document_title: 30 Days of Night (film)

question_text: 30 days of night where was it filmed

question_tokens: 30 days of night where was it filmed

text: 30 Days of Night (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: The town of Barrow, Alaska is preparing for its annual "30 Days of Night", a period during the winter when there is a month-long polar night. As the town gets ready, a stranger (Ben Foster) rows ashore from a large ship and sabotages the town's communications and transport to the outside world. Barrow's sheriff, Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) investigates and also learns that his estranged wife, Stella (Melissa George), missed the last plane and must stay the 30 days. That night, a coven of feral vampires, led by Marlow (Danny Huston), attack and slaughter most of the townspeople, forcing Eben, Stella, Eben's younger brother Jake (Mark Rendall), and several other survivors to take shelter in a boarded-up house with a hidden attic. Marlow finds the stranger locked up in the station. The stranger believed Marlow was going to turn him into a vampire. Marlow thanks him for doing what he asked, and then snaps his neck. Marlow ironically comments to his fellow vampires: "The things they believe."

text: Eighteen days later, when a blizzard hits, the group uses the whiteout to go to the general store for supplies, but are stranded after it ends. While the group heads for the station, Eben creates a diversion by having the vampires chase him to his grandmother's house, where he uses one of her ultraviolet lights to burn the face of Marlow's lover, Iris (Megan Franich), so badly that Marlow is forced to kill her. As he escapes, the town snow plow operator, Beau (Mark Boone Junior), creates another distraction with his tractor, killing many of the vampires, before trying to blow himself up; when he fails, Marlow crushes his head. Eben arrives at the station, where he is then forced to kill Carter (Nathaniel Lees), who has been bitten and is turning into a vampire.

text: Two weeks later, Stella and Eben see the deputy, Billy (Manu Bennett), signaling them with a flashlight and bring him back to the station, after finding out he killed his family to save them from a more painful death. The trio find the others have made for the utilidor, a power and sewage treatment station that still has power, and head over there but are separated after Stella saves Gail Robbins (Rachel Maitland-Smith), a young girl whose family was slaughtered by a vampire named Zurial (John Rawls) who was stalking her. Eben and Billy make it to the utilidor but are attacked by Arvin (Andrew Stehlin), who bites Billy; Billy knocks Arvin into the heavy-duty shredder, and in doing so, painfully grinds his own hand to a stump by accident, before being killed by Eben because he is starting to turn.

text: As the month comes to an end, with the sun due to rise, the vampires start to burn down the town to destroy evidence of their presence, and prevent any survivors from telling the world what happened. Realizing Stella is trapped and that he cannot beat the vampires in his current state, Eben turns himself into a vampire by injecting himself with Billy's infected blood. He confronts Marlow, and they get into a vicious fight, before Marlow is finally killed by having a hole punched through his head, causing the remaining vampires to flee. Knowing he will die soon, Eben and Stella go off to watch the sunrise together, sharing one last kiss. As the sun comes up, Eben's body burns to ash in Stella's arms, while she stares at the sky, coming to grips with what has happened.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Josh Hartnett as Sheriff Eben Oleson
Melissa George as Stella Oleson
Danny Huston as Marlow
Ben Foster as The Stranger
Mark Boone Junior as Beau Brower
Mark Rendall as Jake Oleson
Amber Sainsbury as Denise
Manu Bennett as Deputy Billy Kitka
Megan Franich as Iris
Joel Tobeck as Doug Hertz
Elizabeth Hawthorne as Lucy Ikos
Nathaniel Lees as Carter Davies
Craig Hall as Wilson Bulosan
Chic Littlewood as Isaac Bulosan
Peter Feeney as John Riis
Andrew Stehlin as Arvin
John Rawls as Zurial
Jared Turner as Aaron
Kelson Henderson as Gabe
Pua Magasiva as Malekai Hamm
Grant Tilly as Gus
Rachel Maitland-Smith as Gail
Kate Elliott as Dawn
Jacob Tomuri as Seth

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: 30 Days of Night author Steve Niles conceived of the story in the form of a comic, but—after meeting a lack of interest in initial pitches—tried to pitch it as a film. When this did not work out, Niles shelved the idea until he showed it to IDW Publishing. IDW published the comic and Ben Templesmith provided the artwork.[3] When Niles and his agent, Jon Levin, shopped the comic around again as a potential film adaptation, Niles found that the idea "went shockingly well," with Sam Raimi and Senator International picking up the property rights based on the original concept and Templesmith's unique mood and concepts for the vampires.[4]

text: According to Raimi, the potential project was "unlike the horror films of recent years".[5]

text: Following the publication of the 30 Days of Night comic book miniseries in 2002, studios, including DreamWorks, MGM and Senator International, bid in the $1 million range for rights to a potential vampire film based on the story. Raimi expressed interest in adapting the miniseries and was negotiating a production deal with his producing partner Robert Tapert to establish a label with Senator Entertainment, of which Senator International is the sales division.[6] In July 2002, Senator International acquired the rights for 30 Days of Night in a seven-figure deal with Raimi and Tapert attached as producers.

text: By October 2002, Niles was working on adapting 30 Days of Night for the big screen, keeping the film true to the miniseries, though fleshing out the characters more significantly in the adaptation process.[7] In February 2003, Columbia Pictures partnered with Senator International to work on 30 Days of Night, which was developing under Senator International's newly established production company, Ghost House Pictures. Mike Richardson, the Dark Horse Comics publisher who supported the adaptation project from the beginning, after having turned down an offer to initially publish the project, was attached as executive producer.[8] The following March, Richardson revealed that Steve Niles had turned in the initial draft for the 30 Days of Night screenplay.[9] In March 2004, however, Columbia Pictures requested that Niles's initial screenplay to be rewritten in preparation for production.[10] Sue Binder, the business manager of Ghost House Pictures, indicated that filming for 30 Days of Night was still at least a year away, as Ghost House planned to produce three films before the vampire thriller.[10] The following May, Stuart Beattie, one of the writers for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, was rewriting Niles' 30 Days of Night draft for production.[11] Niles was pleased with Beattie's faithfully rewritten script, which was submitted to the studio in October 2004.[12]

text: In September 2005, it was announced that director David Slade had signed on to 30 Days of Night, which would be distributed by Columbia Pictures mainly in North America and Mandate Pictures in international territories.[13] In March 2006, Slade revealed that screenwriter Brian Nelson, who wrote the screenplay for Slade's previous film Hard Candy, was writing a new draft of the 30 Days of Night script, replacing Beattie's draft.[14] The director said that filming would begin in summer 2006 in Alaska and New Zealand.[14]

text: Casting[edit]

text: In June 2006, it was announced that Josh Hartnett was cast as the husband of the married couple that serves as the town's sheriff team. Some criticized the choice because the main character (Eben Olemaun, with the last name changed to Oleson for the motion picture adaption) was originally Inuit in the comics.[15] Melissa George joined the 30 Days of Night cast as the wife of Hartnett's character.[16] Danny Huston joined the cast as the leader of the vampires.[17]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Filming did not begin immediately, but in a September 2006 interview, executive producer Mike Richardson said that 30 Days of Night would be shot on 35 mm film, though there had been discussion to shoot the film on Genesis.[18] In an interview prior to filming, Slade explained that the illustrations of the graphic novel's illustrator, Ben Templesmith, would be reflected in production design. Slade also considered Nelson's draft to be the most faithful to the graphic novel. He also stated his intention to make a "scary vampire film", of which he didn't think there were many. "The rest of them, they fall into all kinds of traps. We're going to try to do our best... and one of the ways we have to do it is be more naturalistic than the graphic novel, because it's very over-the-top," said Slade.[19] There was also concern expressed that while the vampires needed to communicate, talking might lessen the effect. To counter this, a fictional vampire language, with click consonants, was constructed with the help of a professor of linguistics and the nearby University of Auckland. Slade explained "we designed this really simple language that didn't sound like any particular accent that you would be aware of, that was based around really simple actions, eating, hunting, yes, no, really basic, because that's what vampires do."[20]

text: Post-production[edit]

text: By February 2007, the production phase was completed, and a rough cut of the film was prepared.[21] In April, composer Brian Reitzell was hired to score the film.[22]

text: Music[edit]

text: Brian Reitzell composed the film's score. A soundtrack was released by Invada Records, with an artwork by Marc Bessant in summer 2015 on Vinyl.[23]

text: Novelization[edit]

text: To coincide with the film's release, a novelization by Tim Lebbon was published by Pocket Star on September 25, 2007.[24] It is one of six novels based on the franchise.

text: Tim Lebbon (September 25, 2007). 30 Days of Night (Mass Market Paperback). Novelization of the film. Pocket Star. ISBN 978-1-4165-4497-5.

text: Release[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: 30 Days of Night was released in 2,855 cinemas in the United States and Canada on October 19, 2007. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $15,951,902,[2] placing first in the box office.[25] The film grossed $39,568,996 in the United States and Canada and $35,735,361 overseas. It has grossed $75,304,357 worldwide.[2]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2016)

text: On the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 51% score based on 157 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's consensus states: "While 30 Days of Night offers a few thrills, it ultimately succumbs to erratic execution."[26] Metacritic reports a score of 53 out of 100 from 29 reviews, considered to be mixed or average reviews.[27] Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 stars out of a possible 4. He criticized several plot holes, such as the vampires moving with supernatural speed in some attacks but ponderous slowness in others, but also singled out Danny Huston for being "quite convincing" as the vampire leader and summed up the film as "well-made, well-photographed and plausibly acted, and is better than it needs to be."[28]

text: Home media[edit]

text: 30 Days of Night was released February 26, 2008 on DVD, Blu-ray, and UMD for PlayStation Portable in the United States. DVD sales brought in $26,949,780 in revenue, from 1,429,600 sold DVD units. This does not include Blu-ray sales.[29] The DVD is a single disc and includes eight featurettes, one of which is a full episode of the anime Blood+. The UK Region 2 release is a two disc special edition, released in April 2008. Despite being exactly the same as the theatrical release, the BBFC reclassified the film from a 15 to an 18. Even though it still only has the eight featurettes on the second disc, it includes a bonus 30 Days of Night graphic novel.

