document_title: Severus Snape

question_text: why did snape call himself the half blood prince

root

text: Severus Snape

text: Character development

text: In an interview,[3] Rowling described Snape's character as an "antihero". She has said that she drew inspiration for Snape's character from a disliked teacher from her own childhood,[4] and described Snape as a horrible teacher,[5] saying the "worst, shabbiest thing you can do as a teacher is to bully students."[6] However, she does suggest in the books that he is generally an effective teacher.[7] Although Rowling has said that Gilderoy Lockhart is her only character that she "deliberately based on a real person",[8] Snape was reportedly based, at least in part, on John Nettleship, who taught Rowling chemistry and employed her mother as an assistant at Wyedean School near Chepstow.[9][10][11] For Snape's surname, Rowling borrowed the name of the village of Snape, Suffolk.[12] In a 1999 interview[13] and again in 2004,[8] Rowling singled out Snape as one of her favourite characters to write.

tag: p

text: Rowling was less forthcoming about Snape than she was for other characters, because his true loyalties and motivations were not revealed until the final book.[14] However, she hinted numerous times at Snape's important role, suggesting that people should "keep their eye on Snape".[4][15] In 1999, answering a question regarding Snape's love life and the redemptive pattern to his character, Rowling expressed her surprise at the foresight.[16] Rowling also disclosed that after the publication of Prisoner of Azkaban, there was one female fan who guessed Snape loved Lily Potter, making Rowling wonder how she had given herself away.[17]

text: After the completion of the series, Rowling began to speak openly about Snape, discussing the contrast between his character arc and that of Albus Dumbledore.[18] Rowling said "the series is built around [the Dumbledore and Snape storylines]", and maintained that she always knew what Snape would turn out to be at the end and that she carefully plotted his storyline throughout the series. "I had to drop clues all the way through because as you know in the seventh book when you have the revelation scene where everything shifts and you realise...what Snape's motivation was. I had to plot that through the books because at the point where you see what was really going on, it would have been an absolute cheat on the reader at that point just to show a bunch of stuff you've never seen before."[17] Rowling further said in an interview that she wanted Snape to find redemption and forgiveness: "Snape is a complicated man...he was a flawed human being, like all of us. Harry forgives him...Harry really sees the good in Snape ultimately... I wanted there to be redemption."[19]

text: Appearances

text: Snape first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, shortly after Harry arrives at Hogwarts. He is the school's Potions Master, though he is widely rumoured to covet the Defence Against the Dark Arts post.[20] Snape himself confirms the rumour in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.[21] Snape is a sinister and malicious teacher who makes frequent snide and disparaging remarks at Harry's expense. He quickly becomes the primary antagonist of the book, as Harry suspects him of plotting to steal the philosopher's stone, and of attempting to kill him. Only the climax of the book reveals that Professor Quirrell, in league with Lord Voldemort, is the real enemy; Snape, suspicious of Quirrell, had been looking out for Harry throughout the book. In the final chapter, Dumbledore suggests that because Harry's father James had saved Snape's life when they were both students, even though the two detested each other, Snape felt responsible for Harry in return.[22] As the final book reveals, this is not the full story. In any case, even after Quirrell's true role is revealed, Harry retains feelings of suspicion and resentment towards Snape, and their relationship remains tense. Snape's behaviour and attitude towards Harry also remain unchanged.

text: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

text: Snape has a minor role in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where he helps Gilderoy Lockhart oversee Hogwarts' short-lived Duelling Club,[23] but he has little interaction with the main plot. It is while attending the Duelling Club that Harry learns the Expelliarmus spell, which plays a significant role in later books, by seeing Snape use it.

text: In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Snape demonstrates his expertise with potions by brewing the complex Wolfsbane potion for the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin.[24] Throughout the third book, Snape suspects that Lupin may be helping Harry's godfather Sirius Black enter Hogwarts castle; Sirius had been convicted (wrongly, as it is later revealed) of murdering Peter Pettigrew and innocent bystanders, and betraying the Potter family's hiding place to Voldemort. This suspicion stems from Lupin's friendship with Sirius and Harry's father, James, while they were all at Hogwarts as students.[25] Near the climax of the book, Snape attempts to apprehend Sirius, but Sirius escapes with Harry's aid. Snape informs Dumbledore of this circumstance, and when Harry and Lupin are not punished, Snape retaliates by revealing to the entire school that Lupin is a werewolf, forcing the latter to resign his post.[26]

text: Prisoner of Azkaban reveals more details about the connection between Snape and James. While in school together, Sirius once tricked Snape into almost entering the Shrieking Shack while Lupin was there, transformed into a werewolf. James realised the danger and stopped Snape, saving his life; this is the incident Dumbledore referred to at the end of the first book. Snape, however, believes James' actions were self-serving, to avoid being expelled.[27]

text: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

text: Snape's role in the fourth novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is not substantially different from that of the previous three books. He is apoplectic when Harry is unexpectedly entered into the Triwizard Tournament. Later Harry accidentally falls into Dumbledore's Pensieve and views memories of several Death Eater trials from years before. At one point, Snape is named as a Death Eater by Igor Karkaroff, but Dumbledore comes to Snape's defence, claiming that although Snape had indeed been a Death Eater, he changed sides before Voldemort's downfall and turned spy against him. Later, Dumbledore assures Harry that Snape's reformation is genuine, though he refuses to tell Harry how he knows this, saying the information "is a matter between Professor Snape and myself".[28]

text: At the end of the book, Dumbledore attempts to convince a disbelieving Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, that Voldemort has returned. As proof, Snape willingly shows Fudge the restored Dark Mark on his arm. He is subsequently sent on a secret mission by Dumbledore. This mission, as had been implied in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and revealed in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was to rejoin the Death Eaters and spy on Voldemort as a re-doubled agent, while pretending to spy on Dumbledore on behalf of Voldemort.

text: In the fifth novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Snape returns to a more prominent role. With Voldemort having returned to a fully corporeal body, Snape continues working as a re-doubled agent for Dumbledore.[29] He is seen prior to the start of school at Number 12, Grimmauld Place giving reports to the Order of the Phoenix.[30] He has a very strained relationship with Sirius, who owns Grimmauld Place and must remain there in hiding. The two trade frequent snide remarks and at one point almost begin a duel. Snape taunts Sirius about the latter's not being able to take an active role in the Order's missions because of his fugitive status. Harry feels later that this taunting contributed to Sirius' willingness to take unsafe risks.[31] Back at school, Snape's allegiance to the Order has no effect on his dislike for Harry.

text: Later in the book, Dumbledore has Snape teach Harry Occlumency, the protection of the mind from outside intrusion or influence.[31] The sessions are made difficult by their mutual hostility and end prematurely when Harry uses Dumbledore's Pensieve to view one of Snape's worst childhood memories without the latter's permission. He sees the memory of Snape being bullied by James and Sirius, and of calling Harry's mother Lily a Mudblood (a highly offensive term).[25] Only in the final book is it revealed that, prior to this confrontation, Snape and Lily had been close friends.

text: Towards the end of the novel, Dolores Umbridge – the school's politically appointed headmistress – captures Harry and interrogates him about Dumbledore's whereabouts. She sends for Snape, demanding that he provide the magical truth serum Veritaserum in order to force Harry to reveal any information he may be hiding. Snape claims that his supplies of the serum have been exhausted after Umbridge tries to use the drug previously on Harry. It is later revealed that Snape had in fact supplied Umbridge with fake Veritaserum on the prior attempt. Snape then carries Harry's cryptic warning about Sirius' capture to the other Order members, allowing them to come to the rescue in the Department of Mysteries.[32] Harry still holds Snape partly responsible for Sirius' death, believing Snape's goading spurred Sirius into joining the battle.

text: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

text: In the second chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy visit Snape at his home in Spinner's End. Narcissa's son Draco has been given a difficult task by Voldemort, and Narcissa swears Snape to an Unbreakable Vow that he will protect Draco, help him complete Voldemort's task, and finish the task himself if Draco fails. When questioned by Bellatrix about his loyalties, Snape says he has been working for Voldemort ever since Voldemort's return, and explains his actions in the previous books in that light. He points out that gaining Dumbledore's trust and protection has kept him out of Azkaban and free to operate on Voldemort's behalf.[33]

text: At the start-of-term feast at Hogwarts, Dumbledore announces Snape as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Horace Slughorn, a retired Hogwarts teacher, replaces Snape as Potions Master. With Snape no longer teaching Potions, Harry enrolls in Slughorn's class and is lent an old textbook until his new one arrives. Harry finds marginalia, including a variety of hexes and jinxes seemingly invented by an unknown student, and substantial improvements to the book's standard potion-making instructions. The text is inscribed as being "the Property of the Half-Blood Prince". The notes greatly bolster Harry's performance in Potions, so much so that he impresses Slughorn. Snape, who maintains that he "never had the impression that [he] had been able to teach Potter anything at all", is suspicious of Harry's newfound Potions success.[34]

text: Later, during a fight with Draco, Harry casts one of the Prince's spells marked "For Enemies," and is horrified by the devastating wounds it inflicts to Draco's face and chest. Snape rushes to the scene and heals Draco, then interrogates Harry regarding the spell, using Legilimency to extract the source of Harry's knowledge (the Potions textbook) from Harry's mind. When Snape insists that Harry show him his Potions textbook, Harry hides the Prince's book and gives him Ron Weasley's book instead. As punishment for the attack and knowing Harry is lying about the textbook, Snape assigns Harry detention during the final Quidditch match of the year.[35]

