document_title: List of National Basketball Association annual scoring leaders

question_text: who led the league in scoring in the nba this year

text: Key[edit]

text:
^

Denotes player who is still active in the NBA

*

Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Denotes player who won the MVP award that year

Player (X)

Denotes the number of times the player had been the scoring leader up to and including that season

G
Guard
F
Forward
C
Center

text: Scoring leaders[edit]

text:
Season

Player

Age[a]

Pos[b]

Team

Gamesplayed

Field goalsmade

3-pointfield goalsmade

Free throwsmade

Totalpoints

Points pergame

Ref

1946–47

Joe Fulks*

25

F/C

Philadelphia Warriors

60

475

—

439

1,389

23.2

[11][12]

1947–48

Max Zaslofsky[c]

22

G/F

Chicago Stags

48

373

—

261

1,007

21.0

[14][15]

1948–49

George Mikan*

24

C

Minneapolis Lakers

60

583

—

532

1,698

28.3

[16][17]

1949–50

George Mikan* (2)

25

C

Minneapolis Lakers

68

649

—

567

1,865

27.4

[17][18]

1950–51

George Mikan* (3)

26

C

Minneapolis Lakers

68

678

—

576

1,932

28.4

[17][19]

1951–52

Paul Arizin*

23

F/G

Philadelphia Warriors

66

548

—

578

1,674

25.4

[20][21]

1952–53

Neil Johnston*

23

C

Philadelphia Warriors

70

504

—

556

1,564

22.3

[22][23]

1953–54

Neil Johnston* (2)

24

C

Philadelphia Warriors

72

591

—

577

1,759

24.5

[23][24]

1954–55

Neil Johnston* (3)

25

C

Philadelphia Warriors

72

521

—

589

1,631

22.7

[23][25]

1955–56

Bob Pettit*

23

F/C

St. Louis Hawks

72

646

—

557

1,849

25.7

[26][27]

1956–57

Paul Arizin* (2)

28

F/G

Philadelphia Warriors

71

613

—

591

1,817

25.6

[21][28]

1957–58

George Yardley*

29

F/G

Detroit Pistons

72

673

—

655

2,001

27.8

[29][30]

1958–59

Bob Pettit* (2)

26

F/C

St. Louis Hawks

72

719

—

667

2,105

29.2

[27][31]

1959–60

Wilt Chamberlain*[d]

23

C

Philadelphia Warriors

72

1,065

—

577

2,707

37.6

[32][33]

1960–61

Wilt Chamberlain* (2)

24

C

Philadelphia Warriors

79

1,251

—

531

3,033

38.4

[33][34]

1961–62

Wilt Chamberlain* (3)[e]

25

C

Philadelphia Warriors

80

1,597

—

835

4,029

50.4

[33][35]

1962–63

Wilt Chamberlain* (4)

26

C

San Francisco Warriors

80

1,463

—

660

3,586

44.8

[33][36]

1963–64

Wilt Chamberlain* (5)

27

C

San Francisco Warriors

80

1,204

—

540

2,948

36.9

[33][37]

1964–65

Wilt Chamberlain* (6)

28

C

San Francisco WarriorsPhiladelphia 76ers

73

1,063

—

408

2,534

34.7

[33][38]

1965–66

Wilt Chamberlain* (7)

29

C

Philadelphia 76ers

79

1,074

—

501

2,649

33.5

[33][39]

1966–67

Rick Barry*

22

F

San Francisco Warriors

78

1,011

—

753

2,775

35.6

[40][41]

1967–68

Dave Bing*[f]

24

G

Detroit Pistons

79

835

—

472

2,142

27.1

[44][45]

1968–69

Elvin Hayes*[g]

23

F/C

San Diego Rockets

82

930

—

467

2,327

28.4

[46][47]

1969–70

Jerry West*[h]

31

G

Los Angeles Lakers

74

831

—

647

2,309

31.2

[49][50]