text: Sequel[edit]

text: A straight-to-DVD sequel entitled Dark Days was released on October 5, 2010.[30] The script for the sequel was written by Steve Niles and Ben Ketai with Ketai also positioned as director. When filming began on October 20, 2009, Rhys Coiro and Mia Kirshner were named as leads, with Kirshner playing the lead vampire villain Lilith.[31] Other cast named included Harold Perrineau, Kiele Sanchez, Diora Baird, Rhys Coiro, and Monique Ganderton.[32] Three days after filming began, Niles revealed that Kiele Sanchez replaced Melissa George in the role of Stella Oleson.[33] The sequel was produced on a lower budget, but being straight-to-video allowed the writers to more closely follow the comic book.[34]


document_title: Central Arid Zone Research Institute

question_text: where is the central arid zone research located in india

root

text: Central Arid Zone Research Institute

text: The Central Arid Zone Research Institute was established by the Government of India in 1952 in Jodhpur, a city in the state of Rajasthan. It was previously known as Desert Afforestation Research Station until it was renamed in 1959.

tag: p

text: The objectives of the Institute are to find ways to stabilising shifting sand dunes, establishing silvopastoral and firewood plantations, planting windbreaks to reduce wind speed and subsequent erosion, rehabilitating degraded forests and starting afforestation of barren hill slopes.

text: It has a small pictorial museum with a photographic exhibition illustrating the institute's work.


document_title: Ghost Whisperer (season 4)

question_text: when does jim get his memory back in ghost whisperer

text: Ghost Whisperer (season 4)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In the fourth season, Melinda meets Eli James (Jamie Kennedy) after a fire at Rockland University who, after his own near-death experience, develops the ability to hear ghosts. Melinda says goodbye to her close friend Rick Payne, who leaves Grandview on a research trip for the university. In this season, Jim is shot and killed. He does not "cross over" because he does not want to leave Melinda, and his spirit later enters the body of a man named Sam Lucas, who died in an unrelated accident in Grandview and crossed over. When Jim/Sam regains consciousness, he has no memory of being Jim. Melinda works to get him to remember his past life and her, and succeeds after much difficulty and skepticism on the part of her friends. They soon discover that Melinda is pregnant and that the date of conception was right before Jim died.

text: At the end of the season, Ned and Eli find the Book of Changes, a book written by the Watchers (a benevolent group of ghosts who keep watch over the living). The book tells them of past and future prominent dates, such as Andrea and Jim's deaths. One date is listed as September 25, 2009; Melinda's due date. Melinda learns from a Watcher named Carl that her child is destined to not only inherit her gift, but be far more powerful than her. Melinda and Jim decide to remarry and have a small ceremony on a snowy night, on the street where they first met.

text: Development[edit]

text: Ghost Whisperer is based on the work of "Spirit Communicator" James Van Praagh,[3] who is co-executive producer[4] and regularly updates a blog about the show through LivingTV.[5] The stories are also said to be based in part on the work of "Spirit Communicator" Mary Ann Winkowski.[6] Development of the show dates back to at least two years before its premiere.[7]

text: The show was produced by Sander/Moses Productions in association with CBS Television Studios (originally Paramount Network Television in season one and ABC Studios (originally Touchstone Television in the first two seasons) and CBS Paramount Network Television in seasons two and three).

text: The show was filmed on the Universal Studios back lot in Los Angeles.[8] One area on the lot is Courthouse Square from the Back to the Future trilogy, though it has been drastically modified to depict Grandview. For example, the clock tower in Back to the Future has been completely covered up. Cast and crew members believe that the set gets visits from real spirits.[9]

text: Sound effects were completed at Smart Post Sound.[10] Visual effects for the pilot and some season one episodes were completed at Flash Film Works.[11] Visual effects for nearly the entire series were created at Eden FX.[12]

text: Creator John Gray grew up in Brooklyn, New York, which is not far from Grandview-On-Hudson, west of the Hudson River. Piermont is often referenced in episodes as the neighboring town, which is accurate to real life as Grandview-On-Hudson is actually located just north of Piermont. Professor Rick Payne worked in the fictional "Rockland University," and perhaps not coincidentally, the actual Grandview, New York is a village located in Rockland County, New York.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Melinda Gordon (23 episodes)
David Conrad as Jim Clancy/Sam Lucas (23 episodes)
Camryn Manheim as Delia Banks (23 episodes)
Jay Mohr as Rick Payne (1 episode)
Christoph Sanders as Ned Banks (13 episodes)
Jamie Kennedy as Eli James (23 episodes)

tag: ul

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No. in
Series
No. in
Season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

63
1
"Firestarter"
Eric Laneuville
P.K. Simonds
October 3, 2008 (2008-10-03)
9.44[13]

Melinda hears that there has been a fire at the Rockland University Building when Jim is called over there, and hurries over, fearful for Professor Rick Payne, but he is revealed to be alive and well. However, a therapist by the name Eli James dies, and Melinda witnesses his soul being brought back. This 'near-death' experience grants him the ability to hear ghosts. The episode is focused on the ghost of one of Eli's patients,who was possibly more than that, and whether or not she has been starting fires since she was 12. Whilst Melinda is trapped in the archives, she meets a group of seemingly benign ghosts calling themselves the watchers, who warn her that dealing with death may brush off on something she loves.
Note: This was Jay Mohr's last appearance as Professor Payne. First appearance of Jamie Kennedy
Guest Star: Alona Tal as Fiona Raine

64
2
"Big Chills"
Peter Werner
Laurie McCarthy
October 10, 2008 (2008-10-10)
9.69[14]

A woman finds her friend dead and strange things start happening around her. She remembers Melinda's abilities from high school (not that she ever believed it before) and calls on her for help. Mel quickly uncovers the story-Grace, her current boyfriend and the dead friend were in a car accident with a motorcyclist 10 years ago and they left him for dead. The guilt ate away at the dead friend but when he tried to go to the police, the other two stopped him. Melinda must tell the motorcyclists family what happened to him in order for the ghost to move on.

65
3
"Ghost in the Machine"
Steven Robman
Jeannine Renshaw
October 17, 2008 (2008-10-17)
8.97[15]

Melinda watches Ned playing a computer game, and notices one of the Avatars staring right at her, and he appears in her shop, making her realise she has pulled him out of the game. She realises he is a ghost who appears as his Avatar because that is how he remembers himself, he died whilst playing the game. After realising that this Ghost/Avatar-'Phoenix' is usually hanging around with a teenage girl in the game, Mel, Ned and Eli suspect that he is a Predator, and proceed to try and catch him. Melinda sets up an Avatar and enters the game, and eventually discovers that 'Phoenix' is the girls dad, and is actually trying to protect his daughter from the real Predator, who they then have to work together to catch.

66
4
"Save Our Souls"
Gloria Muzio
Mark B. Perry
October 24, 2008 (2008-10-24)
10.14[16]

Melinda and Jim go to a cruise ship that is going to be scrapped soon and meet the newlywed couple staying in the room next to theirs who want to swap because they are having problems with their room and marriage. Mel sees lots of ghosts on the ship and one is very friendly and helpful. Mel realises room M108 is haunted by a ghost who is looking for her fiancé and swaps rooms so she can help her. She figures out the story of how the ghost died and who her fiancé was- he happens to be the owner of the ship, and has to get him to help the ghost cross over.
Guest Star: Solange Knowles as cruise singer.

67
5
"Bloodline"
Ian Sander
Melissa Blake & Joy Blake
October 31, 2008 (2008-10-31)
9.40[17]

A teenager dies while playing tennis with Ned and a friend, and her ghost starts haunting the girl. Mel finds out that the two girls used to be friends until their mothers stopped talking and one family moved away. After the discovery that the blood clot that killed Diana is a genetic condition, it is revealed that the girls were swapped at birth. The ghost tries to stop Melinda revealing the truth.

68
6
"Imaginary Friends and Enemies"
Eric Laneuville
Vivian Lee
November 7, 2008 (2008-11-07)
11.06[18]

Mel and Jim visit an old lodge with an old friend, her daughter and her new fiancé, and Melinda quickly realises that the little girl's imaginary friend is actually a ghost. The ghost seems obsessed with the girl's mother, and wants to play a game with her, but the game ends up hurting the mother. It is later revealed that the mother used to be friends with the ghost (when he was alive and after), and he is trying to warn her about someone, using a clues game they used to play. Melinda has to convince Tricia to play the game and work out the clues. Jim is shot.

69
7
"Threshold"
John Gray
John Gray
November 14, 2008 (2008-11-14)
11.57[19]

Jim meets his brother in the in-between state, but decides that he needs to stay behind to be with Mel, since she's not coping without him. She can't see him even though he's there, because her grief is strengthening the veil, but there is another ghost who wants her help, and she mistakes the signs as being from Jim. Eventually he gets through to her, and she tries to convince him to cross over, but he refuses. The other ghost is revealed to be the recently deceased stepdaughter of the man who shot Jim. At an accident, a man dies and goes into the light, and Jim steps into the body, despite Melinda's warning.

70
8
"Heart & Soul"
Ian Sander
Mark B. Perry & P.K. Simonds
November 21, 2008 (2008-11-21)
11.28[20]

Jim/Sam has no memory of being Jim and very little of being Sam, and Melinda tries to help, wanting the love of her life back. He visits Sam's family but eventually accepts Mel's offer to fix up her garage and live there whilst doing so. Delia doesn't believe Melinda about Jim's spirit stepping into Sam's body.

71
9
"Pieces of You"
Jim Chressanthis
Laurie McCarthy
December 5, 2008 (2008-12-05)
9.71[21]

Jim/Sam is concerned about what might be going on between him and Melinda, thinking they were having an affair, and she assures him she would never cheat on her husband. She starts to tell him about the whole Jim/Sam thing, but his reaction stops her. Delia believes Mel about Jim/Sam after seeing him waiting for Ned at the basketball court, and convinces him to stay. Meanwhile, Mel has to help the ghost of a little girl who is haunting a wishing well.

72
10
"Ball & Chain"
Eric Laneuville
Christina M. Kim & Jeannine Renshaw
December 19, 2008 (2008-12-19)
10.18[22]

Whilst doing work at a house, Jim/Sam hears a car backfire and remembers being shot, which he finds weird, but Mel sees it as a sign of Jim still being in there somewhere. Whilst searching for clues about who he is, he finds an engagement ring Sam was planning on giving his on/off girlfriend, bought a month before his accident. Mel has to unravel the mystery behind a ghost's death, since the ghost is convinced she didn't abandon her family.

