan pulls the trigger. Seeing no further reason to protect Connor, Nitti reveals his location, after making Sullivan promise to end the feud. Sullivan goes to the hotel where Connor is hiding and kills him.

text: Sullivan drives his son to stay at his Aunt Sara's beach house in Perdition, a town on the shore of Lake Michigan. However, he is ambushed and shot by a disfigured Maguire. As Maguire prepares to photograph the dying Sullivan, Michael, Jr. appears and points a gun at Maguire but cannot muster the will to fire. Sullivan pulls out his gun and kills Maguire, before dying in his son's arms. Mourning his father's death, Michael, Jr. returns to live with the elderly farm couple. Growing up, Michael, Jr. reflects that his father's only fear was that his son would become like him. Michael states he has never held a gun since the fatal encounter between Maguire and his father. When asked if Sullivan was a good or bad man, he replies "he was my father."

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan, Sr.
Tyler Hoechlin as Michael Sullivan, Jr.
Paul Newman as John Rooney
Jude Law as Harlen Maguire
Daniel Craig as Connor Rooney
Stanley Tucci as Frank Nitti
Jennifer Jason Leigh as Annie Sullivan
Liam Aiken as Peter Sullivan
Dylan Baker as Alexander Rance
Ciarán Hinds as Finn McGovern

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: When Max Allan Collins wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition, his book agent saw potential in the story as a film adaptation and showed it to a film agent.[2] By 1999, the novel had reached Dean Zanuck, who was the vice president of development at the company owned by his father, producer Richard D. Zanuck. The novel was sent to the elder Zanuck in Morocco, who was there producing Rules of Engagement (2000). The Zanucks agreed on the story's prospect and sent it to director-producer Steven Spielberg. Shortly afterward, Spielberg set up the project at his studio DreamWorks, though he did not pursue direction of the film due to his full slate.[3]

text: Mendes sought a new project after completing American Beauty (1999) and explored prospects including A Beautiful Mind, K-PAX, The Shipping News,[4] and The Lookout. DreamWorks sent Mendes Road to Perdition as a prospect, and Mendes was attracted to the story, considering it "narratively very simple, but thematically very complex".[3] One theme that he saw in the story was of the parents' world that is inaccessible to their children. Mendes considered the story's theme to be about how children deal with violence, and whether exposure to violence would render children violent themselves. Mendes described the script as having "no moral absolutes", a factor that appealed to the director.[5]

text: Writing[edit]

text: Spielberg first contacted screenwriter David Self to adapt the story into a feature film.[3] Self wrote an initial draft that remained close to the source material and retained most of its dialogue. The screenplay was then rewritten by uncredited writers, distancing the script from the graphic novel and leaving the core elements of the story.[2] Some of the harsher aspects of the story were toned down as the script became more streamlined; for example, in some early drafts of the screenplay, Sullivan became an alcoholic, but this element was ultimately absent from the final version.[3]

text: The story itself is deeply informed by the Lone Wolf and Cub manga series. Novelist Max Allan Collins acknowledged the influence of Lone Wolf and Cub on his graphic novel Road to Perdition in an interview to the BBC, declaring that "Road To Perdition is 'an unabashed homage' to Lone Wolf And Cub".[6]

text: Some of the characters' names were slightly changed from their original versions from the graphic novel: the surname of the real-life gangsters John Looney and his son Connor were changed to Rooney, and the surname of Tom Hanks' character and his family was streamlined from the original O'Sullivan to simply Sullivan. One significant addition to the script was the creation of Maguire to provide a persistent element of pursuit to the Sullivans' departure from the old world.[2]

text: Hanks and cinematographer Conrad Hall requested Mendes to limit violence in the film to meaningful acts, rather than gratuitous carnage. Hanks' character, Michael Sullivan, is known as "The Angel of Death" in the graphic novel and invokes fear in those around him, but his infamy is downplayed in the film.[5] Mendes, who described the graphic novel as "much more pulpy", sought to reduce the graphic novel's background to its essence, seeking the "nonverbal simplicity" of films like Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973),[3] and films by Akira Kurosawa that lack dialogue.[7] Duplicate language in characters' confrontations in Road to Perdition was trimmed to the absolute minimum.[8] Mendes described Road to Perdition as a "poetic, elegiac story, in which the pictures tell the story".[4] An example of one such unspoken scene in the film was the piano duet between Rooney and Michael Sr., intended to convey their relationship without words.[8] In the final 20 minutes of Road to Perdition, the script was written to have only six lines of dialogue.[4]