1970–71

Lew Alcindor*[i]

23

C

Milwaukee Bucks

82

1,063

—

470

2,596

31.7

[52][53]

1971–72

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* (2)

24

C

Milwaukee Bucks

81

1,159

—

504

2,822

34.8

[53][54]

1972–73

Nate Archibald*

24

G

Kansas City-Omaha Kings

80

1,028

—

663

2,719

34.0

[55][56]

1973–74

Bob McAdoo*

22

C/F

Buffalo Braves

74

901

—

459

2,261

30.6

[57][58]

1974–75

Bob McAdoo* (2)

23

C/F

Buffalo Braves

82

1,095

—

641

2,831

34.5

[58][59]

1975–76

Bob McAdoo* (3)

24

C/F

Buffalo Braves

78

934

—

559

2,427

31.1

[58][60]

1976–77

Pete Maravich*

29

G

New Orleans Jazz

73

886

—

501

2,273

31.1

[61][62]

1977–78

George Gervin*[j]

25

G/F

San Antonio Spurs

82

864

—

504

2,232

27.2

[68][69]

1978–79

George Gervin* (2)

26

G/F

San Antonio Spurs

80

947

—

471

2,365

29.6

[69][70]

1979–80

George Gervin* (3)

27

G/F

San Antonio Spurs

78

1,024

32

505

2,585

33.1

[69][71]

1980–81

Adrian Dantley*

24

F/G

Utah Jazz

80

909

2

632

2,452

30.7

[72][73]

1981–82

George Gervin* (4)

29

G/F

San Antonio Spurs

79

993

10

555

2,551

32.3

[69][74]

1982–83

Alex English*

29

F

Denver Nuggets

82

959

2

406

2,326

28.4

[75][76]

1983–84

Adrian Dantley* (2)

27

F/G

Utah Jazz

79

802

1

813

2,418

30.6

[73][77]

1984–85

Bernard King*[k]

28

F

New York Knicks

55

691

1

426

1,809

32.9

[79][80]

1985–86

Dominique Wilkins*[l]

26

F

Atlanta Hawks

78

888

13

577

2,366

30.3

[82][83]

1986–87

Michael Jordan*

23

G

Chicago Bulls

82

1,098

12

833

3,041

37.1

[84][85]

1987–88

Michael Jordan* (2)

24

G

Chicago Bulls

82

1,069

7

723

2,868

35.0

[85][86]

1988–89

Michael Jordan* (3)

25

G

Chicago Bulls

81

966

27

674

2,633

32.5

[85][87]

1989–90

Michael Jordan* (4)

26

G

Chicago Bulls

82

1,034

92

593

2,753

33.6

[85][88]

1990–91

Michael Jordan* (5)

27

G

Chicago Bulls

82

990

29

571

2,580

31.5

[85][89]

1991–92

Michael Jordan* (6)

28

G

Chicago Bulls

80

943

27

491

2,404

30.1

[85][90]

1992–93

Michael Jordan* (7)

29

G

Chicago Bulls

78

992

81

476

2,541

32.6

[85][91]

1993–94

David Robinson*[m]

28

C

San Antonio Spurs

80

840

10

693

2,383

29.8

[93][94]

1994–95

Shaquille O'Neal*

22

C

Orlando Magic

79

930

0

455

2,315

29.3

[95][96]

1995–96

Michael Jordan* (8)

32

G

Chicago Bulls

82

916

111

548

2,491

30.4

[85][97]

1996–97

Michael Jordan* (9)

33

G

Chicago Bulls

82

920

111

480

2,431

29.6

[85][98]

1997–98

Michael Jordan* (10) [n]

34

G

Chicago Bulls

82

881

30

565

2,357

28.7

[85][101]

1998–99[o]

Allen Iverson*[p]

23

G

Philadelphia 76ers

48

435

58

356

1,284

26.8

[104][105]