73
11
"Life on the Line"
Eric Laneuville
Christina M. Kim & Jeannine Renshaw
January 9, 2009 (2009-01-09)
10.64[23]

Delia is selling a house and she and Mel find it odd that there are still so many family photos and personal effects everywhere. Ned finds the lawnmower and awakens a ghost, who resends an old 911 call made from the house. This leads Melinda to investigate, and she discovers that a 14-year-old boy was killed by the lawnmower there. She must uncover the truth behind the accident and get the family back together for the ghost to move on. Also, Sam remembers medical procedures, indicating that more of Jim's past is coming up. He also tries to find evidence of his fiancé in his personal effects including looking through his sent e-mails.

74
12
"This Joint's Haunted"
Mark Rosman
Mark B. Perry
January 16, 2009 (2009-01-16)
10.58[24]

Delia throws a dinner party for a couple of her high school friends and Eli who quickly hears a ghost about the place. Ned housesits for Mel whilst she goes on a road trip with Sam who is trying to find his fiancé in the hope that she can help with regaining his memory. Mel has to help a few ghosts along the way, all without revealing her abilities to Sam. The ghost in Delia's house is trying to stop her from being so hard on Ned because she blames her own parents for her death. Sam's fiancé comes to see him and finally believes him about the amnesia.

75
13
"Body of Water"
Jennifer Love Hewitt
P.K. Simonds & Laurie McCarthy
January 23, 2009 (2009-01-23)
11.18[25]

A girl swims in a lake and is scared away. It is later discovered that there are many dead bodies in the lake and one of them is the girls' father. Mel and Eli have to figure out what happened to the bodies to stop the ghosts from being so angry and helping them move on, and it has something to do with the owner of the funeral home, who now has cancer and won't take his medication. Sam's fiancé Nikki ends up staying with Mel and spending a lot of time with Sam, which worries Delia, who urges Mel to fight for him. The Watchers return and warn Mel again, and she learns that they chose to stay earthbound to help the living. After his past life regression session with Eli, Sam remembers loving Mel, but he thinks he is remembering Nikki.
Note: This episode was Jennifer Love Hewitt's directorial debut.

76
14
"Slow Burn"
Steven Robman
Jeannine Renshaw
February 6, 2009 (2009-02-06)
11.41[26]

Delia asks Sam and Mel to help her chaperone Ned's school dance, and Mel sees a ghost trying to stop a girl leaving with an older boy. She quickly realises the ghost is the girls' mother, and must figure out why she doesn't want the two to be together, with very little help from the ghost herself. Delia and Eli help her. Sam asks her on a date and she accepts, but helping the ghost causes her to miss it, and leads Sam to think she's not ready to date after losing her husband.
Guest Star: Kendall Schmidt as Jeff

77
15
"Greek Tragedy"
Karen Gaviola
Christina M. Kim
February 13, 2009 (2009-02-13)
10.30[27]

A sorority at Rockland University 'hazes' new members with a brutal ritual, and one girl never returns the next day, which is a first. Mel plans a date with Sam and promises Delia no ghost business, but is unable to help herself when she sees a ghost with a bag over her head, immediately thinking it is the missing girl. Eli works with her to figure out how she died, but the ghost is not who they thought she was at all, she died forty years ago after trying to make amends for the horrible things she did as a sorority leader. Mel told Sam she was volunteering at the firehouse, and when he asks about her there he finds that she never signed in, but he sees on her TV at the Rescue mission. He asks her about it and she lies, making him suspicious.

78
16
"Ghost Busted"
John Behring
Mark B. Perry & P.K. Simonds
February 27, 2009 (2009-02-27)
11.54[28]

Melinda's neighbours hire a ghost hunter right when she was about to tell Sam about her gift, and after seeing his sceptical reaction, she holds off on telling him, despite Delia's urging otherwise. Eli hangs out with the ghost hunter and accidentally reveals his own gift, ending up thinking the ghost hunter is legit, and they incorrectly deduce that the ghost is the house's previous owner. Eli lies to Sam when he asks questions about Mel, and Delia tells him to keep an open mind. Mel works out who the ghost really is and helps him move on, finally tells Sam about her gift, and is crushed when he is sceptical.

79
17
"Delusions of Grandview"
Jefery Levy
Laurie McCarthy & Mark B. Perry
March 6, 2009 (2009-03-06)
11.09[29]

Sam wants to see Melinda doing her thing, and follows her to a school where he's been doing work. Mel quickly sees ghosts and works out that they are patients of the mental hospital that the school used to be. One ghost in particular needs her help, she was admitted to the hospital after supposedly drowning her baby. Sam goes into the tunnels with Melinda, and gets freaked out when she has a vision of how the ghost died, which involved electro-shock therapy. Delia and Eli work out that the ghost's doctor was a ghost himself, and she is trying to protect the children in the school from him. Mel finally tells Sam about him being Jim, and he refuses to believe it, instead thinking that Mel needs professional help.

80
18
"Leap of Faith"
Ian Sander
P.K. Simonds & Laurie McCarthy
March 13, 2009 (2009-03-13)
10.58[30]

Sam moved out at Melinda's request, but he forgot something, so tries calling her to ask for it, but she won't answer his calls. Mel is scared by a break-in at her shop, especially when Dr Byrd's ghost shows up again. Eli goes to see the guy who broke in and discovers that he is another step-in (like what Jim did to Sam). Mel deduces that Dr Byrd is behind the step-in's, and works out that he wants another body for himself. Mel realises the other step-in is lost and confused somewhere in the tunnels and goes to find and help him, but the water valve has broken and the place is quickly filling with water. Byrd goes to get Eli and Sam is sceptical of his belief in a ghost he doesn't trust, but follows him down anyway. Since Eli can't swim, Sam goes to rescue Mel, and after his bag gets trapped on something, Jim's life flashes before his eyes.

81
19
"Thrilled to Death"
Gloria Muzio
Laurie McCarthy & Jeannine Renshaw
April 10, 2009 (2009-04-10)
10.08[31]

A young woman in Eli's apartment building is being haunted, but claims she doesn't know anyone who has died. Mel and Eli investigate together and figure out who the ghost is, and when they find out that Morgan was lying about knowing him, they wonder what else she's been lying about, and quickly discover that she is ill herself. Meanwhile, Jim misses his job and friends but realises that can't be his life anymore, and he eventually decides he wants to go to Med School. Mel and Eli realise there is much more to Morgan's story, and have to stop the ghost hurting her out of his anger at being lied to.
Guest Star: Hilary Duff as Morgan.

82
20
"Stage Fright"
Eric Laneuville
Mark B. Perry
April 24, 2009 (2009-04-24)
9.23[32]

A TV show is shooting in Grandview and wants to use Melinda's store. Mel, Delia, Jim and Eli go to a Promotional Event, and Mel and Eli quickly pick up that a ghost is haunting the writer of the show and the lead male actor, and is also involving a seemingly random girl in the audience. They discover that they were all in a play together and the ghost was shot on stage when the blank gun malfunctioned. Mel and Eli think he blames the other three for his death and Eli jumps to the conclusion that the ghost is trying to kill someone on the show. They have to unravel the truth behind what happened in the play all those years ago so the ghost can cross over. After an accident shooting a walk-on part, Jim takes Mel to the hospital and they get some great news.
Guest Star: Amelia Heinle as Brook Dennis.

83
21
"Cursed"
Kim Moses
Laurie McCarthy
May 1, 2009 (2009-05-01)
9.79[33]

A little girl comes into the store, searching for a very specific doll, and when the older girl (a cousin) explains that it is for a replica dollhouse of the house the older girl lived in with her family before they died, and that the dolls 'talk' to the little girl, Melinda suspects that the spirits of Emma's family are trapped in the dollhouse. She investigates until she finds out the truth behind their deaths, leading her to think that the little girls mother (and Emma's Aunt) killed the family for their money and wants to hurt Emma. Mel tells Delia she's pregnant, then discovers that she's lost her wedding bands. Jim proposes again.

84
22
"Endless Love"
Ian Sander
P.K. Simonds
May 8, 2009 (2009-05-08)
9.50[34]

Melinda is at Delia's when she realises that one of the girls in Ned's study group is being haunted. After a sleepwalking incident, Mel and Eli try to work out who the ghost is and what he wants. Eli's friend Zoe (who told him about Voodoo in the previous episode) recognises the hauntings as Vampire Myths, leading Mel to wonder if Serena knew the ghost, and whether she was into Vampires. When she tries to ask her about it, Serena ends up thinking Vampires are real, and is surprised when Mel reveals she was talking about a ghost. The ghost leads Serena to his crypt after she says she wants to see him, and Mel has to race against time to get there and get her out of the sealed crypt before all the oxygen runs out. Also, Mel and Jim plan their second wedding-with Jim as Sam.
Guest Star: Alexa Vega as Serena

85
23
"The Book of Changes"
John Gray
John Gray
May 15, 2009 (2009-05-15)
9.15[35]

Melinda's mother hires a wedding planner who completely ignores what the couple want. Someone breaks into the University Library and then Zoe's house, but is interrupted by Eli. The thief only stole one book- called 'The Book of Changes' by the Watchers. It has important dates in it, such as previous deaths and Melinda's due date, which is why Carl the Watcher tells Eli not to let Melinda see or touch the book. Because the collection it was hidden in is being bought, the Watchers are trying to protect it. Melinda keeps getting visions of a faceless girl holding the book and saying that Mel's future is in 'her' hands and that Mel can't save 'her'. Mel is scared for her unborn baby, especially when she learns that it will be able to do much more than her (with their gift). Jim and Mel have a quiet wedding on the street where they first met, with only Delia and Eli in attendance, and Jim calls it a renewal of everything they already had and have. Mel is told she has lots of white light around her-spirits protecting her, but if the balance slips, that could change. Eli becomes 'The Book of Changes' new caretaker.

tag: table


document_title: Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes

question_text: who is the highest paid professional sports player

text: 2017 list

text: The 2017 list:[1]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$93 million
$58 million
$35 million

2
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$86.2 million
$31.2 million
$55 million

3
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$80 million
$53 million
$27 million

4
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$64 million
$6 million
$58 million

5
Kevin Durant
Basketball
 United States
$60.6 million
$26.6 million
$34 million

6
Andrew Luck
American football
 United States
$50 million
$47 million
$3 million

6
Rory McIlroy
Golf
 Northern Ireland
$50 million
$16 million
$34 million

8
Stephen Curry
Basketball
 United States
$47.3 million
$12.3 million
$35 million

9
James Harden
Basketball
 United States
$46.6 million
$26.6 million
$20 million

10
Lewis Hamilton
Auto racing
 England
$46 million
$38 million
$8 million

text: 2016 list

text: The 2016 list:[2]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$88 million
$56 million
$32 million