text: Before leaving Hogwarts to accompany Dumbledore in locating another horcrux –part of Voldemort's soul– Harry discovers from Professor Trelawney that it was Snape who overheard the prophecy and told it to Voldemort, resulting in Voldemort hunting down Harry and his parents. Despite this and Harry's angry questions, Dumbledore avers his trust in Snape. Returning to Hogwarts after retrieving Voldemort's Horcrux, Harry and Dumbledore alight atop the school's astronomy tower. Gravely weakened by the horcrux's protective potion, Dumbledore tells Harry he must fetch Snape, but before Harry can leave, Draco suddenly arrives, intending to carry out Voldemort's order to assassinate Dumbledore, closely followed by other Death Eaters (followers of Voldemort), and Snape. Snape interrupts the planned murder, killing the headmaster himself.[36] Harry, who is paralysed under his invisibility cloak by Dumbledore for his own protection, witnesses the kill, and is released upon Dumbledore's death. Enraged, he pursues Snape, Draco, and the Death Eaters as they flee the castle. Snape easily blocks Harry's spells and jeeringly points out Harry's mistakes, but never strikes back. During the confrontation, Snape reveals himself as the eponymous "Half-Blood Prince" (being the half-blood son of Muggle Tobias Snape and pure-blood Eileen Prince). Snape passes through the school gates and Disapparates with Draco in tow at the book's end.[37] The full relationship between Dumbledore and Snape and the reason for Snape's actions remain unknown until the final book. In an interview, Rowling mentioned that at this point in the series, the Harry–Snape relationship has become "as personal, if not more so, than Harry–Voldemort."[38]

text: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

text: In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Voldemort and his Death Eaters have tightened their grip on the wizarding world. Snape is named Headmaster of Hogwarts, while Death Eaters Alecto and Amycus Carrow are appointed as Hogwarts staff. The novel focuses largely on Harry and his friends and events outside the school; therefore Snape plays a limited role at the start. In the course of the book, Harry and his friends find out that a few students attempted to steal the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, and that Snape subsequently sent it to be stored at Gringotts Wizarding Bank; however, that sword was only a copy. Later on, Harry and Ron are led to find the real sword by a Patronus taking the form of a doe.[39] (Towards the end of the book, Harry learns that this was Snape's Patronus, taking the same shape as Harry's mother Lily's Patronus, a visible sign of his lifelong love for Harry's mother, and that Dumbledore had asked Snape to ensure that Harry gained possession of the sword.[40] The novel also reveals that Snape had covertly used his position as Headmaster to protect the students and to contain the Carrows.[40])

text: Towards the end of the school year, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout force Snape to flee the school.[41] Voldemort summons Snape to the Shrieking Shack. Erroneously believing Snape is the master of the Elder Wand and that Snape's death will make him the master of the Wand, Voldemort kills Snape by having his pet snake Nagini bite him through the neck.[42] The dying Snape releases a cloud of memories and tells Harry, who has watched the entire scene from a hidden spot, to take and view them.

text: From these memories, Harry sees Snape's childhood and learns his true loyalties. In this vision, Harry learns that Snape befriended Lily as a child when they lived near each other. Upon their arrival at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat placed Snape and Lily into Slytherin and Gryffindor Houses, respectively. They remained friends for the next few years until they were driven apart by Snape's interest in the Dark Arts; the friendship finally ended following the bullying episode that Harry had briefly seen in the fifth book, in which Snape calls Lily "Mudblood". Despite this separation and Snape's enduring animosity toward Lily's eventual husband James Potter, Snape continued to love Lily for the rest of his life.

text: The memories also show that as a Death Eater, Snape had revealed to Voldemort a prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney, causing Voldemort to attempt to prevent it by killing Harry and his parents. Snape, who had not realised until too late that the prophecy was referring to Lily and her family, asked Voldemort to spare Lily. Still in terror for her life, he also approached Dumbledore, admitted his actions, and begged him to protect the Potters. Dumbledore chided him for thinking only of himself and not of Lily's husband and child, but agreed and ensured that they were placed under the Fidelius Charm. In return, Snape secretly allied himself with Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix as a double agent against Voldemort, using his powers of Occlumency to hide his betrayal from Voldemort. However, Snape demanded of Dumbledore that his love for Lily (his reason for switching sides) be kept a secret, especially from Harry, because of the deep animosity he felt towards Harry's father and his mixed feelings towards Harry (who reminded him of both his love for Lily Potter and her death, and his animosity towards James Potter). Dumbledore agreed and kept the secret throughout his life, although questioning Snape's request to "never reveal the best of you". Even with his efforts to protect her, Snape felt responsible for Lily's death at Voldemort's hands.

text: Snape's memories then reveal that Dumbledore had impetuously tried to use the Gaunt ring, which had been cursed by Voldemort, and had been suffering from a powerful curse. Snape's knowledge of the Dark Arts enabled him to slow the spread of the curse from Dumbledore's hand through his body, but he would have died within a year. Dumbledore, aware that Voldemort had ordered Draco to kill him, had asked Snape to kill him instead as a way of sparing the boy's soul and of preventing his own otherwise slow, painful death. Although Snape was reluctant, even asking about the impact of such an action on his own soul, Dumbledore implied that this kind of coup de grâce would not damage a human's soul in the same way murder would.[40] Snape agreed to do as the Headmaster requested. Snape's memories also provide Harry with the information he needs to ensure Voldemort's final defeat, in the form of conversations Snape had with Dumbledore.[40]

text: Rowling noted in an interview that because Snape abandoned his post before dying or officially retiring, a portrait of him does not immediately appear in the Headmaster's office following his death. She adds, however, that she would like to think Harry made Snape's true loyalty and heroism known in the Wizarding world, and that he lobbied to ensure that a portrait be installed in the office.[43] In a separate interview, Rowling discussed Snape's back story, saying she had planned it ever since she wrote the first book because the whole series is built around it and she considers him one of the most important characters of the seventh book.[17]

text: Epilogue

text: In the epilogue to Deathly Hallows, set nineteen years after Harry defeats Voldemort, Harry has named his second-born son Albus Severus, after Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. As Albus is about to enter his first year at Hogwarts, he expresses concern that he will be sorted into Slytherin. Harry tells his son, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them [Snape] was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."[44]

text: Appearances in other material

text: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

text: When Draco and Astoria Greengrass' son Scorpius Malfoy finds himself in an alternate timeline in which Voldemort won the Battle of Hogwarts, killed Harry and his allies and instituted a terrible reign of terror, he desperately searches for help in restoring history to its original course. He finds that in this reality Snape is still alive and still teaches at Hogwarts, and asks for his help. At first Snape is suspicious of him, since this timeline's version of Scorpius is a bully and a Voldemort stalwart. But when Scorpius shows that he knows of Snape having been in love with Lily, Harry's mother - Snape's most closely guarded secret - Snape becomes convinced that he does indeed come from a different timeline where Harry and his friends won. Snape then reveals that he, together with the fugitive Ron and Hermione Granger, maintain the last remnants of Dumbledore's Army - still waging hopeless resistance against the all-powerful Voldemort. In talking with Scorpius, Snape had learned that Harry would name his son "Albus Severus" and would regard Snape as "probably the bravest man I ever knew" - and is deeply moved. Though having guessed that in the other timeline he would die, Snape nevertheless willingly helps Scorpius recreate this timeline - and being discovered by Dementors, Snape sacrifices himself in order to cover Scorpius' escape.

text: Portrayal in films

text: Severus Snape appears in all eight Harry Potter films,[45] portrayed by British actor Alan Rickman. Rickman was Rowling's personal choice to portray the character.[46] He had conversations with Rowling about his character and is one of the few Harry Potter actors that she spoke to prior to the completion of the book series about the future direction of the character.[47] "He knew very early on that he'd been in love with Lily," said Rowling. "He needed to understand […] where this bitterness towards this boy who's the living example of her preference for another man came from."[48]

text: Rickman used this knowledge of Snape's ultimate loyalties throughout the films to decide how to play certain scenes, deliver specific lines, or use body language to convey specific emotions.[49] When the directors of the films would ask him why he was doing a scene a certain way or delivering a line in a specific manner, Rickman would simply reply that he knew something they didn't.[49]

text: Rickman himself refrained from talking about Snape, asking readers to wait and "see what unfolds" in the course of the novels; however, he did say Snape is a complicated person, very rigid and full of himself; in an interview he went further, saying: "Snape isn't one who enjoys jokes and I strongly fear that his sense of humour is extremely limited... But in his defence, I will add that he didn't have an easy adolescence, particularly during his studies at Hogwarts."[50] He also said Snape is a fascinating character, and that he takes immense pleasure in playing such an ambiguous person.[51]

text: Rickman's performance as Snape was widely acclaimed by critics, fans and Rowling herself. Entertainment Weekly listed Rickman as one of the most popular movie stars in 2007 for his performance as Snape, saying: "As the icy, humourless magic instructor Severus Snape, Rickman may not be on screen long—but he owns every minute."[52] Rickman also noted fans' reactions; in an interview, he said he found "that people in general adore Snape. He is sarcastic, stubborn, etc, etc. But he is also fascinating. I have a lot of fun impersonating him."[51] Rickman was nominated for several awards for his portrayal of Snape, and in 2011, was elected the best character portrayal in all the Harry Potter films series.[53]

text: In 2011, Empire magazine published an open letter from Rickman to J.K. Rowling, ruminating on the ten years of working on the Potter films and thanking her for telling the story.[54]

text: In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifteen-year-old Snape (portrayed by Alec Hopkins) makes a brief appearance in a flashback to Snape’s youth. In the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the younger Snape, perhaps ten or eleven, is played by Benedict Clarke. In 2016, a fan film prequel, Severus Snape and the Marauders, was released online and Snape was played by Mick Ignis.[55]

text: Before Alan Rickman was offered the role of Severus Snape, the role was originally offered to Tim Roth,[56] who turned the role down in favour of portraying General Thade in Planet of the Apes.[57]

text: Characterisation

text: Outward appearance

text: Snape is described as a thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose, and yellow, uneven teeth. He has shoulder-length, greasy black hair which frames his face, and cold, black eyes. He wears black, flowing robes which give him the appearance of "an overgrown bat".[58] The youthful Snape had a "stringy, pallid look", being "round-shouldered yet angular", having a "twitchy" walk "that recalled a spider" and "long oily hair that jumped about his face".[25]

text: In the chapter illustrations by Mary GrandPré in the American editions of The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Order of the Phoenix, and The Half-Blood Prince, Snape is depicted with a moustache and goatee, long black hair, and a receding hairline.