1999–00

Shaquille O'Neal* (2)

27

C

Los Angeles Lakers

79

956

0

432

2,344

29.7

[96][106]

2000–01

Allen Iverson* (2)[q]

25

G

Philadelphia 76ers

71

762

98

585

2,207

31.1

[105][108]

2001–02

Allen Iverson* (3)[r]

26

G

Philadelphia 76ers

60

665

78

475

1,883

31.4

[105][110]

2002–03

Tracy McGrady*[s]

23

G/F

Orlando Magic

75

829

173

576

2,407

32.1

[112][113]

2003–04

Tracy McGrady* (2)[t]

24

G/F

Orlando Magic

67

653

174

398

1,878

28.0

[113]

2004–05

Allen Iverson* (4)

29

G

Philadelphia 76ers

75

771

104

656

2,302

30.7

[105]

2005–06

Kobe Bryant

27

G

Los Angeles Lakers

80

978

180

696

2,832

35.4

[115]

2006–07

Kobe Bryant (2)

28

G

Los Angeles Lakers

77

813

137

667

2,430

31.6

[115]

2007–08

LeBron James^[u]

23

F

Cleveland Cavaliers

75

794

113

549

2,250

30.0

[117]

2008–09

Dwyane Wade^

27

G

Miami Heat

79

854

88

590

2,386

30.2

[118]

2009–10

Kevin Durant^[v]

21

F

Oklahoma City Thunder

82

794

128

756

2,472

30.1

[120]

2010–11

Kevin Durant^ (2)

22

F

Oklahoma City Thunder

78

711

145

594

2,161

27.7

[120]

2011–12[w]

Kevin Durant^ (3)[x]

23

F

Oklahoma City Thunder

66

643

133

431

1,850

28.0

[120]

2012–13

Carmelo Anthony^[y]

28

F

New York Knicks

67

669

157

425

1,920

28.7

[124]

2013–14

Kevin Durant^ (4)

25

F

Oklahoma City Thunder

81

849

192

703

2,593

32.0

[120]

2014–15

Russell Westbrook^[z]

26

G

Oklahoma City Thunder

67

627

86

546

1,886

28.1

[126]

2015–16

Stephen Curry^[aa]

28

G

Golden State Warriors

79

805

402

363

2,375

30.1

[128]

2016–17

Russell Westbrook^ (2)

28

G

Oklahoma City Thunder

81

824

200

710

2,558

31.6

[126]

2017–18

James Harden[ab]

28

G

Houston Rockets

72

651

265

624

2,191

30.4

[130]

text: Multiple-time leaders[edit]

text:
Ranking
Player
Team
Times leader
Years

1
Michael Jordan
Chicago Bulls
10
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998

2
Wilt Chamberlain
Philadelphia Warriors/San Francisco Warriors (5) / Philadelphia 76ers (2)
7
1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966

3
Kevin DurantGeorge GervinAllen Iverson
Oklahoma City ThunderSan Antonio SpursPhiladelphia 76ers
4
2010, 2011, 2012, 20141978, 1979, 1980, 19821999, 2001, 2002, 2005

6
Neil JohnstonBob McAdooGeorge Mikan
Philadelphia WarriorsBuffalo BravesMinneapolis Lakers
3
1953, 1954, 19551974, 1975, 19761949, 1950, 1951

9
Kareem Abdul-JabbarPaul ArizinKobe BryantAdrian DantleyTracy McGradyShaquille O'NealBob PettitRussell Westbrook
Milwaukee BucksPhiladelphia WarriorsLos Angeles LakersUtah JazzOrlando MagicOrlando Magic (1) / Los Angeles Lakers (1)St. Louis HawksOklahoma City Thunder
2
1971, 19721952, 19572006, 20071981, 19842003, 20041995, 20001956, 19592015, 2017


document_title: Wall Street Journal prime rate

question_text: when did the us prime rate last change

question_tokens: when did the us prime rate last change

root

text: Wall Street Journal prime rate

text: Historical data for the WSJ prime rate[edit]

text:
1990-1999

Date of Change
Prime Rate

1991

2-Jan-91
9.50%

1-Feb-91
9.00-9.50

5-Feb-91
9.00

21-Feb-91
8.75-9.00 (BofA)