2
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$81.4 million
$53.4 million
$28 million

3
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$77.2 million
$23.2 million
$54 million

4
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$67.8 million
$7.8 million
$60 million

5
Kevin Durant
Basketball
 United States
$56.2 million
$20.2 million
$36 million

6
Novak Djokovic
Tennis
 Serbia
$55.8 million
$21.8 million
$34 million

7
Cam Newton
American football
 United States
$53.1 million
$41.1 million
$12 million

8
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$52.9 million
$2.9 million
$50 million

9
Jordan Spieth
Golf
 United States
$52.8 million
$20.8 million
$32 million

10
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$50 million
$25 million
$25 million

text: 2015 list

text: The 2015 list was released on 10 June 2015.[3]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing
 United States
$300 million
$285 million
$15 million

2
Manny Pacquiao
Boxing
 Philippines
$160 million
$148 million
$12 million

3
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$79.6 million
$52.6 million
$27 million

4
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$73.8 million
$51.8 million
$22 million

5
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$67 million
$9 million
$58 million

6
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$64.8 million
$20.8 million
$44 million

7
Kevin Durant
Basketball
 United States
$54.1 million
$19.1 million
$35 million

8
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$50.8 million
$2.8 million
$48 million

9
Tiger Woods
Golf
 United States
$50.6 million
$0.6 million
$50 million

10
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$49.5 million
$23.5 million
$26 million

text: 2014 list

text: The 2014 list was released on 11 June 2014.[4]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing
 United States
$105 million
$105 million
$0

2
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$80 million
$52 million
$28 million

3
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$72.3 million
$19.3 million
$53 million

4
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$64.7 million
$41.7 million
$23 million

5
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$61.5 million
$30.5 million
$31 million

6
Tiger Woods
Golf
 United States
$61.2 million
$6.2 million
$55 million

7
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$56.2 million
$4.2 million
$52 million

8
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$53.2 million
$5.2 million
$48 million

9
Rafael Nadal
Tennis
 Spain
$44.5 million
$14.5 million
$30 million

10
Matt Ryan
American football
 United States
$43.8 million
$42 million
$1.8 million

text: 2013 list

text: The 2013 list was released on 5 June 2013.[5]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Tiger Woods
Golf
 United States
$78.1 million
$13.1 million
$65 million

2
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$71.5 million
$6.5 million
$65 million

3
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$61.9 million
$27.9 million
$34 million

4
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$59.8 million
$17.8 million
$42 million

5
Drew Brees
American football
 United States
$51 million
$40 million
$11 million

6
Aaron Rodgers
American football
 United States
$49 million
$43 million
$6 million

7
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$48.7 million
$4.7 million
$44 million

8
David Beckham
Association football
 England
$47.2 million
$5.2 million
$42 million

9
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$44 million
$23 million
$21 million

10
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$41.3 million
$20.3 million
$21 million

text: 2012 list

text: The 2012 list was released on 18 June 2012.[6]

text:
Rank
Name
Sport
Nationality
Total earnings
Salary/winnings
Endorsements

1
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing
 United States
$85 million
$85 million
$0

2
Manny Pacquiao
Boxing
 Philippines
$62 million
$56 million
$6 million

3
Tiger Woods
Golf
 United States
$59.4 million
$4.4 million
$55 million

4
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$53 million
$13 million
$40 million

5
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$52.7 million
$7.7 million
$45 million

6
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$52.3 million
$20.3 million
$32 million

7
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$47.8 million
$4.8 million
$43 million

8
David Beckham
Association football
 England
$46 million
$9 million
$37 million

9
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$42.5 million
$20.5 million
$22 million

10
Peyton Manning
American football
 United States
$42.4 million
$32.4 million
$10 million


document_title: The Rise of Phoenixes

question_text: where was the rise of the phoenixes filmed

text: The Rise of Phoenixes

text: Synopsis[edit]

text: Ning Yi (Chen Kun) is the calculating and ambitious sixth prince of the ruling Tiansheng kingdom, yet has learnt to hide his true personality behind a carefree facade after corrupt and duplicitous court officials charge the third prince Ning Qiao with high treason. Over the next decade, he establishes a secret information network led by Qingming Academy's head tutor Xin Ziyan, and waits for the perfect chance to strike down his enemies and overturn the charges laid against his brother.

text: Feng Zhiwei (Ni Ni) is the illegitimate daughter of the Qiu clan, and is banished from her household after being falsely accused of a crime. In order to survive, she cross-dresses herself as a man and joins the prestigious Qingming Academy. She enters court as a general and politician after stunning the world with her talent and knowledge, and befriends Ning Yi.

text: She remains loyal and honest to the reigning Emperor during the princes’ fight for the throne, yet soon finds out she is the only surviving royalty of a fallen kingdom. Manipulated into thinking that the current kingdom was built upon the corpses of her loved ones, Zhiwei ultimately decides to take revenge against her enemies, including her lover Ning Yi. Will they be able to put their vengeance behind them and live a life without hatred?[3]

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Introduction

Chen Kun[4]
Ning Yi (宁弈)

Sixth prince of Tiansheng Kingdom, the Prince of Chu. Shrewd, ambitious and calculative, he has his eyes set on the throne after his loved ones were framed and massacred by political opponents. He presents himself as a carefree prince whose only objective is to help his older half-brother the crown prince ascend the throne; while secretly building up his political network and connections from scratch.

Ni Ni[5]
Feng Zhiwei (凤知微) Wei Zhi (魏知)

The unfavored daughter of the Qiu Family, who is actually the last princess of the fallen Cheng Dynasty.
After getting banished from the clan after being falsely accused of a crime, Zhiwei cross dresses as a man to attend the prestigious Qingming Academy, and joins the royal court as a respected warrior and official under the alias of Wei Zhi.

text: Supporting[edit]

text: Tiansheng Kingdom Royal Family[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Introduction

Ni Dahong[6]
Ning Shizheng (宁世征)
Ruler of Tiansheng kingdom. A calculative and distrustful man; skilled in balancing the different factions in court.

Hai Yitian[7]
Ning Chuan (宁川)
Crown prince of Tiansheng Kingdom. Though ambitious, he is a useless and incapable man who relies heavily on Chang Hai and other advisors to strategize for him. He is part of the Chang bloodline and thus is backed by the Chang clan.

Shi An[8]
Ning Sheng (宁昇)
Second prince (Prince of Yan) of Tiansheng Kingdom. Ambitious and cruel, he is a key contender for the throne.  Like the Crown Prince, he is also part of the Chang bloodline and is backed by the Chang clan.

Liu Zhehui
Ning Qiao (宁乔)
Third prince of Tiansheng Kingdom. He was killed after being framed by his opponents for high treason. Prior to his death, he had a close relationship with Ning Yi.

Xu Hao
Ning Shao (宁韶)
Princess Shaoning of Tiansheng Kingdom. She is doted on by the Emperor and the Crown prince.

Li Tiannuo
Ning Yan (宁研)
Fifth prince (Prince of Zhao) of Tiansheng Kingdom. Brainless and greedy, he is a lackey of the crown prince.

Qu Gaowei
Ning Qi (宁齐)
Seventh prince of Tiansheng Kingdom. He suffers from mistreatment due to his mother’s lowly status, and sees Ning Yi as his biggest adversary.

Wang Kaiyi
Ning Ji (宁霁)
Tenth prince of Tiansheng Kingdom and the emperor’s youngest son.  A kind boy at heart, he is closest to Ning Yi.

Song Jiayang
Ning Qing (宁清)

Du Hongbin
Ning Zhuo (宁濯)

Mei Ting
Ya Le (雅乐)
Princess of the Sunset tribe and Ning Yi's mother. She was killed on charges of witchcraft.

Yu Mingjia[9]
Noble Consort Chang (常贵妃)
Ning Sheng's birth mother and Ning Yi's foster mother. Member of the Chang clan, younger sister of the late empress. She was ordered to raise Ning Yi after his mother's death, but has a strained relationship with him.

Zhu Rui
Yue Ling (月泠)
Consort Qing. Daughter of one of the founding members of the Bloody Pagoda. She enters court as the king’s woman, and tries to fracture the dynasty by sowing discord between the emperor and his sons.

Chen Yingying
Consort Wei (魏王妃)

Wang Oulei
Lady Wang
A kind yet unfavored concubine of the emperor.  Ning Qi's biological mother.

text: Tiansheng Kingdom Court Officials and Servants[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Introduction

Ministers

Zhao Lixin[10]
Xin Ziyan (辛子砚)
Head Tutor of Qingming Academy.  Appears to be an advisor in the Crown Prince's faction, yet is actually a trusted mentor and good friend of Ning Yi. He was close to the late Prince Ning Qiao

Wang Ou[11]
Hua Qiong (华琼)
Female general of Tiansheng Kingdom, known as the "Fire Wind Warrior".  Yan Huaishi's childhood friend and wife.

Yin Zhusheng
Chang Yuan (常远)
Duke of Min and head of the Chang family. A powerful general who contributed greatly to the founding of the Tiansheng Kingdom and holds significant power in court. He is the older brother of Chang Hai and is the uncle of both the crown prince and the second prince. He is viewed as the biggest threat to the Emperor's authority.

Xu Wei
Chang Hai (常海)
Uncle of the crown prince and second prince, Duke of Min's younger brother.  A loyal ally of the Crown Prince.

Lu Yong
Qiu Shangqi (秋尚奇)
Commander-in-chief of the infantry and leader of the Flying Shadow guards. Appears to be an ally of the Crown prince, however, he prioritizes his own welfare above all else, and is a fence-sitter who always plays it safe in politics.

Wang Ce[12]
Gu Yan (顾衍)
Head of the Royal Guards.  Originally the second-in-command of the Bloody Pagoda, he betrays his organisation and joins the Tiansheng Kingdom as head of the royal guards.

Qin Yan
Yao Ying (姚英)
Grand Secretary of Internal Affairs. Ning Yi's ally.

Chang Cheng
Peng Pei (彭沛)
Ministry of Penalty. Ning Sheng's ally.

Ren Luomin
Ge Hongying (葛鸿英)
Assistant minister. Ning Yan's ally.

Zhao Chengshun
Chunyu hong (淳于鸿)
Chunyu Meng's father.