text: Max Allan Collins originally wanted to write the adapted screenplay, but was not given the opportunity.[2] He chose to stay out of the scripting process out of respect for the different style of writing for a different medium, though he served as a consultant in the process. Collins praised the addition of Maguire and considered the minimalist use of dialogue to be appropriate.[9] The author also applauded the film's version of Rooney as "more overtly a father figure" to Sullivan.[2]

text: Collins opposed the profanity in the script, as the vulgar language did not fit his vision of the 1930s.[9] He also contested the path of Sullivan's son in the film. In the graphic novel, the son kills once, and in the film, he does not kill anyone. Collins also disagreed with the narration technique of the film. In the novel, the son narrates the story as an adult, becoming a priest, while in the film, he narrates while still a young boy.[10]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Tom Hanks was sent a copy of the graphic novel by Steven Spielberg while he was filming Cast Away. Initially too busy to make sense of the story, he later received David Self's adapted screenplay, to which he became attached. Hanks, a father to four children, described Michael Sullivan's role, "I just got this guy. If you're a man, and you've got offspring ... emotionally, it's devastating."[3]

text: Tyler Hoechlin was chosen from over 2,000 candidates to portray Michael Sullivan's son.[3] The actor was 14 years old at the time of filming. For scenes in which Hoechlin's character assisted his father as a getaway driver, Hoechlin was trained by a driving instructor.[11]

text: Paul Newman was unanimously the first choice for the role of John Rooney.[4] The actor prepared by requesting Frank McCourt, the Irish-American author of Angela's Ashes, to record a tape of his voice.[3]

text: David Self, who created the Maguire character, explained, "He gets so jaded from exposure to this world, he steps over the line from being the storyteller to being the story maker."[7] To capture the "seedy countenance" of the character, Jude Law was given a sallow skin tone that reflected the wear from working in a darkroom. Law's teeth also received a lower gumline and had a rotted look.[11] He was also given a weak, thinning hairline. Maguire's apartment also displays a collection of photographs of dead bodies, some of them actual police stills from the 1930s.[12]

text: Stanley Tucci was selective about roles in gangster films, believing that Hollywood stereotyped Italian-Americans as gangsters. However, attracted by the prospect of working with Mendes, the actor accepted the role of Nitti, a real-life Mob boss from Chicago.[13]

text: Anthony LaPaglia was cast as Al Capone and filmed a single scene, which was omitted from the final cut,[14] and can be found in the DVD's deleted scenes.[15] Mendes believed that Capone was more menacing as an unseen presence. Actor Alfred Molina was approached to portray Capone, but Molina was forced to turn the role down due to scheduling conflicts with Frida (2002).[16]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Before filming, Mendes sought to produce a period film that would avoid clichés in the gangster genre. He chose to film Road to Perdition on location in downtown at the University Club of Chicago, the Chicago neighborhood of Pullman as well as the Chicago suburb of Geneva, Illinois. The Armory, the state's largest location mainstay which houses the Illinois State National Guard, was provided to the studio by the Illinois State Film Commission. Sets were built inside the Armory, including interiors of the Sullivan family's home and the Rooney mansion. The availability of an inside location provided the crew complete control over the lighting environment, which was established with the rigging of scaffoldings.[17]

text:
Atmospherically, the landscape is a violent and magnificent canvas on which is told a mythic story of a father and son in the last period of lawlessness in American history.

Sam Mendes[17]

tag: div

text: Mendes collaborated with costume designer Albert Wolsky, production designer Dennis Gassner, and cinematographer Conrad Hall to design the film's style. Wolsky designed costumes that were "very controlled, with soft outlines and very soft silhouettes". Gassner built sets that could capture the cold look of the era. Mendes sought a muted palette for the film, having dark backgrounds and sets with dark, muted greens and grays. Mendes filmed Road to Perdition using the Super 35 format.[17]

text: The director filmed exterior scenes in Illinois in the winter and the spring of 2001, using real weather conditions such as snow, rain, and mud for the scenes. Mendes considered the usage of bleak weather conditions and the intended coldness of Gassner's exterior locations to define the characters' emotional states. Pullman became a key location to reflect this theme, having several settings, including the town's historic Florence Hotel, easily redressed by the crew for the film.[17] Filming concluded in June 2001.[3]