24-Apr-91
9.00

1-May-91
8.50

13-Sep-91
8.00

6-Nov-91
7.50

23-Dec-91
6.50

1992

02-Jul-92
6.00%

1994

24-Mar-94
6.25%

19-Apr-94
6.75

18-May-94
7.25

16-Aug-94
7.75

15-Nov-94
8.50

1995

1-Feb-95
9.00%

7-Jul-95
8.75%

20-Dec-95
8.50%

1996

31-Jan-96
8.25%

1997

27-Mar-97
8.50%

1998

30-Sep-98
8.25%

16-Oct-98
8.00%

18-Nov-98
7.75%

1999

01-Jul-99
8.00%

25-Aug-99
8.25%

17-Nov-99
8.50%

2000-pres

Date of Change
Prime Rate

2000

03-Feb-00
8.75%

22-Mar-00
9.00%

17-May-00
9.50%

2001

04-Jan-01
9.00%

01-Feb-01
8.50%

21-Mar-01
8.00%

19-Apr-01
7.50%

16-May-01
7.00%

28-Jun-01
6.75%

22-Aug-01
6.50%

18-Sep-01
6.00%

03-Oct-01
5.50%

07-Nov-01
5.00%

12-Dec-01
4.75%

2002

07-Nov-02
4.25%

2003

27-Jun-03
4.00%

2004

01-Jul-04
4.25%

11-Aug-04
4.50%

22-Sep-04
4.75%

10-Nov-04
5.00%

14-Dec-04
5.25%

2005

02-Feb-05
5.50%

22-Mar-05
5.75%

03-May-05
6.00%

30-Jun-05
6.25%

09-Aug-05
6.50%

20-Sep-05
6.75%

01-Nov-05
7.00%

13-Dec-05
7.25%

2006

31-Jan-06
7.50%

28-Mar-06
7.75%

10-May-06
8.00%

29-Jun-06
8.25%

2007

18-Sept-07
7.75%

31-Oct-07
7.50%

11-Dec-07
7.25%

2008

22-Jan-08
6.50%

30-Jan-08
6.00%

18-Mar-08
5.25%

30-Apr-08
5.00%

08-Oct-08
4.50%

30-Oct-08
4.00%

16-Dec-08
3.25%

2015

17-Dec-15
3.50%

2016

15-Dec-16
3.75%[1]

2017

16-Mar-17
4.00%

15-Jun-17
4.25%

tag: table


document_title: Love Actually

question_text: who played billy mack's manager in love actually

question_tokens: who played billy mack 's manager in love actually

text: Love Actually

text: Plot[edit]

text: The film begins with a voiceover from David (Hugh Grant) commenting that whenever he gets gloomy about the state of the world he thinks about the arrivals terminal at Heathrow Airport, and the pure uncomplicated love felt as friends and families welcome their arriving loved ones. David's voiceover also relates that all the messages left by the people who died on the 9/11 planes were messages of love and not hate. The film then tells the 'love stories' of many people:

tag: p

text: Billy Mack and Joe[edit]

text: With the help of his longtime manager Joe (Gregor Fisher), rock and roll legend Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) records a Christmas variation of The Troggs' classic hit "Love Is All Around". Although he thinks the record is terrible, Mack promotes the release in the hope it will become the Christmas number one single. The song does reach number one; after briefly celebrating his victory at a party hosted by Sir Elton John, Billy discerns that Joe is in need of affection and suggests that he and Joe celebrate Christmas by getting drunk and watching porn.