text: Personality

text: Snape is generally depicted as being cold, calculating, precise, sarcastic, and bitter. He strongly dislikes Harry and often insults him by insulting his father James. As the series progresses, it is revealed that his treatment of Harry stems from Snape's bitter rivalry with James when they were in school together. In particular, James and Sirius bullied Snape, which according to Alan Rickman caused the already lonely boy to further "shut himself in".[51] Rowling further described the young Snape as insecure and vulnerable: "Given his time over again [Snape] would not have become a Death Eater, but like many insecure, vulnerable people he craved membership of something big and powerful, something impressive.[...] [He] was so blinded by his attraction to the dark side he thought [Lily] would find him impressive if he became a real Death Eater."[3]

text: The adult Snape, on the other hand, is portrayed as very self-assured and confident of his abilities, to a degree that Rickman described as "full of himself."[50] Director David Yates said Snape is a character with gravitas, authority and power.[59] Snape typically displays a very calm and collected demeanour, rarely at a loss for words or taken off guard. His temper, however, is sometimes short where Harry is concerned and positively flares when dealing with his erstwhile tormentor Sirius, or when accused of cowardice. His otherwise impassive and aloof attitude seems to stem from his belief that people who cannot control their emotions are weak.[31]

text: Like some other prominent members of Slytherin house, Snape is shown to be a clever and cunning wizard.[42][60] He is intelligent and has a keen, analytical mind. In an interview, Rowling adds that Snape is immensely brave,[19] and when asked if she considers Snape a hero, replied: "Yes, I do; though a very flawed hero. An anti-hero, perhaps. He is not a particularly likeable man in many ways. He remains rather cruel, a bully, riddled with bitterness and insecurity—and yet he loved, and showed loyalty to that love and, ultimately, laid down his life because of it. That's pretty heroic!"[3]

text: Magical abilities and skills

text: All seven novels show Snape to be a very powerful wizard and to have been outstanding while a student. He specialises in potion making and has talent and passion for the Dark Arts. Sirius claimed that Snape knew more hexes and curses as a first-year student at Hogwarts than most seventh-years knew.[60] Particularly gifted in potion making, Snape added major improvements to his Potions textbook while still a student. Also as a student, Snape shows a rare gift for discovering new spells. Lupin describes Sectumsempra as Snape's "speciality" in Deathly Hallows.[61] Snape is shown using this spell as a teenager against Harry's father James[25] and in the aerial battle in the last novel when he accidentally hits George Weasley (acting as a Potter decoy) with it while actually aiming for a Death Eater who was trying to attack Lupin, causing George's right ear to be severed off permanently. Despite Sectumsempra's deadly power, Snape can also heal the wounds it causes.[35] Snape is adept at reversing or containing fatal damage from other dark curses as well, due to his vast knowledge of Dark Arts, as he does when Dumbledore[40] and then Katie Bell[62] are cursed. Skilful in the arts of Legilimency and especially Occlumency, Snape is able to both access the minds of others and protect his own thoughts—indeed, though Snape does not care for the term himself, Harry forms the uncomfortable impression early in the series that the Potions Master is able to "read minds." Being an Occlumens, Snape is able to keep his betrayal from Voldemort, who is himself described as being "the greatest Legilimens" in history.[33] According to Rowling, Snape is the only Death Eater capable of producing a full Patronus, which, like Lily's, is a doe.[3] Snape is a talented duellist, able to hold off by himself (if only briefly) a group of three Hogwarts professors that included former duelling champion Filius Flitwick. Professor McGonagall later implies that Snape learned to fly without the use of a broom, a rare skill previously displayed only by Voldemort.[41]

text: Family

text: Snape's family background is mostly shown in flashbacks during the course of the last three novels. Snape was born to Eileen Prince, a witch, and Tobias Snape, a Muggle, making him a half-blood (hence the name, "Half-Blood Prince"). This is rare for a Death Eater, as remarked in the last book, though Voldemort himself also had a Muggle father. Snape spent his early childhood living with his parents in a small house in Spinner's End. Snape's family was a poor one and he is described as wearing ill-fitting clothes "that were so mis-matched that it looked deliberate". As a child, Snape was apparently neglected and his parents often fought with one another. Snape was very eager to leave his home to go to Hogwarts.[40] Towards the end of the last novel, Harry draws parallels between his childhood, Snape's, and Voldemort's.[63]

text: Loyalties

text: Snape's true loyalty was one of the most significant questions in the series up until the end of the final instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Although the first five novels depict him as unfair and vindictive towards Harry and his friends, he invariably ends up protecting or otherwise helping them when they or their allies are in danger. Several characters express doubts about his loyalty, but Dumbledore's trust in him is generally taken to be the final word. The sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, departs from that model. In the second chapter, Snape claims to have been working for Voldemort ever since the latter's return, and only pretending to help Dumbledore.[33] By killing Dumbledore toward the end of the novel, Snape seems to place himself firmly in Voldemort's camp.[36] Rowling maintains this impression through the early chapters of the seventh novel. However, near the climax of the book, Snape leaves Harry his dying thoughts (to be viewed in the Pensieve) and ultimately reveals to Harry that he had been loyal to Albus Dumbledore throughout the series.[40] Snape's fierce devotion to and love of his childhood friend Lily, Harry's mother, is the foundation of that loyalty.[40]

text: After Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Snape's loyalty was a matter of intense debate among the fans. The issue was given special attention in the marketing campaigns on behalf of the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. "Is Snape Good or Evil?" was one of the questions in Scholastic Inc.'s seven-question series, part of its marketing campaign for the book.[64] As part of the Waldenbooks marketing campaign, two free stickers, one that said "Trust Snape" and another that stated "Snape Is A Very Bad Man" were available with the book. Borders Group published a separate book on the topic, The Great Snape Debate, containing essays and arguments from both sides of the debate.[65][66]

text: Reception

text: The secretive attitude and gradual unfolding of Snape's character was broadly admired, with Stephen Fry, the UK audio books narrator, saying in 2003: "Most characters like Snape are hard to love but there is a sort of ambiguity—you can’t quite decide—something sad about him—lonely and it’s fascinating when you think he’s going to be the evil one..., then slowly you get this idea he’s not so bad after all."[67] David Yates, who directed the final four films of the series, also expressed his views on the character, saying: "A character like Snape, where you're not really sure if he's a good guy or a bad guy, that gives you a latent tension... I think the coolest thing you can do with an audience is deny them a little bit of information."[59] Despite being less than kind, the character quickly gained popularity within fandom to a level that surprised Rowling herself.[8] Joyce Millman suggests in her essay "To Sir with Love" in the book Mapping the World of Harry Potter, that Snape is derived from a tradition of Byronic heroes such as Wuthering Heights' Heathcliff.[68] Jenny Sawyer from The Christian Science Monitor commented on the character's development in the series.[69] She claimed that Snape is the only protagonist who genuinely has a choice to make and who struggles to do the right thing, hence the only one to face a "compelling inner crisis". She believed the popularity of the character is due to the moral journey and inner conflict that Snape undergoes within the series, as it is the hero's struggle and costly redemption that really matter: "[Snape's] character ached for resolution. And it is precisely this need for resolution—our desire to know the real Snape and to understand his choices—that makes him the most compelling character in the Potter epic."

text: The final revelation of Snape's loyalty in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was viewed positively by fans and critics alike. Daniel Radcliffe, who portrays Harry Potter in the movie series, expressed his delight, saying he was pleased to see that his theory that Snape would end up being a sort of tragic hero came through.[70] Elizabeth Hand from The Washington Post wrote, "The much-maligned loner Snape does not come onstage until the latter part of "Deathly Hallows," but when he does the book becomes his: Snape's fate, more than Voldemort's, perhaps more even than Harry's, is the most heartbreaking, surprising and satisfying of all of Rowling's achievements."[2]

text: IGN listed Snape as their 4th top Harry Potter character, saying that he makes "quite an impact in the Harry Potter series",[71] and IGN's Joe Utichi called Snape his favourite Harry Potter character and praised his character development.[72] Shortly after the release of the final film, MTV held a public poll for fans to vote for the best character in the series, and Snape was voted #1.[73] Around the same time, Empire magazine held a public poll for fans to vote for the 25 greatest characters in the series, and Snape once again came in at #1.[74] In May 2011, Snape was again voted as the #1 favourite Harry Potter character in a public poll held by the Bloomsbury publishing house.[75] In 2014, Watchmojo.com ranked him #1 on their "Top 10 Harry Potter Characters" list (beating Harry Potter; who is ranked #2) while they ranked him #3 on their "Top 10 Most Gut-Wrenching Harry Potter Deaths" list two years later.

text: In popular culture

text: The character of Severus Snape has appeared in various animated parodies of Harry Potter. He is a starring character in Neil Cicierega's online Potter Puppet Pals parodies, and has a centric episode titled Bothering Snape. Also, the video The Mysterious Ticking Noise with the chorus "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape" was the winner for "Best Comedy" of the year 2007 at YouTube; it currently has over 170 million views.[76] Snape is also parodied as Professor Santory Snapekin in Sluggy Freelance's webcomic entitled Torg Potter. In the first parody, Torg defeats a plot by Professor Snapekin to achieve ultimate power.[77]

text: In a 2004 sketch on Saturday Night Live in which Lindsay Lohan appears as Hermione Granger, Snape is portrayed by Will Forte.[78] Snape has also been parodied in UK television. Comic Relief released a story called Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan, in which Snape is played by Jeremy Irons.[79][80] Snape appeared in a Harry Potter parody named "Louis Potter and the Philosopher's Scone" in Alistair McGowan's Big Impression show, played by Alistair McGowan himself.[81][82] In the Harry Bladder sketches in All That, Snape appears as Professor Chafe (portrayed by Jeremy Rowley), whose legs were badly chafed, causing him to be unnecessarily mean. Many sketches feature students brewing potions that did silly things, like enlarge students' behinds, give males large breasts, or change people into bras. In a sketch comedy named "Cooking With..." on Australian TV series The Wedge, Snape catches Harry and Hermione making love.[83] In A Very Potter Musical, Snape is played by actor Joe Moses.