text: Cinematography[edit]

text: To establish the lighting of scenes in Road to Perdition, Mendes drew from the paintings of Edward Hopper as a source of inspiration, particularly Hopper's New York Movie (1939). Mendes and cinematographer Conrad Hall sought to convey similar atmospheric lighting for the film's scenes, applying a "less is more" mantra.[18] Hall also shot wide open scenes that retained one point in the depth of field sharply focused. Hall considered the technique to provide an emotional dimension to the scenes. The cinematographer also used unconventional techniques and materials to create unique lighting effects. One of Hall's methods was to use black silk in daylight exterior scenes to filter the light enough to create an in-shade look.[17]

text: Hall purposely distanced the camera from Hanks' character, Michael Sullivan Sr., at the beginning of the film to establish the perspective of Sullivan's son, who is unaware of his father's true nature.[3] Hanks' character was filmed as partially obscured and seen through doorways, and his entrances and exits took place in shadows. A wide lens was used to maintain a distance from the character.[17]

text: Shots in the film were drawn directly from panels in the graphic novel, illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. An instance of the direct influence is the scene in which Michael Jr. looks up at the Chicago skyline from the vehicle, with the skyline reflected in the vehicle's glass.[7]

text: A seamless 40-second driving scene, in which Michael Sullivan and his son travel into Chicago from the countryside, was aided by visual effects. The live-action part of the scene was filmed at LaSalle Street, and due to the lack of scenery for part of the drive down LaSalle Street, the background of Balbo Drive was included with the use of visual effects.[19]

text: Themes[edit]

text: Consequences of violence[edit]

text:
[What's] important, in this story, is what the violence does to the person who pulls the trigger, and what it has done to them over the years, how it has gradually corroded them. It has rotted their insides.

Sam Mendes[8]

text: The film's title, Road to Perdition, is both Michael Sullivan and his son's destination town and a euphemism for Hell, a road that Sullivan desires to prevent his son from traveling. Sullivan, who chooses his violent path early on in life, considers himself irredeemable and seeks to save his son from a similar fate. Said Mendes, "[Sullivan] is in a battle for the soul of his son. Can a man who has led a bad life achieve redemption through his child?"[20] Hanks described Sullivan as a man who achieved a comfortable status through violent means, whose likely repercussions he ignored. Sullivan is a good father and husband, but also has a job that requires him to be a violent killer. The film explores this paradoxical dichotomy. When Sullivan is faced with the consequences, Hanks says, "At the moment we're dropped into the story, it is literally the last day of that false perspective."[12] To keep Sullivan from justifying his violent actions in the film, Mendes omitted scenes in the final cut that had Sullivan explaining his background to his son.[3]

text: In the film, most of the numerous acts of violence are committed off-screen. The violent acts were also designed to be quick, reflecting the actual speed of violence in the real world. The focus was not on the direct victims of the perpetuated violence, but the impact of violence on the perpetrators or witnesses to the act.[8]

text: Fathers and sons[edit]

text: The film also explores father-son relationships, not only between Michael Sullivan and his son, but between Sullivan and his boss, John Rooney, and between Rooney and Connor. Sullivan simultaneously idolizes and fears Rooney, and Sullivan's son feels the same about his own father. Rooney's son, Connor, has none of Sullivan's redeeming qualities, and Rooney is conflicted about whom to protect: his biological son or his surrogate son. Connor is jealous of his father's relationship with Sullivan, which fuels his actions, ultimately causing a domino effect that drives the film.[12]

text: Because Sullivan shields his background from his son, his attempt to preserve the father-son relationship is actually harmful. Tragedy brings Sullivan and his son together.[21] Sullivan escapes from the old world with his son, and the boy finds an opportunity to strengthen the relationship with his father. Tyler Hoechlin, who portrayed Michael Jr., explained, "His dad starts to realize that Michael is all he has now and how much he's been missing. I think the journey is of a father and son getting to know each other, and also finding out who they themselves are."[12]

text: Water[edit]

text: Water served as a motif in the film. It was developed after researching the wake scene at the beginning of the film informed the director that corpses were kept on ice in the 1920s to keep bodies from decomposing. The notion was interwoven into the film, which linked the presence of water with death.[11] Mendes reflected on the theme, "The linking of water with death... speaks of the mutability of water and links it to the uncontrollability of fate. These are things that humans can't control."[11]