Servants

Hou Yansong
Zhao Yuan (赵渊)
The emperor's trusted head eunuch. In charge of the Internal Affairs Department.

He Lei[13]
Ning Cheng (宁澄)
Ning Yi's loyal bodyguard.

Liu Yun
Manchun (曼春)
Ning Yi's personal attendant.

Rong Fei
Wu Ying (吴英)
An eunuch who was sent to spy on Ning Yi by the emperor, but decided to remain faithful to the prince after hearing the truth behind his schemes.

Chen Liang
Ah Chou (阿丑)
Gu Yuan's trusted aide.

text: People of Tiansheng Kingdom[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Introduction

Hu Ke
Dahua (大花)
Xin Ziyan's wife.

Xu Jian
Yan Huaishi (燕怀石)
Hua Qiong’s husband and leader of the Yan clan.

Liu Haoyan[14]
Chunyu Meng (淳于猛)
Son of a powerful warrior. He is loyal to Ning Yi and aids him in his conquest.

Mao Yi[15]
Yao Yangyu (姚扬宇)
Son of Yao Ying. He is the top student at Qingming Academy, but is unruly and arrogant.

Wang Jiaqi
Zhuyin (珠茵)
Daughter of one of Ning Qiao's trusted generals.  She is now a courtesan at Lanxiang court who collects intelligence for Ning Yi.

Qiu clan

Liu Mintao[16]
Qiu Mingying (秋明缨)
Young mistress of Qiu clan. Wife of Gu Heng. Previous commander of the Fire Wind army. She takes in Feng Zhiwei and raises her as her own.

Yang Ziyan
Madame Qiu (秋夫人)
Qiu Shangqi's wife.

Deng Sha
Yuhua (玉华)
Qiu Shangqi's fifth concubine.

Xu Ge
Qiu Yuluo (秋玉落)
Third young mistress of Qiu manor. A spoilt and unruly girl who was betrothed to Ning Yi by the Emperor.

Chang Long
Feng Hao (凤皓)
Qiu Mingying's biological son.A cheeky man child, yet loves his mother and sister dearly.

text: Cheng Dynasty[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Introduction

Bai Jingting[17]
Gu Nanyi (顾南衣)
An assassin of Bloody Pagoda. Son of Gu Yan. He becomes Feng Zhiwei's bodyguard, and views her as the most important person of his life.

Xiu Qing
Zong Chen (宗宸)
One of the leaders of the Bloody Pagoda, and Gu Nanyi's mentor. He masquerades as a teacher of a private school, yet is extremely skilled in martial arts and an expert of medicine.

Hei Zi
Gu Heng (顾衡)
Previous leader of the Bloody Pagoda. Feng Zhiwei's foster father; Qiu Mingying's husband.

Tan Kai
Emperor of Da Cheng (大成皇帝)
Feng Zhiwei's father.

Zhang Dinghan
Empress of Da Cheng (大成皇后)
Feng Zhiwei's mother.

text: Jinshi Tribe[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Introduction

Zhang Xiaochen[18]
Helian Zheng (赫连铮)
Heir of Jinshi, a nomadic tribe.  He was given Zhiwei's hand of marriage by the Emperor, to ensure his loyalty to the Tiansheng Kingdom. He loves Zhiwei, and is willing to give anything to help her accomplish her dreams of restoring the Dacheng Dynasty.

Li Jingjing
Liu Mudan (刘牡丹)
Grand Royal Consort. Helian Zheng's mother.

Qin Yong[19]
San Sun (三隼)
General of Jinshi.

Zhou Kui
Helian Lie (赫连烈)
Helian Zheng's Uncle, and the previous Jinshi King's twin brother.

Deng Hanyu
Helian Tu (赫连图)
Current King of Jinshi, the younger half-brother of Helian Zheng. Used by Helian Lie as a puppet king.

text: Kingdom of Yue[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Introduction

Yuan Hong[20]
Jin Siyu (晋思羽)
Third prince of Yue, the Prince of An. He is determined to take revenge for his father and older brother, who died at the hands of Ning Yi and Helian Zheng’s troops. He falls in love with Feng Zhiwei after witnessing her talent.

Shen Xiaohai
Zhanbi (占壁)
A spy of the Kingdom of Yue, Ya Le's lover.

text:
Actor
Character
Introduction

Chi Feng
Aunt Ziying (凌英姑姑)

Chen Sisi
Erhua (二花)
Dahua's younger sister, sister in law of Xin Ziyan

Dai Xu
Chang Zhongxin (常忠信)

Lv Xia
Liu Meiduo (刘梅朵)

Zhang Zhizhong
Xu Qirui (徐启瑞)

Sun Ning
Hu Shengshan (胡圣山)

Liu Jun
Wu Yuanming (吴渊铭)

Yang Haoyu
Zhou Xizhong (周希中)

Dang Haoyu
San Hu (三虎)

Liu Haibo
Zhangsun Hong (长孙弘)

Zhang Ruoxing
Qian Yan (钱彦)

Wu You
Ni Wenyu (倪文昱)

Zheng Yu
Si Xian (司宪)

Luan Yuanhui
Chen Shao (陈绍)

Dai Wenwen
Si Yinyue (司隐乐)

Sui Yumeng
Yao Yangci (姚扬慈)

Zhang Xinying
Hua Gongmei (华宫眉)

He Miao
Hu Jingshui (胡静水)

Cai Yatong
Jiarong (佳荣)

Yue Xin
Siling (四翎)

Zhao Yanmin
Li Shiru (厉世和)

Chen Youwang
Elder Sizhi (四知长老)

Yan Zhiping
Liu Yuanzheng (刘院正)

Tang Xu
Royal Physician Lu (卢御医)

Dong Zhao
Royal Physician Zhang (张御医)

Zhang Shihong
Royal Physician (御医)

Wu Yuanfang

Zhang Maolin
Xu Shichang (许事昌)

Li Bin
Royal Astronomer (灵台丞)

Xu Shaoying
Guo Jun (郭俊)

Chi Wen
Elder of Sunset Tribe (日落族族长)

Deng Mingjiang
Officer guarding the cliff (守崖官)

Qu Guoxiang
Old Horsekeeper (老马夫)
Initially an assassin of the Bloody Pagoda who was taken in by the Crown Prince after the fall of the Cheng dynasty.

Kang Fuzhen
Young Horsekeeper (小马夫)
Old Horsekeeper's son. A kind-hearted young man who saves Wei Zhi's life.

Chen Liwei
Porter (担夫)

Jiang Zhongwei
Physician of Pu Courtyard (浦园御医)

Wen Zheng
Officer of the Seal (奉印大臣)

Teng Yi
Sanhua (三花)

Zhang Yuxiao
Sihua (四花)

Cheng Guodong
Sir Hu (胡先生)

Zhang Ye
Changji (长吉)
A guard of Princess Shaoning.

Yang Kaicheng
Chang Zhongli (常忠礼)

Tang Xiawa
Chang Zhongli's wife (常忠礼夫人)

Jin Jing
Hushi (扈室)

Ma Weifu
Attendant Li (刘管事)

Cui Youbin
Chang Zhongyi (常忠义)

Feng Jun
Nursemaid Chen (陈嬷嬷)

Zhang Yixin
Consort Chang's nursemaid (常贵妃嬷嬷)

Shi Min
Palace maid of Hua Gongmei (华宫眉宫女)

Xie Guohua
Consort Chang's attendant (常贵妃内侍)

Xu Li
Ziyin (梓音)

Zhou Xin
Zhuxin (烛心)

Zhang Ziting
Duo'er (朵儿)

Hu Yilin
Ying'er (莹儿)

Zhang Bo
Chen Ming (陈明)

Sun Yiyang
Xuanchen (宣辰)

Wu Bohang
Lu Ming (陆明)

Wang Jiasui
Qinyu (沁玉)

Zhang Luyao
Lianmeng (怜梦)

Wang Ailin
Bixia (碧霞)

Jiang Yunyun
Xixue (惜雪)

Wang Yijie
Xiwen (熙雯)

Tian Shuang
Qianmo (千茉)

Cao Lei
Prison Head (牢头)

Wang Hong
Sun Xiang (孙祥)

Li Zhenyu
Li Cai (李才)

Chang Wei
Huo Laosan (霍老三)
Once a prison officer who guarded and befriended Ning Yi during his years of captivity.

Ma Zhenrong
Song Laoer (宋老二)

Luo Siyu
Madam (老鸨)
Madam of the dance house.

Zhang Bo
Chahu (茶壶)

Xu Zhifei
Guest (客人)

Wu Youxi
Physician 1 (郎中甲)

Song Dongxiao
Physician 2 (郎中乙)

Shen Yang
Xingyi (邢义)

Xing Xiaoyan
Song Jie (宋杰)

Wang Chen
Yu Xiu (余休)

Zheng Xiaozhong
Lin Renqi (林任奇)

Xiang Yu
Commander of Ning Qi's troops (宁齐首领)

Wang Xi
Captain Wei (卫队长)

Li Zhenyu
Head Pirate (海盗头目)

Yao Weiping
Monk (禅师)

Cao Yonggang
Monk Wanjie (万劫禅师)

Li Du
Coroner (仵作)

Fang Haowei
Maid of Qiu Manor (秋府丫鬟)

Zhang Ya'nan
Noble lady (贵女)

Jiang Dongmei
Royal consort (贵妃)

Wang Yanjun
Ning Sheng's subordinate (宁昇幕僚)

Lao Yuan
Qingming Academy's attendant (青溟书院门房)

Lu Chenyang
Dingsan (丁三)

Wang Quan
Shaoning's senior eunuch (韶宁大太监)

Gao Fengyang
Shaoning's junior eunuch (韶宁小太监)

Yao Zhuoran
Female commoner (民妇)

Zhang Zisheng
Commoner's husband (民妇丈夫)

Liu Muyu
Xin Ziyan's servant (辛子砚仆人)

Liu Hanyang
Tie Nan (铁男)

Li Honglei
Boss (店铺老板)

Zhao Shuai
Waiter (店小二)

Zhu Feng
Officer 1 (官兵甲)

Sun Letian
Officer 2 (官兵乙)

Shi Yafeng
Crippled man (瘸子)

Zhang Mengqiang
Store owner (摊主)

Ma Shuo
Jailer (狱卒甲)

Chang Li
Prisoner (犯人甲)

Yang Feng
Coroner 2 (仵作甲)

Yi Yajun
Private adviser (师爷)