document_title: List of Tour de France general classification winners

question_text: when was the last time france won the tour de france

text: History[edit]

text: The Tour de France was established in 1903 by newspaper L'Auto, in an attempt to increase its sales. The first race was won by Frenchman Maurice Garin. He won again the next year, but was disqualified after allegations that he had been transported by car or rail arose. Henri Cornet became the winner after the dispute was settled; he is the youngest to win the Tour. Following the scandals in 1904, the scoring system was changed from being time-based to a points-based system, in which the cyclist who has  the fewest points at the end of the race is victorious. This system lasted until 1912, when the time-based system was re-introduced. French cyclists were successful in the early Tours; the first non-Frenchman to win the Tour was François Faber of Luxembourg, who won in 1909.[8]

text: Belgian riders were more successful before and after the First World War (which suspended the Tour from 1915 to 1918). In the 1920s, trade teams dominated the Tour; cyclists such as Nicolas Frantz won the Tour with the Alcyon team. However, when Alcyon cyclist Maurice De Waele won the Tour in 1929 while ill, the organisers decided to introduce national teams the following year, to stop team tactics from undermining the race. Because of the Second World War, the Tour de France was suspended from 1940 to 1946.[9]

text: After the Second World War, no one dominated the Tour until Louison Bobet, who won three consecutive Tours from 1953 to 1955—he was the first person to achieve this feat.[10] This was bettered by the French cyclist Jacques Anquetil, who won four successive Tours from 1961 to 1964. Anquetil, who also won in 1957, became the first to win five Tours.[11] Anquetil's five victories were matched when Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx won four successive Tours from 1969 to 1972 and the 1974 Tour. Merckx is the only person to have won the general, points and king of the mountains classifications in the same Tour. He achieved this in 1969, when he won his first Tour.[12]

text: Merckx looked to be heading for a record sixth Tour victory in 1975, but Bernard Thévenet beat him, becoming the first French winner in seven years. Thévenet won again in 1977; however, he was eclipsed in following years by fellow Frenchman Bernard Hinault, who won consecutive Tours in 1978 and 1979. Hinault won the Tour at his first attempt in 1978; becoming one of 11 cyclists (including Anquetil, Merckx, Hugo Koblet and Fausto Coppi) managed to do so.[13] In 1980, Hinault was going for a third consecutive win, but had to pull out because of tendinitis, and the Tour was won by Joop Zoetemelk.[14] Hinault returned in 1981 and won that race as well as the one after that. Hinault sat out the Tour in 1983, and another Frenchman—Laurent Fignon—achieved victory. Fignon won again the following year, beating Hinault; Hinault recovered in 1985 to win his fifth Tour.

text: American Greg LeMond became the first non-European to win the Tour in 1986. LeMond missed out in 1987 and 1988, but returned in 1989 to win the Tour by finishing eight seconds ahead of Laurent Fignon, the smallest winning margin in the Tour's history. LeMond also won in 1990.[15] In 1991, Spaniard Miguel Indurain won his first Tour. Indurain came to dominate the Tour, winning four more Tours consecutively—making him the first person to win five consecutive Tours.[16] He tried to win a record-high sixth Tour in 1996, but was beaten by Bjarne Riis, who later admitted to using Erythropoietin.[17] Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani won in 1997 and 1998, respectively; however, Pantani's victory was overshadowed by doping scandals.[18]

text: The 1999 Tour saw the first victory of Lance Armstrong,[19] which was followed by six more, for a total of seven consecutive victories.[20] He was stripped of his titles in October 2012, when it emerged he had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout much of his career, including the Tour de France victories.[7] Floyd Landis won the Tour in 2006, but was later stripped of his title, after a drug-control test demonstrated the presence of a skewed testosterone/epitestosterone ratio.[21] Óscar Pereiro was subsequently awarded the victory. Alberto Contador won the 2007 Tour with the Discovery Channel. The 2007 Tour was also marred by doping scandals, thus Contador was unable to defend his title in 2008, as his Astana team was banned for its part. Fellow Spaniard Carlos Sastre of Team CSC won.[22] Contador and Astana returned in 2009 to regain the title. He won the Tour again in 2010, but was later stripped of his title after he was found guilty of doping. Runner-up Andy Schleck was awarded the victory.

text: Cadel Evans became the first Australian to win the Tour in 2011.[23] The following year, Bradley Wiggins became the first British cyclist to win the Tour.[24] Chris Froome became the second successive British winner in 2013, which was the 100th edition of the race.[25] He could not defend his title the following year, as he crashed out in stage 5, with Vincenzo Nibali winning his first Tour.[26] Froome regained the title in 2015 and then successfully defended it in 2016, the first rider in over 20 years to do so.[27] He then backed it up with a third consecutive win in 2017.[5]

text: Winners[edit]

text:
Key

Winner won points classification in the same year

*

Winner won mountains classification in the same year

#

Winner won young rider classification in the same year

Winner won points and mountains classification in the same year

tag: table

text:
The "Year" column refers to the year the competition was held, and wikilinks to the article about that season.
The "Distance" column refers to the distance over which the race was held.
The "Margin" column refers to the margin of time or points by which the winner defeated the runner-up.
The "Stage wins" column refers to the number of stage wins the winner had during the race.

tag: ul

text:
Tour de France general classification winners

Year

Country

Cyclist

Sponsor/Team

Distance

Time/Points

Margin

Stage wins

Stages in lead

1903

 France

Maurice Garin

La Française

2,428 km (1,509 mi)

94h 33' 14"

+ 2h 59' 21"

3

6

1904

 France

Maurice Garin Henri Cornet[E]

Conte

2,428 km (1,509 mi)

96h 05' 55"

+ 2h 16' 14"

1

3

1905

 France

Louis Trousselier

Peugeot–Wolber

2,994 km (1,860 mi)

35

26

5

10

1906

 France

René Pottier

Peugeot–Wolber

4,637 km (2,881 mi)

31

8

5

12

1907

 France

Lucien Petit-Breton

Peugeot–Wolber

4,488 km (2,789 mi)

47

19

2

5

1908

 France

Lucien Petit-Breton

Peugeot–Wolber

4,497 km (2,794 mi)

36

32

5

13

1909

 Luxembourg

François Faber

Alcyon–Dunlop

4,498 km (2,795 mi)

37

20

6

13

1910

 France

Octave Lapize

Alcyon–Dunlop

4,734 km (2,942 mi)

63

4

4

3

1911

 France

Gustave Garrigou

Alcyon–Dunlop

5,343 km (3,320 mi)

43

18

2

13

1912

 Belgium

Odile Defraye

Alcyon–Dunlop

5,289 km (3,286 mi)

49

59

3

13

1913

 Belgium

Philippe Thys

Peugeot–Wolber

5,287 km (3,285 mi)

197h 54' 00"

+ 8' 37"

1

8

1914

 Belgium

Philippe Thys

Peugeot–Wolber

5,380 km (3,340 mi)

200h 28' 48"

+ 1' 50"

1

15

1915

World War I

1916

1917

1918

1919

 Belgium

Firmin Lambot

La Sportive

5,560 km (3,450 mi)

231h 07' 15"

+ 1h 42' 54"

1

2

1920

 Belgium

Philippe Thys

La Sportive

5,503 km (3,419 mi)

228h 36' 13"

+ 57' 21"

4

14

1921

 Belgium

Léon Scieur

La Sportive

5,485 km (3,408 mi)

221h 50' 26"

+ 18' 36"

2

14

1922

 Belgium

Firmin Lambot

Peugeot–Wolber

5,375 km (3,340 mi)

222h 08' 06"

+ 41' 15"

0

3

1923

 France

Henri Pélissier

Automoto–Hutchinson

5,386 km (3,347 mi)

222h 15' 30"

+ 30 '41"

3

6

1924

 Italy

Ottavio Bottecchia

Automoto

5,425 km (3,371 mi)

226h 18' 21"

+ 35' 36"

4

15

1925

 Italy

Ottavio Bottecchia

Automoto–Hutchinson

5,440 km (3,380 mi)

219h 10' 18"

+ 54' 20"

4

13

1926

 Belgium

Lucien Buysse

Automoto–Hutchinson

5,745 km (3,570 mi)

238h 44' 25"

+ 1h 22' 25"

2

8

1927

 Luxembourg

Nicolas Frantz

Alcyon–Dunlop

5,398 km (3,354 mi)

198h 16' 42"

+ 1h 48' 41"

3

14

1928

 Luxembourg

Nicolas Frantz

Alcyon–Dunlop

5,476 km (3,403 mi)

192h 48' 58"

+ 50' 07"

5

22

1929

 Belgium

Maurice De Waele

Alcyon–Dunlop

5,286 km (3,285 mi)

186h 39' 15"

+44' 23"

1

16

1930

 France

André Leducq

Alcyon–Dunlop

4,822 km (2,996 mi)

172h 12' 16"

+ 14' 13"

2

13

1931

 France

Antonin Magne

France

5,091 km (3,163 mi)

177h 10' 03"

+ 12' 56"

1

16

1932

 France

André Leducq

France

4,479 km (2,783 mi)

154h 11' 49"

+ 24' 03"

6

19

1933

 France

Georges Speicher

France

4,395 km (2,731 mi)

147h 51' 37"

+ 4' 01"

3

12

1934

 France

Antonin Magne

France

4,470 km (2,780 mi)

147h 13' 58"

+ 27' 31"

3

22

1935

 Belgium

Romain Maes

Belgium

4,338 km (2,696 mi)

141h 23' 00"

+ 17' 52"

3

21

1936

 Belgium

Sylvère Maes

Belgium

4,442 km (2,760 mi)

142h 47' 32"

+ 26' 55"

4

14

1937

 France

Roger Lapébie

France

4,415 km (2,743 mi)

138h 58' 31"

+ 7' 17"

3

4

1938

 Italy

Gino Bartali*

Italy

4,694 km (2,917 mi)

148h 29' 12"

+ 18' 27"