text: Release[edit]

text: When filming concluded in June 2001,[3] the studio intended a United States release for the following Christmas. But by September 2001, Mendes requested more time. It was rescheduled for release on July 12, 2002, an unconventional move that placed the drama among the action-oriented summer films.[3]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Road to Perdition opened in 1,798 theaters over its opening weekend, competing against several other new releases including Reign of Fire, Halloween: Resurrection and The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, and grossed $22,079,481, placing second to Men in Black II, which was in its second week of release.[22] It eventually grossed $104.5 million in the United States and $76.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $181 million.[1]

text: Reception [edit]

text: The film received positive reviews from critics, with the lead performances of Hanks and Newman being praised. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 81% based on 210 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Somber, stately, and beautifully mounted, Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition is a well-crafted mob movie that explores the ties between fathers and sons."[23] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film score of 72 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24]

text: Reviewer James Berardinelli, on his own ReelViews web site, praised Road to Perdition for its atmosphere and visuals, but he considered an emotional attachment to be lacking except for Sullivan's son.[25] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised Hall's cinematography and the thematic use of water. He, too, felt an emotional detachment from the characters, saying, "I knew I admired it, but I didn't know if I liked it... It is cold and holds us outside."[26]

text: Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution enjoyed the film's cinematography and Depression-era setting, as well as the performances of Hanks and Newman. Gillespie expressed the wish that the film lasted a little longer to explore its emotional core further.[27] Eric Harrison of the Houston Chronicle considered Road to Perdition "the most brilliant work in this [gangster] genre" since the uncut Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Harrison considered Self's script "so finely honed that the story can change directions in a heartbeat."[28]

text: Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised Hanks, Newman, and Craig but called Law's performance "almost cartoonish".[29] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also complimented Hanks and Newman: "[They] act together with the confidence of titans, their talents in the service of character, never star ego." Travers cited Hall's "breathtaking" cinematography and composer Thomas Newman's "evocative" score.[30]

text: Paul Clinton of CNN said: "While these deeply human issues are touched upon, they're never fully explored, and that undermines the sense of greatness to which this movie obviously aspires. Clinton considered Craig's character "one-dimensional to the extreme". He found the cinematography too overpowering for the film's storyline, which he considered "weak".[31] J. Hoberman of The Village Voice described the film as "grim yet soppy." He added: "The action is stilted and the tabloid energy embalmed."[32] Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post thought that the script lost its path when Sullivan and his son fled their old life.[33]

text: Accolades [edit]

text: Road to Perdition was nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Paul Newman), Best Art Direction (Dennis Gassner and Nancy Haigh), Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall), Best Original Score (Thomas Newman), Best Sound Mixing (Scott Millan, Bob Beemer and John Pritchett), and Best Sound Editing (Scott Hecker). The sole award went, posthumously, to Hall for Cinematography.[34] Newman was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture at the 60th Golden Globe Awards and for a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 8th Critics' Choice Awards.[citation needed]

text: The film was also nominated for BAFTA Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Newman), Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design, winning awards for the latter two.[35] Hall also won an award from the American Society of Cinematographers for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases.[36] In April 2006, Empire recognized Road to Perdition as number six in its list of the top 20 comic book films.[37]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Max Allan Collins, who authored the graphic novel, was hired to write the novelization for the film adaptation. Collins initially turned in a draft that contained 90,000 words, but the licensing at DreamWorks required the author to use only the dialogue from the film and no additional dialogue. Collins reluctantly edited the novelization down to 50,000 words and later said he regretted taking on the task.[9]

text: Road to Perdition was released on DVD on February 25, 2003, in both full screen and anamorphic widescreen versions. The DVD's features included an audio commentary, deleted scenes, an HBO "Making of" documentary, and a photo gallery.[38] Work on the DVD began on the same day the film's production began, and a collaborative effort among the director, the studio, and the DVD production crew shaped the DVD's content. Due to a limit of space on the DVD, the film's deleted scenes were chosen over a DTS soundtrack. Instead, the DVD included a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack.[39] A special edition DVD containing both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks was also released, excluding the "Making of" documentary to fit both soundtracks.[40]

text: Road to Perdition was released on Blu-ray Disc on August 3, 2010, featuring a widescreen transfer, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and all of the features from the DVD release.[citation needed]