Chang Li
Human trafficker (人牙子)

Song Qingchang
Elder (长老)

Wang Junheng
Medicine shop employee (药铺伙计)

Jiang Hongshi
Physician (御医)

Chong Yunpeng

Li Zhencheng
Officer (官员)

Gao Wei
Liu Guang (刘光)

Huang Junchao
Second in-command of White Head Cliff (白头崖副将)

Li Wenping
Chen Shao's father (陈绍父亲)

Yu Ganglong
Execution military officer (行邢武官)

Chen Zhuankai
Execution civil officer (行邢文官)

Cui Jun
Servant (仆役乙)

Shi Junxian
General (将军甲)

Liu Songbin
Cheng Dynasty elders (大成遗老)

Zhang Jianguo

Zhang Dunyou

Zhu Song

Chi Dan
Jinshi Ambassadors (金狮使臣)

Yin Xiaoming

Tao Ci
Jinshi Officials (金狮大臣)

Yang Minggang

Ding Hao

Yin Gang

Xu Zhengzhi

Han Meimei
Matrons of Honor (喜娘)

Liu Fang

Yang Huilin

Xu Li
Nanny (乳母)

Guo Yinyu
Descendant of Chang (常氏子侄)

Jing Haifeng

Zhang Zhi

Lei Chao

Liu Bingchao

text: Production[edit]

text: Principal photography commenced on 27 May 2017,[21] and the entire filming wrapped up on 12 December 2017.[22] It was revealed that the series also uses "real-time" voice recording during filming.[23]

text: Crew[edit]

text: The series is directed by Shen Yan and Liu Haibo (Chinese Style Relationship),[24] and written by internet novel writers Lu Jing (original author), Lu Yi, Zou Yue, Wang Pei and Qiu Yongyi. Costume designer and artistic director William Chang (The Flowers of War, The Grandmaster) was in charge of costumes designing along with Lu Fengshan and Fang Sizhe. Other notable crew members include stunt choreographer Yuan Bin (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate), stills photographer Bao Xiangyu (Coming Home, Mojin: The Lost Legend), composer Dong Yingda (Sweet Sixteen, All Quiet in Peking), cinematographer Li Xi (Love is Not Blind), artistic director Kun Xiaotong, editor Zhang Jia (Go Lala Go!).[25] and etiquette consultant Li Bin (Nirvana in Fire, The Legend of Mi Yue).[26]

text: Casting[edit]

text: On 20 October 2016, Chen Kun was announced as the male lead.[4] On 7 March 2017, Ni Ni was announced as the female lead; this also marks Ni Ni's first television series.[5] The extended cast was revealed on 27 April 2017.[25]

text: Location[edit]

text: The series is the first television drama to be filmed in Tang City Film Studios, Xiangyang, which was built especially for Chen Kaige's fantasy film The Legend of the Cat Demon. Reportedly, the location was picked not only because it fits the time period of the story setting, but also because the location is not featured in dramas frequently, as most historical/ancient Chinese dramas are filmed at Hengdian World Studios.[27] The series was also filmed in other places like Wuxi and Duyun.[28]

text: Post-production[edit]

text: In September 2017, cast members Zhao Lixin and Zhang Xiaochen attended the Weibo Awards Ceremony, where The Rise of Phoenixes was awarded the "Most Anticipated Television Series" award.[23]

text: In May 2018, it was revealed that the Chinese name for the series  was changed from "凰权•弈天下 (Huang Quan Yi Tian Xia)" to "天盛长歌 (Tiansheng Chang Ge)" and the episode count officially confirmed to be 70 episodes.[29]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: No.TitleLyricsMusicSingersLength1."To No Avail (奈何)" (Insert song)Dong YingdaDong YingdaSam Lee 2."If Like Yesterday (如昨)" (Concept song)Zhang Pengpeng, Lin QiaoWu ShutingLiu Xijun 3."Schemes of the Heart (心·机)" (Insert song)Cui ShuDong YingdaTracy Wang 4."Schemes; Love Comes Along (心机·爱相随)" (Insert song)Dong YingdaDong YingdaXu Hongbin 5."Like Dust (轻尘)" (Insert song)Zhang YingChen XueranTang Hanxiao 6."Why to No Avail (何·奈何)" (Ending theme song)Dong YingdaDong YingdaNi Ni

text: Reception[edit]

text: Due to its slow pacing and heavy plot, the series received low viewership ratings, and the original 70 episodes were cut down to 56 episodes on television.[30] However, Douban gave it a score of 8.2/10 with over 105,000 votes, making it the highest rated show out of all the dramas that aired over the summer holidays and one of the highest rated TV dramas of the year so far.[31]

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
Episode #

Original broadcast date

Average audience share (CSM52)

Ranking

Average audience share (National Average)

Ranking

Ratings

Audience share

Ratings

Audience share

1-2

August 14, 2018

0.558

2.092

7

0.73

2.89

5

3-4

August 15, 2018

0.539

2.053

9

0.69

2.76

5

5-6

August 16, 2018

0.486

1.84

10

0.73

2.82

5

7

August 18, 2018

0.233

0.918

12

0.48

1.96

5

8-9

August 19, 2018

0.425

1.562

8

0.58

2.32

3

10-11

August 20, 2018

0.474

1.752

9

0.63

2.45

5

12-13

August 21, 2018

0.416

1.58

10

0.5

1.92

5

14-15

August 22, 2018

0.379

1.386

11

0.53

2.03

6

16-17

August 23, 2018

0.453

1.699

12

0.65

2.51

5

18

August 24, 2018

0.154

0.609

24

0.16

0.69

17

19

August 25, 2018

0.262

0.966

10

0.34

1.36

5

20-21

August 26, 2018

0.350

1.303

7

0.46

1.77

3

22-23

August 27, 2018

0.367

1.352

10

0.46

1.78

5

24-25

August 28, 2018

0.382

1.428

11

0.52

1.96

5

26-27

August 29, 2018

0.434

1.619

11

0.46

1.75

6

28-29

August 30, 2018

0.396

1.478

9

0.48

1.85

14

30

September 1, 2018

0.303

1.036

8

0.33

1.12

8

31-32

September 2, 2018

0.466

1.780

6

0.38

1.51

6

33-34

September 3, 2018

0.44

1.685

9

0.44

1.685

9

35-36

September 4, 2018

0.533

2.113

9

0.41

1.65

7

37-38

September 5, 2018

0.536

2.163

8

39-40

September 6, 2018

0.525

2.138

8

41

September 7, 2018

42

September 8, 2018

43-44

September 9, 2018

45-46

September 10, 2018

47-48

September 11, 2018

49-50

September 12, 2018

51-52

September 13, 2018

53

September 14, 2018

54

September 15, 2018

55-56

September 16, 2018

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Award
Category
Nominated work
Result
Ref.

24th Huading Awards

Best Actor

Chen Kun

Nominated

[32]

Best Actress (Ancient Drama)

Ni Ni

Nominated

Best Supporting Actor

Zhao Lixin

Nominated


document_title: Ginny Weasley

question_text: who does ginny hex on the hogwarts express in harry potter and the half-blood prince

text: Ginny Weasley

text: Character development[edit]

text: Ginny Weasley is a pureblood witch born on 11 August 1981.[1] She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was sorted into Gryffindor house, along with the rest of her family. According to J.K. Rowling, "the backstory with Ginny was, she was the first girl to arrive in the Weasley family in generations, but there's that old tradition of the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and a seventh son of a seventh son, so that's why she's the seventh, because she is a gifted witch. I think you get hints of that, because she does some pretty impressive stuff here and there".[2][3] Over the course of the series, Ginny becomes a strong witch who shows herself to be independent and capable, fighting alongside Harry on more than one occasion as he battles against the Dark Arts.

text: In a joint interview with The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet, Rowling revealed that she "always knew" that Ginny and Harry "were going to come together and then part."[3] The author explained that, as the series progresses, Harry, and by extension the reader, discovers that Ginny is in fact the ideal girl for Harry. Rowling stated that Harry "needs to be with someone who can stand the demands of being with Harry Potter, because he's a scary boyfriend in a lot of ways."[3] By the later part of the series, Ginny and Harry "are total equals" and "worthy of each other." The author also commented that she enjoyed writing the "big emotional journey" that both characters go through, and that she really liked Ginny as a character.[3]

text: Appearances[edit]

text: Ginny first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, when Harry encounters the Weasley family at King's Cross station and they help him to reach Platform 9¾. After realizing Harry's identity, Ginny asks her mother if she can board the Hogwarts Express to see him.[4] Ginny is a first-year student in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in which she develops a crush on Harry and is sorted into Gryffindor. During the climax of the story, it is revealed that she opened the Chamber of Secrets, and is attacking Muggle-born students while being possessed by Tom Riddle's old school diary. Lucius Malfoy had slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron in Flourish and Blotts prior to the term. She has little involvement in Prisoner of Azkaban, though she is studying at Hogwarts throughout the book. In Goblet of Fire, her role was larger as she attends the Quidditch World Cup and the Yule Ball with Neville Longbottom and can be seen in background appearances.

text: In Order of the Phoenix, Ginny had "given up on Harry months ago"[5] (though this is merely a ruse as Hermione previously advised her to pretend to not be as interested in Harry and go out with a few other boys so Harry would eventually notice her),[6] and has a boyfriend, Michael Corner, whom she met at the Yule Ball.  When Umbridge punishes Harry with a "lifetime" Quidditch  ban, Ginny replaces him as Gryffindor Seeker.  During the last part of the book, Ginny breaks up with Michael due to his sulking over Ravenclaw's defeat in the Quiddich Cup final, later replacing him with Dean Thomas. She joins Dumbledore's Army  and is one of five members who accompany Harry in his attempt to rescue Sirius Black from the Department of Mysteries. Towards the end of this book Ginny participates in the battle inside the Ministry of Magic, but is forced to withdraw from the action due to a broken left ankle.[7]

text: In Half-Blood Prince, after she casts the Bat-Bogey Hex on Zacharias Smith, Professor Slughorn respects her magical abilities enough to invite her to join his "Slug Club". Ginny becomes a permanent member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Chaser, and substitutes for Harry as Seeker when Severus Snape puts him in detention during the Quidditch Cup final. After witnessing Ginny kissing Dean in an empty corridor, Harry has an angry internal reaction. This reaction surprises him and upon reflection, he realizes his attraction to Ginny.[8] Since Ginny's older brother Ron vocally objects to Dean going out with his sister, Harry fears his reaction would be the same with him. Ginny's relationship with Dean ends altogether in April following an accidental nudge from Harry under the effects of Felix Felicis, which Ginny interprets as Dean unnecessarily trying to help her through the portrait hole.[9] Ginny and Harry share their first kiss after Gryffindor again won the Quidditch Cup defeating Ravenclaw, thus initiating their relationship. This does not alter Harry's relationship with Ron as he had feared, and they are able to enjoy their relationship for a peaceful few months. After Dumbledore's death, however, Harry decides to end their relationship as he fears his love for Ginny would place her in danger.