text: Juliet, Peter, and Mark[edit]

text: Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) get married in a ceremony orchestrated and videotaped by Mark (Andrew Lincoln), the best man. Both Juliet and Peter believe that Mark dislikes her; he is in fact in love with her, and behaves coldly to her to avoid revealing how he really feels. One day, Juliet comes to see Mark and says she wants them to be friends. He then shows her the wedding video, which is full of adoring closeups of her. After an uncomfortable silence, Mark blurts out that he snubs her out of "self-preservation". On Christmas Eve, the doorbell rings at Juliet and Peter's house. She runs down and opens the door, only to find Mark, carrying a boombox playing Christmas songs and large cue cards on which he has written, without any expectation of reciprocation, that he loves her. As he walks away, Juliet runs after him to give him a quick, innocent kiss and runs back inside.

text: Jamie and Aurélia[edit]

text: Writer Jamie (Colin Firth) is pushed to Juliet and Peter's wedding by his girlfriend (Sienna Guillory) as she feigns illness. He returns between the ceremony and the reception to check on her, and discovers that she is having an affair with his brother. Crushed, Jamie withdraws to his French cottage where he meets Portuguese housekeeper Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz), who does not speak English. Despite their inability to communicate, they become attracted to each other. When Jamie returns to England, he realises he is in love with Aurélia and begins learning Portuguese. He returns to France to find her and ends up walking through town, gathering people as they walk to her job at a restaurant. In his broken Portuguese he declares his love for her and proposes. She says yes in broken English as the crowd erupts in applause.

text: Harry, Karen, and Mia[edit]

text: Harry (Alan Rickman) is the managing director of a design agency; Mia (Heike Makatsch) is his new secretary. Harry is comfortably married to his wife, Karen (Emma Thompson), who stays home to raise their children. Harry becomes increasingly aroused by Mia's overtly sexual behavior at the office and does nothing to dissuade her. At the company Christmas party held at Mark's gallery, he not only inquires if Mark is her boyfriend, but dances closely with her. While at the shops, he calls Mia to find out what she wants for Christmas and ends up almost caught by his wife purchasing an expensive necklace from the jewellery department thanks to the salesman Rufus (Rowan Atkinson). Later on, Karen discovers the necklace in Harry's coat pocket and happily assumes it is a gift for her. When he hands her a similarly shaped box to open on Christmas Eve, she is heartbroken to find it is a Joni Mitchell CD, meaning that the necklace was for someone else. She confronts Harry asks him what he would do if he was her. Harry begs her forgiveness. She responds that he has made a mockery of their marriage and of her.

text: David and Natalie[edit]

text: Karen's brother, David (Hugh Grant), is the recently elected Prime Minister. Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) is a new junior member of the household staff at 10 Downing Street. During a meeting with the U.S. President (Billy Bob Thornton), they run into Natalie and the president makes some inappropriate comments to David about Natalie's body. Later, David walks in on Natalie serving tea and biscuits to the president, and it appears that something untoward is happening. Natalie seems ashamed, but the President has a sly grin on his face. At the following joint press conference, David is uncharacteristically assertive while taking a stand against the President's intimidating policies. Finding that his relationship with Natalie has become strained and a distraction, David has her moved to another job. However, he is spurred to action on Christmas Eve when he finds a Christmas card from Natalie declaring that she is his and no one else's. After a door to door search of her street, he comes across Mia, who informs him that Natalie lives next door. The entire family is on their way out the door to a multi-school Christmas play and he offers to drive them so he can talk to her. After Natalie sneaks him in to the school, he runs into his heartbroken sister who believes he is there for his niece and nephew. As the two try to keep from being seen and watch the show from backstage, they finally kiss. All their hiding was for nothing because as the curtain rises, they are seen kissing by everyone.