2

8

1939

 Belgium

Sylvère Maes*

Belgium

4,224 km (2,625 mi)

132h 03' 17"

+ 30' 38"

2

4

1940

World War II

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

 France

Jean Robic

France

4,642 km (2,884 mi)

148h 11' 25"

+ 3' 58"

3

1

1948

 Italy

Gino Bartali*

Italy

4,922 km (3,058 mi)

147h 10' 36"

+ 26' 16"

7

9

1949

 Italy

Fausto Coppi*

Italy

4,808 km (2,988 mi)

149h 40' 49"

+ 10' 55"

3

5

1950

  Switzerland

Ferdinand Kübler

Switzerland

4,773 km (2,966 mi)

145h 36' 56"

+ 9' 30"

3

11

1951

  Switzerland

Hugo Koblet

Switzerland

4,690 km (2,910 mi)

142h 20' 14"

+ 22' 00"

5

11

1952

 Italy

Fausto Coppi*

Italy

4,898 km (3,043 mi)

151h 57' 20"

+ 28' 17"

5

14

1953

 France

Louison Bobet

France

4,476 km (2,781 mi)

129h 23' 25"

+ 14' 18"

2

5

1954

 France

Louison Bobet

France

4,656 km (2,893 mi)

140h 06' 05"

+ 15' 49"

3

14

1955

 France

Louison Bobet

France

4,495 km (2,793 mi)

130h 29' 26"

+ 4' 53"

2

6

1956

 France

Roger Walkowiak

France

4,498 km (2,795 mi)

124h 01' 16"

+ 1' 25"

0

8

1957

 France

Jacques Anquetil

France

4,669 km (2,901 mi)

135h 44' 42"

+ 14' 56"

4

15

1958

 Luxembourg

Charly Gaul

Luxembourg

4,319 km (2,684 mi)

116h 59' 05"

+ 3' 10"

4

2

1959

 Spain

Federico Bahamontes*

Spain

4,358 km (2,708 mi)

123h 46' 45"

+ 4' 01"

1

6

1960

 Italy

Gastone Nencini

Italy

4,173 km (2,593 mi)

112h 08' 42"

+ 5' 02"

0

14

1961

 France

Jacques Anquetil

France

4,397 km (2,732 mi)

122h 01' 33"

+ 12' 14"

2

21

1962

 France

Jacques Anquetil

Saint-Raphaël–Helyett–Hutchinson

4,274 km (2,656 mi)

114h 31' 54"

+ 4' 59"

2

3

1963

 France

Jacques Anquetil

Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–R. Geminiani

4,138 km (2,571 mi)

113h 30' 05"

+ 3' 35"

4

5

1964

 France

Jacques Anquetil

Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–Dunlop

4,504 km (2,799 mi)

127h 09' 44"

+ 55"

4

6

1965

 Italy

Felice Gimondi

Salvarani

4,188 km (2,602 mi)

116h 42' 06"

+ 2' 40"

3

18

1966

 France

Lucien Aimar

Ford France–Hutchinson

4,329 km (2,690 mi)

117h 34' 21"

+ 1' 07"

0

6

1967

 France

Roger Pingeon

Peugeot–BP–Michelin

4,779 km (2,970 mi)

136h 53' 50"

+ 3' 40"

1

17

1968

 Netherlands

Jan Janssen

Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune

4,492 km (2,791 mi)

133h 49' 42"

+ 38"

2

1

1969

 Belgium

Eddy Merckx

Faema

4,117 km (2,558 mi)

116h 16' 02"

+ 17' 54"

6

18

1970

 Belgium

Eddy Merckx*

Faemino–Faema

4,254 km (2,643 mi)

119h 31' 49"

+ 12' 41"

8

20

1971

 Belgium

Eddy Merckx

Molteni

3,608 km (2,242 mi)

96h 45' 14"

+ 9' 51"

4

17

1972

 Belgium

Eddy Merckx

Molteni

3,846 km (2,390 mi)

108h 17' 18"

+ 10' 41"

6

15

1973

 Spain

Luis Ocaña

Bic

4,090 km (2,540 mi)

122h 25' 34"

+ 15' 51"

6

14

1974

 Belgium

Eddy Merckx

Molteni

4,098 km (2,546 mi)

116h 16' 58"

+ 8' 04"

8

18

1975

 France

Bernard Thévenet

Peugeot–BP–Michelin

4,000 km (2,500 mi)

114h 35' 31"

+ 2' 47"

2

8

1976

 Belgium

Lucien Van Impe

Gitane–Campagnolo

4,017 km (2,496 mi)

116h 22' 23"

+ 4' 14"

1

12

1977

 France

Bernard Thévenet

Peugeot–Esso–Michelin

4,096 km (2,545 mi)

115h 38' 30"

+ 48"

1

8

1978

 France

Bernard Hinault

Renault–Gitane–Campagnolo

3,908 km (2,428 mi)

108h 18' 00"

+ 3' 56"

3

3

1979

 France

Bernard Hinault

Renault–Gitane

3,765 km (2,339 mi)

103h 06' 50"

+ 13' 07"

7

17

1980

 Netherlands

Joop Zoetemelk

TI–Raleigh–Creda

3,842 km (2,387 mi)

109h 19' 14"

+ 6' 55"

2

10

1981

 France

Bernard Hinault

Renault–Elf–Gitane

3,753 km (2,332 mi)

96h 19' 38"

+ 14' 34"

5

18

1982

 France

Bernard Hinault

Renault–Elf–Gitane

3,507 km (2,179 mi)

92h 08' 46"

+ 6' 21"

4

12

1983

 France

Laurent Fignon#

Renault–Elf

3,809 km (2,367 mi)

105h 07' 52"

+ 4' 04"

1

6

1984

 France

Laurent Fignon

Renault–Elf

4,021 km (2,499 mi)

112h 03' 40"

+ 10' 32"

5

7

1985

 France

Bernard Hinault

La Vie Claire

4,109 km (2,553 mi)

113h 24' 23"

+ 1' 42"

2

16

1986

 United States

Greg LeMond

La Vie Claire

4,094 km (2,544 mi)

110h 35' 19"

+ 3' 10"

1

7

1987

 Ireland

Stephen Roche

Carrera Jeans–Vagabond

4,231 km (2,629 mi)

115h 27' 42"

+ 40"

1

3

1988

 Spain

Pedro Delgado

Reynolds

3,286 km (2,042 mi)

84h 27' 53"

+ 7' 13"

1

11

1989

 United States

Greg LeMond

AD Renting–W-Cup–Bottecchia

3,285 km (2,041 mi)

87h 38' 35"

+ 8"

3

8

1990

 United States

Greg LeMond

Z–Tomasso

3,504 km (2,177 mi)

90h 43' 20"

+ 2' 16"

0

2

1991

 Spain

Miguel Indurain

Banesto

3,914 km (2,432 mi)

101h 01' 20"

+ 3' 36"

2

10

1992

 Spain

Miguel Indurain

Banesto

3,983 km (2,475 mi)

100h 49' 30"

+ 4' 35"

3

10

1993

 Spain

Miguel Indurain

Banesto

3,714 km (2,308 mi)

95h 57' 09"

+ 4' 59"

2

14

1994

 Spain

Miguel Indurain

Banesto

3,978 km (2,472 mi)

103h 38' 38"

+ 5' 39"

1

13

1995

 Spain

Miguel Indurain

Banesto

3,635 km (2,259 mi)

92h 44' 59"

+ 4' 35"

2

13

1996

 Denmark

Bjarne Riis[A]

Team Telekom

3,765 km (2,339 mi)

95h 57' 16"

+ 1' 41"

2

13

1997

 Germany

Jan Ullrich#

Team Telekom

3,950 km (2,450 mi)

100h 30' 35"

+ 9' 09"

2

12

1998

 Italy

Marco Pantani

Mercatone Uno–Bianchi

3,875 km (2,408 mi)

92h 49' 46"

+ 3' 21"

2

7

1999[B]

 United States

Lance Armstrong

U.S. Postal Service

3,687 km (2,291 mi)

91h 32' 16"

+ 7' 37"

4

15

2000[B]

 United States

Lance Armstrong

U.S. Postal Service

3,662 km (2,275 mi)

92h 33' 08"

+ 6' 02"

1

12

2001[B]

 United States

Lance Armstrong

U.S. Postal Service

3,458 km (2,149 mi)

86h 17' 28"

+ 6' 44"

4

8

2002[B]

 United States

Lance Armstrong

U.S. Postal Service

3,272 km (2,033 mi)

82h 05' 12"

+ 7' 17"

4

11

2003[B]

 United States

Lance Armstrong

U.S. Postal Service

3,427 km (2,129 mi)

83h 41' 12"

+ 1' 01"

1

13

2004[B]

 United States

Lance Armstrong

U.S. Postal Service

3,391 km (2,107 mi)

83h 36' 02"

+ 6' 19"

5

7

2005[B]

 United States

Lance Armstrong

Discovery Channel

3,593 km (2,233 mi)

86h 15' 02"

+ 4' 40"

1

17

2006

 Spain

Floyd Landis Óscar Pereiro[C]

Caisse d'Epargne–Illes Balears

3,657 km (2,272 mi)

89h 40' 27"

+ 32"

0

8

2007

 Spain

Alberto Contador#

Discovery Channel

3,570 km (2,220 mi)

91h 00' 26"

+ 23"

1

4

2008

 Spain

Carlos Sastre*

Team CSC

3,559 km (2,211 mi)

87h 52' 52"

+ 58"

1

5

2009

 Spain

Alberto Contador

Astana

3,459 km (2,149 mi)

85h 48' 35"

+ 4' 11"

2

7

2010

 Luxembourg

Alberto Contador Andy Schleck#[D]

Team Saxo Bank

3,642 km (2,263 mi)

91h 59' 27"

+ 1' 22"

2

12

2011

 Australia

Cadel Evans

BMC Racing Team

3,430 km (2,130 mi)

86h 12' 22"

+ 1' 34"

1

2

2012

 Great Britain

Bradley Wiggins

Team Sky

3,496 km (2,172 mi)