text: Propelled by the revelation that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are leaving to seek the remaining Horcruxes in Deathly Hallows, Ginny kisses Harry in her bedroom, and they realize that they both still have intense feelings for each other. She returns to Hogwarts for her sixth year, where she works with Neville and Luna on reuniting Dumbledore's Army. As Ron is on the run with Harry and Hermione, Ginny is forced to go into hiding with her family. Though underage, she takes part in the Battle of Hogwarts despite her mother's and Harry's disapproval.[10] After Harry's supposed death, she, Hermione, and Luna take on Bellatrix Lestrange, who nearly strikes Ginny with a Killing Curse, infuriating Molly Weasley to the point of intervening and slaying Bellatrix herself.[11]

text: In the epilogue, set nineteen years after the events of Deathly Hallows, Harry and Ginny have three children: James, Albus and Lily. Though the epilogue does not explicitly say Ginny and Harry are married, news articles and other sources treat it as a fact.[12][13][14] Rowling elaborated on Ginny's future after the release of the book, saying that after leaving Hogwarts, she joined the Holyhead Harpies and, after spending a few years as a celebrated player, retired to become the senior Quidditch correspondent at the Daily Prophet, and to start a family with Harry.[15][16] In the sequel play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Ginny must help Harry reconcile with their wayward son Albus Severus Potter, and references to events in previous books are mentioned. Her job at The Daily Prophet is briefly mentioned when Draco accuses her of promoting suspicion against former Death Eaters, but she states that her articles are purely sport-related. [17]

text: Characterization[edit]

text: Outward appearance[edit]

text: Ginny is described as an extremely pretty girl.[citation needed] She has typical Weasley family traits: flaming red hair (which she wears in a long mane) and a freckled complexion. She is of petite stature, commented on by several characters, and has bright brown eyes like her mother. When she blushes (which was often around Harry Potter in the early years of their friendship), she goes a shade of red that matches her hair.[18] When in a highly emotional state she is known to acquire a "hard, blazing look".[8]

text: Personality[edit]

text: Ginny is forceful, independent and often speaks her mind. She has an energetic, lively personality; having feelings for Harry, however, during the first few years of their friendship, she became shy and withdrawn in his presence. According to Harry, growing up with six older brothers toughened her up.[19] Ginny is not afraid to stand up to anybody, friends and enemies alike. Notably, she stands up to Draco Malfoy on their first meeting in Flourish and Blotts when he insults Harry in Chamber of Secrets. She even stands up to Hermione, her close friend in defence of Harry's use of the Sectumsempra curse. When describing Ginny, J.K. Rowling notes she is "tough, not in an unpleasant way, but gutsy", also describing her as "warm and compassionate".[20] Ginny was very popular during her time at Hogwarts, and drew attraction by numerous boys. Ron in particular felt that Ginny was "too popular for her own good". Ginny is notably difficult to intimidate or frighten, as seen during her moments of standing up to Harry, particularly in Order of the Phoenix.[citation needed]

text: Magical abilities and skills[edit]

text: Ginny is a very talented and powerful witch. At the age of fourteen she was able to conjure a corporeal Patronus Charm — a very advanced piece of magic and proof that she possessed superior magical ability. According to Pottermore, Ginny's patronus is a horse.[21] She is also a gifted flier and Quidditch player, in particular having scored "seventeen goals" during a Quidditch practice. Ginny became known to use very adeptly the Bat-Bogey Hex, most notably on Draco Malfoy and Zacharias Smith.[citation needed]

text: Portrayals[edit]

text: Bonnie Wright played Ginny Weasley in all eight films of the Harry Potter film series. Wright voiced the character in the Order of Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 video games. Wright has described the character of Ginny as "outgoing, friendly and confident."[22] In an interview with The Telegraph prior to the release of Order of the Phoenix, Wright revealed that she got the role because her brother had read the books and told her she reminded him of Ginny, and recommended that she audition for the part.[23][24]

text: Ginny was voiced by Victoire Robinson for the Chamber of Secrets game, and by Annabel Scholey in Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Bonnie Wright leant her voice to her character in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and acted as a playable character in certain missions.[25][26] Poppy Miller was cast as the adult Ginny in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.[27]


document_title: The Red Violin

question_text: who played the violin in the red violin

question_tokens: who played the violin in the red violin

text: The Red Violin

text: Plot[edit]

text: Cremona, 1681 (Language: Italian)

text: Nicolò Bussotti is a violin-maker whose wife, Anna Rudolfi, is pregnant. Anna asks her servant Cesca to foretell her unborn child's future. Cesca cannot determine the future of someone not born, but she does offer to read Anna's future using tarot cards. The first, The Moon, signifies that Anna will live a long life.

text: In the meantime, Nicolò has fashioned a new violin. He is about to varnish it when he finds that both she and the child have died. Distraught, Nicolò returns to his shop and begins to varnish the violin. The violin then makes its way to an orphanage in Austria.

text: Vienna, 1793 (Language: German and French)

text: Cesca turns over the second card, The Hanged Man, which means disease and suffering for those around Anna.

text: At the orphanage, the violin comes into the possession of Kaspar Weiss, a young but brilliant violin prodigy. The monks at the orphanage ask a violin instructor, Poussin, to adopt the boy to further his development. Poussin brings Weiss and the violin to Vienna. They learn that Prince Mannsfeld is visiting Vienna and is looking for a prodigy to accompany him back to Prussia, promising a generous reward. Poussin puts Weiss through a strict practice regimen. However, the regimens and "Poussin Meter" (a primitive metronome) take a toll on Weiss' heart defect. On the day of the recital, as he starts playing, Weiss's heart gives out from the stress and he collapses, dead.

text: Weiss is buried at the orphanage he grew up in. When Poussin inquires about the violin, the monks explain that they buried it with Weiss. The violin is later stolen by grave robbers travelling in a gypsy procession, who take it to England.

text: Oxford, late 1890s (Language: English and Romani)

text: Cesca's third card is The Devil and she explains that Anna will meet a handsome and intelligent man that will seduce her.

text: Frederick Pope comes across the gypsy procession setting up camp on his estate, as a gypsy woman plays the violin. He offers his hospitality in exchange for the violin. Frederick finds great praise in his public concerts with the violin as well as his compositions, with his lover Victoria Byrd serving as his carnal muse. Victoria, a writer, announces to Frederick that she needs to travel to Russia to research a novel she is working on.

text: While Victoria is absent, Frederick loses his inspiration to compose and degenerates. When Victoria does not receive his letters for a full week, she resolves to return immediately. But when she arrives, she finds him in the arms of a new muse, the violinist gypsy woman. In a moment of rage, Victoria shoots the violin, grazing its neck and detaching its strings and tailpiece, before storming out.

text: Frederick's final letter to Victoria states that he will be committing suicide and that he is leaving his entire estate to her. The violin ends up in the hands of Frederick's Chinese servant, who returns to Shanghai and sells it to an antiques dealer, who repairs the damage. The instrument is sold to a young woman with her daughter during the 1930s.

text: Shanghai, late 1960s (Language: Mandarin)

text: Cesca predicts the fourth card, Justice, means tough times ahead, featuring a trial and persecution, where Anna shall be guilty.

text: In the chaos of China's Cultural Revolution, any ideas or items deemed "bourgeois" are denounced and should be destroyed. One target for public denunciation and self-criticism is a music teacher named Zhou Yuan, who is berated for his fondness for Western classical music. A political officer, Xiang Pei, successfully defends Zhou. Xiang then returns to her residence and retrieves the Red Violin, given as a gift from her mother. Several Red Guards raid Xiang's apartment after learning of its existence, finding nothing.

text: Xiang arrives at Zhou's house and pleads with him to take the violin to keep it safe. He relents and vows to keep it hidden, while Xiang leaves to face possible prosecution from Communist Party officials. Years later, Chinese police enter Zhou's home to find his dead body amid a "sanctuary" of dozens of musical instruments. Upon this discovery, the present-day Chinese government ships these items to Montreal for appraisal and sale at auction.

text: Montréal, 1997 (Language: English and French)

text: The final card, Death, Cesca sees not as predicting death, but, due to its upside-down positioning, as rebirth.

text: Morritz arrives in Montreal as an appraiser for the violins sent by the Chinese government. Almost immediately, he notices the Red Violin and believes it may be the legendary last violin of Nicolò Bussotti. He has restorer Evan Williams perform some work on it, while sending samples of the varnish to a lab at the University of Montreal. At the same time, he purchases a copy of the Red Violin from a private collection in London, the closest copy to the original available.

text: When the results of the varnish tests arrive, Morritz is shocked to learn that the violin's varnish contains human blood. Nicolò had carried his wife's body to his shop after her death and slit her wrist to collect blood for making the red paint. He admits to the auction manager, Leroux, that he has the Red Violin.

text: As he prepares to fly home, Morritz stops by the auction house "Duval's", with the London copy in hand. As the auction for the previous lot ends, Morritz switches the Red Violin for the London copy, which is sold for $2.4 million. Morritz calls his wife at home in New York City and asks to speak to his daughter, telling her he has a special present for her upon his return.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Cremona

text:
Carlo Cecchi – Nicolò Bussotti
Irene Grazioli – Anna Rudolfi Bussotti
Anita Laurenzi – Cesca
Samuele Amighetti – Boy

text: Vienna

text:
Christoph Koncz – Kaspar Weiss
Jean-Luc Bideau – Georges Poussin
Clotilde Mollet – Antoinette Poussin
Arthur Denberg – Prince Mannsfeld

text: Oxford

text:
Jason Flemyng – Frederick Pope
Greta Scacchi – Victoria Byrd
Eva Marie Bryer – Sara
Joshua Bell – Orchestra member: First violin (cameo)

text: Shanghai

text:
Sylvia Chang – Xiang Pei (& Xiang Pei's mother)
Tao Hong – Chen Gang
Liu Zifeng – Zhou Yuan
Han Xiaofei – Ming
Wang Xiaoshuai – one of the four cops (cameo)

text: Montreal

text:
Samuel L. Jackson – Charles Morritz
Colm Feore – Auctioneer
Monique Mercure – Madame Leroux
Don McKellar – Evan Williams
Ireneusz Bogajewicz – Ruselsky
Julian Richings – Nicolas Olsberg
Marvin Mill – Limousine Driver
Russell Yuen – Older Ming
Sandra Oh – Madame Ming
Rémy Girard – Customs Agent