text: Daniel, Sam, Joanna, and Carol[edit]

text: Daniel (Liam Neeson), Karen's friend, mourns the recent death of his wife Joanna, as he tries to raise his stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster) alone. Sam has fallen for an American classmate, also named Joanna (Olivia Olson), and, after discussion with his stepfather, decides to learn the drums so that he can accompany her in the big finale for their school's Christmas pageant (the same one that David's nephew and Karen and Harry's children are in). After Sam feels that he missed his chance to make an impression on her, Daniel convinces Sam that he must go catch Joanna, who is returning to the US, at the airport that night and show her how he feels, lest he regret it. Sam runs away from the airport security and says hi to Joanna, who then kisses him on the cheek. Meanwhile, Daniel meets Carol (Claudia Schiffer), the mother of one of Sam's schoolmates.

text: Sarah, Karl, and Michael[edit]

text: Sarah (Laura Linney) first appears at Juliet and Peter's wedding, sitting next to her friend Jamie. She is an American who works at Harry's graphic design company and has been in love for years with the company's creative director, Karl (Rodrigo Santoro). They finally connect at the Christmas party and he drives her home. They kiss, but before more can occur, they are interrupted by her mentally ill brother, Michael, phoning from a mental care facility. Sarah and Karl's evening tryst is aborted and Karl leaves. On Christmas Eve both are working late and, when Karl leaves, he only wishes her a merry Christmas. Michael phones Sarah and she goes to stay with him, sharing her Christmas scarf.

text: Colin, Tony, and the American girls[edit]

text: After unsuccessfully attempting to woo various English women, including Mia and Nancy (Julia Davis), the caterer at Juliet and Peter's wedding, Colin Frissell (Kris Marshall) informs his friend Tony (Abdul Salis) he plans to go to America, where he is convinced that his Britishness will be an asset. Landing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Colin meets Stacey (Ivana Miličević), Jeannie (January Jones), and Carol-Anne (Elisha Cuthbert), three stunningly attractive women who fall for his Basildon accent and invite him to stay at their home, where they are joined by roommate Harriet (Shannon Elizabeth).

text: John and Judy[edit]

text: John (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page) are professional body doubles for films. They meet for the sex scenes in a film for which Tony is a production assistant. John tells Judy that "It is nice to have someone [he] can just chat to." While the two are perfectly comfortable being naked and simulating sex on-set, they are shy and tentative off-set. Carefully pursuing a relationship, they attend the Christmas pageant (involving David and Natalie, Harry and Karen's children, Daniel and Sam, et al.) at the local school with John's brother.

text: Rufus[edit]

text: Rufus, played by Rowan Atkinson, is the jewellery salesman, whose obsessive attention to gift-wrapping nearly results in Harry being caught buying a necklace for Mia by Karen. Also, it is his distraction of staff at the airport which allows Sam to sneak through to see Joanna. In the director and cast commentary, it is revealed that Rufus was originally supposed to be a Christmas angel; however, this was dropped from the final script.

text: Epilogue[edit]

text: One month later, all of the characters are seen in Heathrow airport. Billy tells Joe that his Christmas single has spurred a comeback. Juliet, Peter, and Mark meet Jamie and his bride, Aurélia. Karen and the kids greet Harry, but Karen's reaction suggests that they are struggling to move past his indiscretion. Sam greets Joanna, who has returned with her mother from America, and Daniel is joined by his new girlfriend Carol and her son. Newlyweds John and Judy, heading off to their honeymoon, run into Tony who is awaiting Colin as he returns from America. Colin returns with Harriet and her sister Carla (Denise Richards) who greets Tony with a hug and a kiss. Natalie welcomes David back from his flight in view of the press, indicating that their relationship is now public. These scenes dissolve into footage of actual arrivals at Heathrow, as the screen is divided into an increasing number of smaller segments which form the shape of a heart.