87h 34' 47"

+ 3' 21"

2

14

2013

 Great Britain

Chris Froome

Team Sky

3,404 km (2,115 mi)

83h 56' 20"

+ 4' 20"

3

14

2014

 Italy

Vincenzo Nibali

Astana

3,660.5 km (2,274.5 mi)

89h 59' 06"

+ 7' 37"

4

19

2015

 Great Britain

Chris Froome*

Team Sky

3,360.3 km (2,088.0 mi)

84h 46' 14"

+ 1' 12"

1

16

2016

 Great Britain

Chris Froome

Team Sky

3,529 km (2,193 mi)

89h 04' 48"

+ 4' 05"

2

14

2017

 Great Britain

Chris Froome

Team Sky

3,540 km (2,200 mi)

86h 20' 55"

+ 54"

0

15

2018

 Great Britain

Geraint Thomas

Team Sky

3,349 km (2,081 mi)

83h 17' 13"

+ 1' 51"

2

11

text: Multiple winners[edit]

text: The following riders have won the Tour de France on 2 or more occasions. Since the retirement of two-time winner Alberto Contador in 2017, the only active rider on the list as of that year is Chris Froome, currently with 4 wins. Contador had originally won three Tours, but was stripped of one following an anti-doping violation.[D]

text: Lance Armstrong was removed from the head of the list after having all seven of his Tour victories stripped when he was found guilty of repeated doping offences. Had his tainted Tour victories been reallocated (as were the victories of Floyd Landis and Contador) to the second placed rider in each race, Jan Ullrich would have joined the list with 4 Tour wins. However, the race organisers ASO decided not to reallocate the titles won in those years, in recognition of the historic doping problem in the sport at that time - Ullrich himself having been banned for a doping violation. Ullrich, therefore, has a single Tour victory to his name.

text:
Multiple winners of the Tour de France general classification

Cyclist

Total

Years

 Jacques Anquetil (FRA)

5

1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964

 Eddy Merckx (BEL)

5

1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974

 Bernard Hinault (FRA)

5

1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985

 Miguel Indurain (ESP)

5

1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995

 Chris Froome (GBR)

4

2013, 2015, 2016, 2017

 Philippe Thys (BEL)

3

1913, 1914, 1920

 Louison Bobet (FRA)

3

1953, 1954, 1955

 Greg LeMond (USA)

3

1986, 1989, 1990

 Lucien Petit-Breton (FRA)

2

1907, 1908

 Firmin Lambot (BEL)

2

1919, 1922

 Ottavio Bottecchia (ITA)

2

1924, 1925

 Nicolas Frantz (LUX)

2

1927, 1928

 André Leducq (FRA)

2

1930, 1932

 Antonin Magne (FRA)

2

1931, 1934

 Sylvère Maes (BEL)

2

1936, 1939

 Gino Bartali (ITA)

2

1938, 1948

 Fausto Coppi (ITA)

2

1949, 1952

 Bernard Thévenet (FRA)

2

1975, 1977

 Laurent Fignon (FRA)

2

1983, 1984

 Alberto Contador (ESP)[D]

2

2007, 2009

text: By nationality[edit]

text:
Tour de France general classification winners by nationality

Country

No. of wins

No. of winning cyclists

 France

36

23

 Belgium

18

10

 Spain[D]

12

7

 Italy

10

7

 Great Britain

6

3

 Luxembourg

5

4

 United States[B][C]

3

1

 Netherlands

2

2

  Switzerland

2

2

 Denmark

1

1

 Germany

1

1

 Ireland

1

1

 Australia

1

1

text: Footnotes[edit]

text: A. ^ Bjarne Riis has admitted to doping during the 1996 Tour de France. The organizers of the Tour de France have stated that they no longer consider him to be the winner, although Union Cycliste Internationale has so far refused to change the official status due to the amount of time passed since his win. Jan Ullrich was placed second on the podium in Paris.[28]

text: B. a b c d e f g h Lance Armstrong was declared winner of seven consecutive Tours from 1999 to 2005. However, in October 2012 he was stripped of all titles by the UCI due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The Tour director Christian Prudhomme had previously declared that if this happened, there would be no alternate winners for those years, but this has not yet been made official.[29]

text: C. a b Floyd Landis was the winner at the podium ceremony in Paris on the last day of the 2006 Tour, but subsequently was found to have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during stage 17 of the race. The United States Anti-Doping Agency found him guilty of using synthetic testosterone during the race and stripped him of his title on 20 September 2007.[30]

text: D. a b c Alberto Contador was the winner at the podium ceremony in Paris on the last day of the 2010 Tour, but subsequently was found to have tested positive for the prohibited substance Clenbuterol on a rest day. The Court of Arbitration for Sport found him guilty of using clenbuterol during the race and stripped him of his title on 6 February 2012.[31]

text: E. ^ Henri Cornet was declared the winner of 1904 race after the disqualification of Maurice Garin for cheating.


document_title: List of national animals

question_text: the bengal tiger is the national animal of which country

text: List of national animals

text: This article is incomplete. Please help to improve it, or discuss the issue on the talk page. (June 2017)

text: This is a list of national animals.

text: National animals

text:
Country

Name of animal

Scientific name

Pictures

Ref.

 Algeria
Fennec fox
Vulpes zerda

[1]

 Angola
Red-crested turaco (national bird)
Tauraco erythrolophus

[2]

 Anguilla
Zenaida dove
Zenaida aurita

[3]

 Antigua and Barbuda
Fallow deer (national animal)
Dama dama

[4]

Frigate (national bird)
Fregata magnificens

[4]

Hawksbill turtle (national sea creature)
Eretmochelys imbricata

[4]

 Argentina
Rufous hornero
Furnarius rufus

[5]

 Australia
Red kangaroo (national animal)
Macropus rufus

[6]

Emu (national bird)
Dromaius novaehollandiae

[7]

 Austria
Black eagle
 Ictinaetus malaiensis

[8]

 Azerbaijan

Karabakh horse

Equus ferus caballus

[9]

 Bangladesh
Royal Bengal tiger (national animal)
Panthera tigris tigris

[10]

Magpie robin (national bird)
Copsychus saularis

[10]

Ilish (national fish)
Tenualosa ilisha

[10]

 Belarus
European bison
Bison bonasus

[11]

 Belgium

Lion (heraldic Leo Belgicus)

Panthera leo

[12]

 Belize
Baird's tapir (national animal)
Tapirus bairdii

[11][13]

Keel-billed toucan (national bird)
Ramphastos sulfuratus

[14]

 Bhutan
Druk
Mythical

[15]

Takin
Budorcas taxicolor

[16]

 Brazil
Rufous-bellied thrush
Turdus rufiventris

[17]

 Cambodia
Kouprey
Bos sauveli

[18]

 Canada
North American beaver (sovereignty animal symbol)
Castor canadensis

[19][20]

Canadian horse (national horse)
Equus ferus caballus

[20]

 China
Giant panda (national animal)
Ailuropoda melanoleuca

[21]

Chinese dragon (national animal)
Mythical

[22]

Red-crowned crane (national bird)
Grus japonensis

[23]

 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Okapi
Okapia johnstoni

[11]

 Colombia

Andean condor
Vultur gryphus

[24]

 Costa Rica
Yigüirro (national bird)
Turdus grayi

[25]

White-tailed deer (national animal)
Odocoileus virginianus

[26]

West Indian manatee (national aquatic animal)
Trichechus manatus

[27]

 Croatia
Pine marten
Martes martes

[28][29]

 Cuba
Cuban trogon
Priotelus temnurus

[30][31]

 Cyprus
Cypriot mouflon
Ovis orientalis

[32]

 Czech Republic
Double-tailed lion
Mythical

[33]

 Denmark
Mute swan (national bird)
Cygnus olor

[34]

Small tortoiseshell (national butterfly)
Aglais urticae

[34]

 Egypt
Steppe eagle
Aquila nipalensis

[35]

 Estonia
Barn swallow (national bird)
Hirundo rustica

[36]

 Eritrea
Arabian camel
Camelus dromedarius

[37]

 Ethiopia
Lion
Panthera leo

[38]

 Faroe Islands
Eurasian oystercatcher (national bird)
Haematopus ostralgus

[39]

 Finland
Brown bear (national animal)
Ursus arctos

[40]

Whooper swan (national bird)
Cygnus cygnus

[41]

Holly blue (national butterfly)
Celastrina argiolus

[42]

European perch (national fish)
Perca fluviatilis

[43]

Seven-spot ladybird (national insect)
Coccinella septempunctata

[43]

 France

Gallic rooster

Gallus gallus domesticus

[44]

 Germany

Unspecified Eagle

Members of Accipitridae

[45]

 Greece

Phoenix
Mythical

[46][47]

Dolphins
Delphinus

[48]

 Guatemala
Quetzal
Pharomachrus mocinno

[49]

 Haiti

Hispaniolan Trogan

Priotelus roseigaster

[50]

 Honduras
White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus

[51]

 Hungary
Turul
Mythical (most probably Falco cherrug) [52]

 Iceland

Gyrfalcon
Falco rusticolus

[53]

 India
Bengal tiger (National predator)
Panthera tigris tigris

[54]

Indian peafowl (National bird)
Pavo cristatus

[55]

King cobra (National reptile)
Ophiophagus hannah

[56]

Ganges river dolphin (National aquatic animal)
Platanista gangetica gangetica

[57]

Indian elephant (National heritage animal)
Elephas maximus indicus

[58]

 Indonesia
Komodo dragon (national animal)

Varanus komodoensis

[59]

Garuda (historic national animal)
Mythical

[60]

 Iran

Persian lion

Panthera leo persica

[46]

 Iraq

Chukar partridge

Alectoris chukar

[61]

Goat  ( KRG)

Capra aegagrus

[62]

 Israel

Hoopoe (national bird)
Upupa epops

[46]

 Jamaica
Red-billed streamertail
Trochilus polytmus

[63]

 Japan
Green pheasant (national bird)
Phasianus versicolor

[64]

Carp (national fish)
Cyprinus carpio

[65]

 Latvia
White wagtail (national bird)
Motacilla alba

[66][67]

Two-spotted ladybird (national insect)
Adalia bipunctata

[67]

 Lithuania
White stork
Ciconia ciconia

[68]

 Macedonia
Lion (in Macedonian heraldry)
Panthera leo

[69]

 Madagascar
Zebu (in Malagasy heraldry)
Bos primigenius indicus

[70]

Ring-tailed lemur (national animal)
Lemur catta

[71]

 Malaysia
Malayan tiger (national animal)
Panthera tigris jacksoni

[72]

 Malta

Pharaoh Hound (national animal)

Canis lupus familiaris

[1]

 Moldova
Aurochs (national animal)
Bos primigenius

[73]

 Mauritius
Dodo
Raphus cucullatus

[11][74][75]

 Mexico
Golden eagle (national animal)
Aquila chrysaetos

[76]

Xoloitzcuintli (national dog)
Canis lupus familiaris

[76]

Jaguar (national mammal)
Panthera onca

[76]

Grasshopper (national arthropod )
Sphenarium purpurascens

[76]

Vaquita (national marine mammal)
Phocoena sinus

[76]

   Nepal
Cow (national animal)
Bos taurus indicus

[77]

Danphe (national bird)
Lophophorus impejanus

[78]

 Netherlands
Lion (heraldic symbol)
Panthera leo

[79]

Black-tailed godwit (national bird)
Limosa limosa

[80]

 New Zealand
Kiwi
Apteryx sp.