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The film was inspired by one of the violins of Antonio Stradivari, the 1721 Red Mendelssohn, which features a unique red stripe on its top right side.[3][4] By the time the film was made, the Red Mendelssohn was owned by Elizabeth Pitcairn, heiress to the PPG fortune, whose grandfather purchased it for her 16th birthday for $1.7 million at auction at Christie's London.[3][4] Despite rumours and the film, the Red Mendelssohn is varnished with burgundy rather than blood.[3] Stradivarius used red varnish on numerous other violins from 1704 to 1720, the so-called "golden period", and other red-coloured violins besides the Red Mendelssohn survived.[5]

text: Director François Girard opted to make a film about a violin due to his belief that "Making film is making music".[6] The concept of a history of a violin was the starting point, with Girard not initially realizing the project would call for five languages or an unusually large budget.[7] His screenplay, written with Don McKellar, sees the eponymous instrument travel over greater distances, while the years separating each segment become shorter. This suggests a musical structure, though Girard said this was not planned and only developed as he and McKellar continued to write.[6]

text: Girard and McKellar proposed their story and project to various Hollywood companies, but were unwilling to give up creative control,[8] or to limit the number of languages spoken in the film, as U.S. companies requested.[9] As a result, they produced the film with Rhombus Media.[8]

text: Filming[edit]

text: The film is an international co-production, allowing for a larger budget to be accumulated from various sources, making The Red Violin one of the most costly Canadian films produced to date.[10] Its final budget was $15 million.[1] Girard and McKellar employed a few crew members from their previous film, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993), including cinematographer Alain Dostie, editor Gaétan Huot and actor Colm Feore.[11]

text: The co-production also allowed for shooting in Canada, China and around Europe,[10] including the cities of Vienna, Shanghai and Montreal.[12] Girard, McKellar and producer Niv Fichman went location scouting at the beginning of production, visiting Prague and Hong Kong and meeting writers who helped correct foreign-language dialogue. Ultimately, they decided they needed to film in Vienna and Shanghai to properly depict those cities.[13] In Cremona, Italy, Girard visited violin-making schools and met some people who made the instruments, recruiting some as extras.[14]

text: The most challenging part was securing permission from the government of China to simulate the Cultural Revolution in Shanghai, with Fichman travelling to China seven times before the government allowed shooting, which took place only five days later.[8] Shooting in Shanghai took place on Hong Zhen Old Street in the Hongkou District.[15] Hundreds of Chinese police, with guns, closed the streets where shooting took place, due to the 450 extras loudly calling for revolution. Fichman claimed "there was the possibility that we were going to cause a riot".[8] The action in the Montreal segments was the most complex, which Girard said put the greatest strain on himself and the cast.[16] Filming completed after six months,[8] with shooting on 60 of those days.[13]

text: Music[edit]

text: Girard was not a true musician, mainly working with it as a film director.[17] The film score was written by composer John Corigliano, with every violin solo in the film performed by violinist Joshua Bell.[1] The conductor was Esa-Pekka Salonen.[18] The score is mainly of the Chaconne genre,[19] while the ostensibly Romani music was also actually written by Corigliano.[20] Bell said he was eager to join the film crew, citing his enthusiasm for Corigliano's work and his use of form. Corigliano, looking for a romantic musical performance, also referred to Bell as the ideal choice for a musician, calling him "an aristocrat as a violinist".[1] Girard stated Bell and Corigliano were involved from the outset, and reviewed every version of the screenplay as it was in development.[21]

text: Much of the score had to be written before principal photography, which is rare in film.[1] Since the violin movements seen in the film had to match Corigliano's music, real-life child prodigy Christoph Koncz was cast. However, Girard tied up two musicians to actor Jason Flemyng to help him give his performance as a violinist, the "Octopus" method.[8][22] After shooting completed, Corigliano finished "Anna's theme".[23]

text: Release[edit]

text: The Red Violin premiered at the Venice Film Festival in early September 1998, where it received standing applause.[8] It opened in the Toronto International Film Festival in September 1998.[24] It was also screened in international film festivals in London and Tokyo.[12]

text: Odeon Films gave The Red Violin a wider release in Canada on 13 November 1998.[25] A limited release followed in the United Kingdom on 9 April 1999.[26] and the film opened in the United States on 11 June 1999,[1] distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment.[12]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: By February 1999, The Red Violin had grossed $2 million in Canada, surpassing the previous year's winner of the Genie Award for Best Motion Picture, The Sweet Hereafter.[27] By August 1999, the film grossed $6 million in the United States, which Lions Gate Entertainment declared "a huge success for a specialty film." It was the distributor's most successful Canadian film of the year.[12]

text: The film finished its run having made US$10 million in the United States.[28] In Canada, it finished with a gross of $3,378,800, making it one of most seen English Canadian films in national box-office history.[29] It was not a major hit overseas.[30]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Canadian Maclean's critic Brian D. Johnson, referencing Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, wrote "The Red Violin amounts to more than Five Short Films About a Fiddle", crediting Corigliano's music for supplying intensity and the story for making the eponymous violin into its own interesting character.[24] Roger Ebert called the film "heedlessly ambitious", possessing "the kind of sweep and vision that we identify with elegant features from decades ago".[31] For The Guardian, Jonathan Romney wrote that "as flawed movies go, it's elegant, entertaining and quite breathtakingly ambitious."[32] Stephen Holden wrote in The New York Times that the film did not live up to its score.[33] Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B, with Lisa Schwarzbaum writing the fictional violin surpassed all real fiddles in colourful pedigree, and finding the storytelling interesting.[34] The Washington Post critic Stephen Hunter assessed the score to be the strongest element of the film, and the story to be intriguing and occasionally "macabre".[35] Xan Brooks' The Independent review compared the production design unfavourably to a BBC work for students.[26] Laura Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel called the film "praise-worthy".[36]  In The San Francisco Gate, Bob Graham accepted the film's ambition and judged Samuel L. Jackson to be cool in the role, in a very different way than in Pulp Fiction (1994).[37] In National Review, Jay Nordlinger praised Corigliano's soundtrack but criticized Girard's direction and film.[38]

text: In Queen's Quarterly, Maurice Yacowar analyzed the film as presenting the characters of Kaspar, Xian, Peng and Morritz as manifestations of different aspects of Bussoti's passions, while the characters of Poussin and bidder Ruselsky wanted to use the instrument to further their own interests. Yacowar concluded the film "explores passions directed outwards."[39] In the Canadian Journal of Film Studies, Brenda Longfellow criticized the film for materialism and depicting "the sacrifice of a woman on the altar of art."[39] In 2002, readers of Playback voted The Red Violin the third best Canadian film ever.[28] As of July 2016, the film holds a 74% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.2/10, based on 40 reviews.[40]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: Composer John Corigliano was previously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score for the 1980 film Altered States before winning for The Red Violin.[41] He won over American Beauty, which he had considered the front-runner before the ceremony.[18]

text: At the Genie Awards, Don McKellar was effectively competing against himself as a screenwriter of both Last Night and The Red Violin.[42] The Red Violin dominated the awards, with eight wins.[43] The film also competed in the 1st Jutra Awards, launched to honour the Cinema of Quebec. Due to the international production and amount of English, numerous English Canadians accepted awards.[44]

text:
Award

Date of ceremony

Category

Recipient(s)

Result

Ref(s)

Academy Awards

26 March 2000

Best Original Score

John Corigliano

Won

[45]

Chicago Film Critics Association

13 March 2000

Best Original Score

Nominated

[46]

Genie Awards

4 February 1999

Best Motion Picture

Niv Fichman

Won

[43]

Best Direction

François Girard

Won

Best Screenplay

Don McKellar and François Girard

Won

Best Cinematography

Alain Dostie

Won

Best Art Direction

Francois Seguin

Won

Best Editing

Gaétan Huot

Nominated

Best Music

John Corigliano

Won

Best Sound

Claude La Haye, Jo Caron, Bernard Gariepy Strobl and Hans Peter Stroble

Won

Best Sound Editing

Marcel Pothier, Jérôme Décarie, Carole Gagnon, Antoine Morin and Jacques Plante

Nominated

Best Costume Design

Renée April

Won

Golden Globes

23 January 2000

Best Foreign Language Film

The Red Violin

Nominated

[47]

Jutra Awards

7 March 1999

Best Film

Niv Fichman and Daniel Iron

Won

[48]

Best Direction

François Girard

Won

Best Screenplay

François Girard and Don McKellar

Won

Best Actress

Sylvia Chang

Nominated

Best Supporting Actor

Colm Feore

Won

Best Supporting Actress

Monique Mercure

Nominated

Best Art Direction

François Séguin and Renée April

Won

Best Cinematography

Alain Dostie

Won

Best Editing

Gaétan Huot

Won

Best Sound

Claude La Haye, Marcel Pothier, Hans Peter Strobl and Guy Pelletier

Won

Best Score

John Corigliano

Won

Online Film Critics Society

2000

Best Foreign Language Film

The Red Violin

Nominated

[49]

Satellite Awards

16 January 2000

Best Costume Design

Renée April

Nominated

[50]

Tokyo International Film Festival

1998

Best Artistic Contribution Award

François Girard

Won

[51]

Toronto Film Critics Association

16 December 1998

Best Canadian Film

The Red Violin

Runner-up

[52]

text: Legacy[edit]

text: Corigliano adapted his score into a concert, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (The Red Violin), performed in Baltimore, Dallas and Atlanta from 2003 to 2004. In 2005, it was performed at the San Francisco Ballet. He later wrote another adaptation, The Red Violin: Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra.[41]

text: After the film's release, Red Mendelssohn owner Elizabeth Pitcairn also learned its Chaconne, which she called "spooky", adding "that's when the violin can tell its own story; that's when it can actually speak".[53] Pitcairn brought the "Red Violin" to the Prince George Symphony Orchestra in 2012.[54]