text: Connections between stories[edit]

text: All the stories are linked in some way, with the exception of Billy Mack and his manager, who are not acquainted with any of the other characters, but Billy appears frequently on characters' radios and TVs, his music video twice providing an important plot device for Sam's pursuit of Joanna; the pair also cross paths with the other characters in the closing Heathrow scene. John and Judy work with Tony who is best friends with Colin who works for a catering company that services the office where Sarah, Karl, Mia, and Harry work. Mia is friends with Mark who runs the art gallery where the Christmas office party takes place. Mia also lives next door to Natalie. Mark is in love with Juliet and friends with Peter. The couple are friends with Jamie and Sarah. Harry is married to Karen who is friends with Daniel, and Karen's brother is David who works with Natalie. Harry and Karen's children (and thus David's niece and nephew), Natalie's siblings (and thus Mia's neighbours), and Carol's son are all schoolmates of Sam and Joanna. An additional plot that was dropped in editing concerned the children's headmistress (Anne Reid) and her dying lesbian partner (Frances de la Tour).

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Alan Rickman as Harry
Emma Thompson as Karen
Hugh Grant as David
Keira Knightley as Juliet
Colin Firth as Jamie
Sienna Guillory as Jamie's Girlfriend
Lúcia Moniz as Aurélia
Liam Neeson as Daniel
Thomas Sangster as Sam
Bill Nighy as Billy Mack
Gregor Fisher as Joe
Martine McCutcheon as Natalie
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter
Andrew Lincoln as Mark
Laura Linney as Sarah
Rodrigo Santoro as Karl
Michael Fitzgerald as Michael
Kris Marshall as Colin
Abdul Salis as Tony
Heike Makatsch as Mia
Martin Freeman as John
Joanna Page as Judy (credited as Just Judy)
Olivia Olson as Joanna
Billy Bob Thornton as the President of the United States
Rowan Atkinson as Rufus
Claudia Schiffer as Carol
Nina Sosanya as Annie
Ivana Miličević as Stacey
January Jones as Jeannie
Elisha Cuthbert as Carol-Anne
Shannon Elizabeth as Harriet
Denise Richards as Carla
Lulu Popplewell as Daisy
Marcus Brigstocke as Mikey
Julia Davis as Nancy the Caterer
Ruby Turner as Jean (Joanna's mother)
Adam Godley as Mr. Trench

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Initially, Curtis started writing the film as two distinct movies with expanded versions of what would be two of the characters' storylines in the finished film but he grew frustrated with the process.[4] Partly inspired by the films of Robert Altman as well as films such as Pulp Fiction, and partly inspired by the fact that Curtis became "more interested in writing a film about love and what love sort of means" he had the idea of creating an ensemble film.[4] The film initially did not have any sort of Christmas theme, although Curtis's penchant for such movies eventually caused him to write it as one.[5]

text: Most of the film was made on location in London, at sites including Trafalgar Square, the central court of Somerset House in the Strand, Grosvenor Chapel on South Audley Street near Hyde Park, St. Paul's Clapham on Rectory Grove, Clapham in the London Borough of Lambeth, the Millennium Bridge, Selfridges department store on Oxford Street, Lambeth Bridge, the Tate Modern in the former Bankside Power Station, Canary Wharf, Marble Arch, the St. Lukes Mews off All Saint's Road in Notting Hill, Chelsea Bridge, the OXO Tower, London City Hall, Poplar Road in Herne Hill in the London Borough of Lambeth, Elliott School in Pullman Gardens, Putney in the London Borough of Wandsworth, and London Heathrow Airport. Additional scenes were filmed at the Marseille Airport and Le Bar de la Marine. Scenes set in 10 Downing Street were filmed at the Shepperton Studios.[6]

text: Ant and Dec played themselves in the film with Bill Nighy's character referring to Dec as "Ant or Dec". This refers to the common mistaking of one for the other, owing to their constant joint professional presence as a comedy and presenting duo. The veteran actress Jeanne Moreau is seen briefly, entering a taxi at the Marseille Airport. The soul singer Ruby Turner appears as Joanna Anderson's mother, one of the backing singers at the school Christmas pageant.