[81]

 North Korea
Chollima
Mythical

[82][83][84]

 Norway
Lion (royal national animal)
Panthera leo

[85]

White-throated dipper (national bird)
Cinclus cinclus

[86]

Fjord horse (national horse)
Equus ferus caballus

[87]

 Oman
Arabian oryx (national animal)
Oryx leucoryx

[88]

 Pakistan
Markhor (National animal)
Capra falconeri

[89]

Indus river dolphin (National aquatic mammal)
Platanista indicus minor minor

[89]

Chukar (National bird)
Alectoris chukar

[89]

Indus crocodile (National reptile)
Crocodylus palustris

[89]

Shaheen falcon (Heritage bird)
Falco peregrinus peregrinator

[90]

Snow leopard (National predator)
Panthera uncia

[89]

 Panama
Harpy eagle
Harpia harpyja

[11]

 Papua New Guinea
Dugong (national marine mammal)
Dugong dugon

[91]

 Peru
Vicuña (national animal)
Vicugna vicugna

[92]

 Philippines

Carabao (national animal)
Bubalus bubalis

[93]

Philippine eagle (national bird)
Pithecophaga jefferyi

[94]

 Poland
White-tailed eagle (national bird)
Haliaeetus albicilla

[95][96]

White stork (national bird)
Ciconia ciconia

[97]

European bison (national animal)
Bison bonasus

[98][99]

 Qatar
Arabian oryx
Oryx leucoryx

[100]

 Romania
Lynx
Lynx lynx

[101]

 Russia
Eurasian brown bear
Ursus arctos arctos

[102]

 Rwanda
Leopard
Panthera pardus

[103]

 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent amazon
Amazona guildingii

[104]

 Serbia
Wolf
Canis lupus lupus

[105]

White eagle
Mythical

[106]

Lynx
Lynx lynx

[107]

 Somalia
Leopard (national animal)
Panthera pardus

[108]

 South Africa
Springbok (national animal)
Antidorcas marsupialis

[109]

Blue crane (national bird)[109]
Anthropoides paradiseus

Galjoen (national fish)[109]
Dichistius capensis

 South Korea
Siberian tiger
Panthera tigris altaica

[110]

Korean magpie (national bird)
Pica (pica) sericea

[110]

 Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan junglefowl (national bird)
Gallus lafayettii

[111]

 Tanzania
Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis

[112][113][114]

 Thailand

Elephant
Elephas maximus

[115]

 United Arab Emirates

Arabian oryx (national animal)
Oryx leucoryx

[116]

Peregrine falcon (national bird)
Falco peregrinus

[116]

 United Kingdom

Lion (United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales)
Panthera leo

[117][118]

Bulldog (Britain as "British Bulldog")
Canis lupus familiaris

[119]

Red kite (Wales)
Milvus milvus

[120]

Unicorn (Scotland)
Mythical

[46][121][122][123][124]

Y Ddraig Goch (Welsh Dragon Wales)
Mythical

[120][125]

 United States
Bald eagle (national bird)
Haliaeetus leucocephalus

[126][127]

American bison (national mammal)
Bison bison

[128][129]


document_title: The Help (film)

question_text: who plays celia rae foote in the help

question_tokens: who plays celia rae foote in the help

text: The Help (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1963, Aibileen Clark is an African-American maid in Jackson, Mississippi, and in intermittent voice overs she tells her "career" story to the aspiring writer Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a recent graduate of Ole Miss and a friend of Aibileen's employer and fellow socialite Elizabeth Leefolt. Aibileen cares for the Leefolt's daughter, Mae Mobley, whom Elizabeth neglects. Aibileen's best friend is the plain-spoken Minny Jackson, who works for Mrs. Walters, the mother of Hilly Holbrook, the leader of the women's socialite group.

text: Skeeter is uncomfortable with the racist attitudes of her socialite friends towards their maids. She is shocked when Hilly forwards a letter to the Home Sanitation Initiative to install separate bathrooms for the help. Skeeter later learns that her mother Charlotte fired her childhood maid Constantine for unknown reasons.

text: During a terrible storm, Minny refuses to go out to use the help's toilet and uses the guest's bathroom, resulting in her getting fired by Hilly, who then slanders her name with claims of theft, rendering her essentially unemployable.

text: Minny eventually finds a job with Celia, wife of Johnny Foote, Hilly's former beau. The two become friends through Minny's cooking lessons, though they keep Minny's employment secret from Johnny. Celia suffers a miscarriage and reveals to Minny that she has suffered three previous miscarriages. Minny comes upon Skeeter's visiting Aibileen and joins in the book project effort. Skeeter is advised by her book editor at Harper & Row, Elaine Stein, that the stories of two maids are not enough, but potential retribution from the maid's employers hinders others from joining the project. Aibileen tells Skeeter about the pain she experiences about her son being fatally crushed while on the job. Aibileen has struggled to find closure from his death, and believes that helping with the book will enable her to find that closure.

text: Hilly refuses to lend more money to her replacement maid, Yule May, who is struggling to send her twin sons to college. One day, she discovers a discarded ring and pawns it. However, Yule May is brutally arrested after Hilly reports the theft. Following this and the assassination of Medgar Evers, more maids come forward with their stories, believing the book would help put an end to the brutality against African-Americans.

text: Following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny fear that the maids' stories will be recognized. Minny then reveals the "terrible awful" that she did to Hilly: following her termination, Minny baked her renowned chocolate pie and gave it to Hilly. Minny, however, prevented Mrs. Walters from having a slice, and revealed that she baked her excrement into the pie. Its inclusion in the book would prompt Hilly to crusade in denial that the book is about Jackson.

text: Skeeter confronts her mother Charlotte about Constantine's termination. Charlotte reveals that during a lunch with the local chapter of the Daughters of America, Constantine's daughter Rachel arrived. Rachel disobeyed Charlotte's orders of entering through the kitchen and embarrassed her. In order to save face, Charlotte fired Constantine and ordered them both to leave. Shortly afterward, Rachel took Constantine to Chicago, where she later died. Charlotte had every intention to bring Constantine back to Jackson.

text: The book is published anonymously, and it is a success. Minny reveals the "terrible awful" to Celia, who finally sees Hilly as the manipulative bully that she is. Celia lets on that she knows about the "terrible awful" by writing a check to one of Hilly's charity groups made out to "Two Slice Hilly". Incensed, Hilly confronts and attempts to intimidate Skeeter through threat of legal proceedings, but she reminds Hilly that "that" is in chapter 12. Charlotte then intervenes, lets on that she knows about the "terrible awful" and orders Hilly off the property. Charlotte and Skeeter reconcile when Charlotte tells her how proud she is about her courage, the book and the job offer in New York City.

text: Johnny approaches Minny and reveals that he knew that she'd been working at his house, how appreciative he is about her friendship with Celia, how it saved her life, and that she has permanent job security. This act of kindness gives Minny the courage to take her children away from her abusive husband and never look back.

text: In an attempt to seek revenge for helping Skeeter, Hilly pressures Elizabeth to terminate Aibileen, with Hilly present and trying to frame Aibileen for theft. But Aibileen stands up to Hilly, calling her a godless woman, never satisfied until she gets what she wants. Elizabeth orders Aibileen to leave. Aibileen bids farewell to Elizabeth's daughter and pleads with Elizabeth to give her daughter a chance, as Elizabeth begins to cry. Aibileen reflects on the ordeal and finds closure. She looks to her future as a writer.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark
Emma Stone as Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan
Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson
Jessica Chastain as Celia Rae Foote
Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly Walters Holbrook
Allison Janney as Charlotte Phelan
Ahna O'Reilly as Elizabeth Leefolt
Chris Lowell as Stuart Whitworth
Sissy Spacek as Mrs. Walters
Cicely Tyson as Constantine Bates
Mike Vogel as Johnny Foote
Anna Camp as Jolene French
Brian Kerwin as Robert Phelan
Aunjanue Ellis as Yule May Davis
Ted Welch as William Holbrook
Wes Chatham as Carlton Phelan
Shane McRae as Raleigh Leefolt
Roslyn Ruff as Pascagoula
Tarra Riggs as Gretchen
LaChanze as Rachel Bates
Mary Steenburgen as Elaine Stein
Leslie Jordan as Mr. Blackly
David Oyelowo as Preacher Green
Dana Ivey as Grace Higginbotham
Tiffany Brouwer as Rebecca
Carol Lee as Pearly
Carol Sutton as Cora
Millicent Bolton as Callie
Ashley Johnson as Mary Beth Caldwell
Nelsan Ellis as Henry

text: Production[edit]

text: In December 2009, Variety reported that Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, and Mark Radcliffe would produce a film adaptation of The Help, under their production company 1492 Pictures. Brunson Green of Harbinger Productions also co-produced. The film was written and directed by Stockett's childhood friend, Tate Taylor, who optioned film rights to the book before its publication.[3] DreamWorks acquired the film rights to the novel in March 2010.[4] Reliance Entertainment and Participant Media co-produced the film.[5]

text: The first casting news for the production came in March 2010, when it was reported that Stone was attached to play the role of Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan.[6] Other actors were since cast, including Davis as Aibileen; Howard as Hilly Holbrook, Jackson's snooty town ringleader; Janney as Charlotte Phelan, Skeeter's mother; and Lowell as Stuart Whitworth, Skeeter's boyfriend and a senator's son.[7][8][9] Leslie Jordan appears as the editor of the fictional local newspaper, The Jackson Journal.[10] Mike Vogel plays the character Johnny Foote. Octavia Spencer portrays Minny. A longtime friend of Stockett and Taylor, Spencer inspired the character of Minny in Stockett's novel and voiced her in the audiobook version.[11][12]

text: Filming began in July 2010 and extended through October. The town of Greenwood, Mississippi, was chosen to portray 1960s-era Jackson, and producer Green said he had expected to shoot "95 percent" of the film there.[13] Parts of the film were also shot in the real-life Jackson, as well as in nearby Clarksdale and Greenville. One of the few locations that existed in 1963 Jackson, the book and the film is Jackson landmark Brent's Drugs, which dates to 1946. Other locations that can still be found in Jackson include the New Capitol Building and the Mayflower Cafe downtown. Scenes set at the Jackson Journal office were shot in Clarksdale at the building which formerly housed the Clarksdale Press Register for 40 years until April 2010.[14]

text: The Help was the most significant film production in Mississippi since O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)[15][16][17] "Honestly, my heart would be broken if it were set anywhere but Mississippi", Stockett wrote in an e-mail to reporters. In order to convince producers to shoot in Greenwood, Tate Taylor and others had previously come to the town and scouted out locations; at his first meeting with DreamWorks executives, he presented them with a photo album of potential filming spots in the area. The state's tax incentive program for filmmakers was also a key enticement in the decision.[15][16][17]

text: Release[edit]

text: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed The Help worldwide through the studio's Touchstone Pictures banner.[18] On October 13, 2010, Disney gave the film a release date of August 12, 2011. On June 30, 2011, the film's release date was rescheduled two days earlier to August 10, 2011.[19]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film was released by Touchstone Home Entertainment on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and digital download on December 6, 2011. The release was produced in three different physical packages: a three-disc combo pack (Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy); a two-disc combo pack (Blu-ray and DVD); and a single-disc DVD. It was also released as a digital download option in both standard and high definition. The DVD version includes two deleted scenes and The Living Proof music video by Mary J. Blige. The digital download version includes the same features as the DVD version, plus one additional deleted scene. Both the two-disc and three-disc combo packs include the same features as the DVD version, as well as "The Making of 'The Help': From Friendship to Film", "In Their Own Words: A Tribute to the Maids of Mississippi", and three deleted scenes with introductions by director Taylor.[20][21][22]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The Help received mostly positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 75% of 216 professional critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 7 out of 10. The website's critical consensus states, "Though arguably guilty of glossing over its racial themes, The Help rises on the strength of its cast—particularly Viola Davis, whose performance is powerful enough to carry the film on its own."[23] Metacritic, a review aggregator which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 62 based on 41 reviews.[24] CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was an "A+" on an A+ to F scale.[25]

text: Tom Long from The Detroit News remarked about the film: "Appealling, entertaining, touching and perhaps even a bit healing, The Help is an old-fashioned grand yarn of a film, the sort we rarely get these days."[26] Connie Ogle of The Miami Herald gave the film three out of four stars and said it "will make you laugh, yes, but it can also break your heart. In the dog days of August moviegoing, that's a powerful recommendation."[27]

text: A more mixed review from Karina Longworth of The Village Voice said: "We get a fairly typical Hollywood flattening of history, with powerful villains and disenfranchised heroes."[28] Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail, giving the film two out of four stars, said: "Typically, this sort of film is an earnest tear-jerker with moments of levity. Instead, what we have here is a raucous rib-tickler with occasional pauses for a little dramatic relief."[29] Referring to the film as a "big, ole slab of honey-glazed hokum", The New York Times noted that "save for Ms. Davis's, however, the performances are almost all overly broad, sometimes excruciatingly so, characterized by loud laughs, bugging eyes and pumping limbs."[30]

text: Some of the negative reviews criticized the film for its inability to match the quality of the book. Chris Hewitt of the St. Paul Pioneer Press said about the film: "Some adaptations find a fresh, cinematic way to convey a book's spirit but The Help doesn't."[31]

text: Many critics praised the performances of Davis and Spencer. Wilson Morales of Blackfilm.com gave the movie three out of four stars and commented, "With powerful performances given by Viola Davis and scene stealer Octavia Spencer, the film is an emotionally moving drama that remains highly entertaining."[32] David Edelstein from New York magazine commented that, "The Help belongs to Viola Davis."[33]

text: Ida E. Jones, the national director of the Association of Black Women Historians, released an open statement criticizing the film, stating "[d]espite efforts to market the book and the film as a progressive story of triumph over racial injustice, The Help distorts, ignores, and trivializes the experiences of black domestic workers." The ABWH accused both the book and the film of insensitive portrayals of African-American vernacular, a nearly uniform depiction of black men as cruel or absent, and a failure to acknowledge the sexual harassment that many black women endured in their white employers' homes. Jones concluded by saying that "The Association of Black Women Historians finds it unacceptable for either this book or this film to strip black women's lives of historical accuracy for the sake of entertainment."[34]

text: Roxane Gay of literary web magazine The Rumpus argues the film might be offensive to African Americans, saying the film uses racial Hollywood tropes like the Magical Negro character.[35] In 2014, the movie was one of several discussed by Keli Goff in The Daily Beast in an article concerning white savior narratives in film.[36]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The Help earned $169,708,112 in North America and $46,931,000 in other territories for a worldwide total of $216,639,112.[1]

text: In North America, on its opening day (Wednesday, August 10, 2011), it topped the box office with $5.54 million. It then added $4.33 million on Thursday, declining only 21 percent, a two-day total to $9.87 million.[37] On its first weekend, the film grossed $26.0 million, coming in second place behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes.[38] However, during its second weekend, the film jumped to first place with $20.0 million, declining only 23 percent, the smallest drop among films playing nationwide.[39] The film crossed the $100 million mark on its 21st day of release, becoming one of only two titles in August 2011 that achieved this.[40] On its fourth weekend (Labor Day three-day weekend), it became the first film since Inception (2010), to top the box-office charts for three consecutive weekends.[41][42] Its four-day weekend haul of $19.9 million[43] was the fourth largest for a Labor-day weekend.[44] Notably, The Help topped the box office for 25 days in a row. This was the longest uninterrupted streak since The Sixth Sense (35 days), which was also a late summer release, in 1999.[45]

text: To promote the film, TakePart hosted a series of three writing contests.[46] Rebecca Lubin, of Mill Valley, California, who has been a nanny for nearly two decades won the recipe contest. Darcy Pattison's "11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph" won "The Help" Children's Story Contest with her story about a tenacious young girl who refuses to take a good photograph while her father is away "soldiering". After being chosen by guest judge and children's-book author Lou Berger, the story was professionally illustrated.[47] The final contest was about "someone who inspired you". Genoveva Islas-Hooker charmed guest judge Doc Hendley (founder of Wine to Water) with her story, A Heroine Named Confidential. A case manager for patients with HIV, Islas-Hooker was consistently inspired by one special individual who never gave up the fight to live.

text: Accolades[edit]

text: At the 84th Academy Awards, Octavia Spencer won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in this film. The film also received three other Academy Award nominations: Academy Award for Best Picture, Academy Award for Best Actress for Viola Davis, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Chastain.[48]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
The Help: Music from the Motion PictureSoundtrack album by Various artistsReleased
July 26, 2011Genre
Blues, soul, rhythm and blues, rock and rollLabel
Geffen
Singles from The Help

"The Living Proof"Released: August 16, 2011

text: The original song is "The Living Proof" by Mary J. Blige.[49] The soundtrack was released on July 26, 2011, through Geffen Records.[50]

text: Track listingNo.TitlePerformersLength1."The Living Proof"Mary J. Blige5:572."Jackson"Johnny Cash and June Carter5:283."Sherry"Frankie Valli5:354."I Ain't Never"Webb Pierce1:565."Victory Is Mine"Dorothy Norwood3:476."Road Runner"Bo Diddley2:487."Hallelujah I Love Her So"Ray Charles2:358."The Wah-Watusi"The Orlons2:329."Personality"Lloyd Price10:2910."Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"Bob Dylan3:3811."Let's Twist Again"Chubby Checker2:1912."Don't Knock"Mavis Staples2:30

text: Score[edit]

text:
The Help: Original Motion Picture ScoreSoundtrack album by Thomas NewmanReleased
September 13, 2011Length
59:34Label
Varese Sarabande

text: The film's score was composed and conducted by Thomas Newman; Varese Sarabande released a score album on September 13, 2011.

text: Track listingNo.TitleLength1."Aibilene"3:072."Them Fools"2:503."Upside-Down Cake"1:224."Mississippi"3:505."Heart Palpitations"1:436."The Help"2:197."Jim Crow"1:458."Skeeter"1:039."Miss Hilly"1:1410."Write That Down"1:3811."Bottom Of The List"3:2312."Deviled Eggs"2:0313."First White Baby"2:0014."Celia Digs"2:0615."November 22"1:1216."Not To Die"1:2817."My Son"2:5118."Trash On The Road"1:3719."The Terrible Awful"2:5720."Constantine"4:0921."Gripping Testimonials"1:3222."Sugar"1:5023."Amen"3:0624."Mile High Meringue"2:0025."Ain't You Tired (End Title)"6:29