text: Curtis's original concept for the film included 14 different scenarios, but four of them were cut (two after having been filmed).[7] The scene in which Colin attempts to chat up the female caterer at the wedding appeared in drafts of the screenplay for Four Weddings and a Funeral, but was cut from the final version.[8] The music video for Billy Mack's song, "Love Is All Around", is a tribute to Robert Palmer's video, "Addicted To Love".[7]

text: Curtis has spoken negatively about the editing process for the film, which he labeled in 2014 as a "catastrophe" and "The only nightmare scenario that I’ve been caught in".[9] The film was rushed in order to be ready for the 2003 Christmas season which he likened to "three dimensional chess" [9]

text: After the resignation of the prime minister, Tony Blair, pundits and speculators referred to a potential anti-American shift in Gordon Brown's cabinet as a "Love Actually moment", referring to the scene in which Hugh Grant's character stands up to the American president.[10][11][12] In 2009, during President Barack Obama's first visit to the UK, Chris Matthews referred to the president in Love Actually as an example of George W. Bush and other former presidents' bullying of European allies. In commenting on Matthews' view, Mediaite's Jon Bershad described the U.S. president character as a "sleazy Bill Clinton/George W. Bush hybrid".[13] In the scene in question, the swaggering president bullies the prime minister and then sexually harasses a member of the his household staff. In September 2013, David Cameron made a speech in reply to Russia's comment that Britain was a small insignificant country which drew comparisons with Hugh Grant's speech during the film.[14]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
Love Actually

Soundtrack album by Various Artists

Released
17 November 2003

Genre
Film soundtrack

Label
Universal, Island

text: The film's original score was composed, orchestrated and conducted by Craig Armstrong.

text: The soundtrack album reached the top 40 on the US Billboard 200 in 2004 and ranked second on the Top Soundtracks chart. It achieved gold record status in Australia and Mexico.

text:
"The Trouble with Love Is" by Kelly Clarkson
"Here with Me" by Dido
"Medley: Sweetest Goodbye/Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5
"Turn Me On" by Norah Jones
"Take Me As I Am" by Wyclef Jean and Sharissa
"Songbird" by Eva Cassidy
"Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling
"Jump (for My Love)" by The Pointer Sisters
"Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell
"All You Need Is Love" by Lynden David Hall
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
"I'll See It Through" by Texas
"Too Lost in You" by Sugababes
"Glasgow Love Theme" by Craig Armstrong
"White Christmas" by Otis Redding
"Christmas Is All Around" by Billy Mack
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Olivia Olson

tag: ol

text:
"Jump (for My Love)" by Girls Aloud
"Too Lost in You" by Sugababes
"The Trouble with Love Is" by Kelly Clarkson
"Here with Me" by Dido
"Christmas Is All Around" by Billy Mack
"Turn Me On" by Norah Jones
"Songbird" by Eva Cassidy
"Sweetest Goodbye" by Maroon 5
"Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling
"I'll See It Through" by Texas
"Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell
"White Christmas" by Otis Redding
"Take Me As I Am" by Wyclef Jean and Sharissa
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Olivia Olson
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
"All You Need Is Love" by Lynden David Hall
"Sometimes" by Gabrielle
"Glasgow Love Theme" by Craig Armstrong
"PM's Love Theme" by Craig Armstrong
"Portuguese Love Theme" by Craig Armstrong

text: The US disc replaces the Girls Aloud version of "Jump (for My Love)" with the Pointer Sisters' original recording. One of the film's deleted includes "Joanna" by Scott Walker. Additional songs heard in the film, though not included on either soundtrack album, include "All Alone on Christmas" by Darlene Love and "Smooth" by Santana, the Paul Anka song "Puppy Love" performed by S Club Juniors, and "Bye Bye Baby" by the Bay City Rollers.

text: The UK and US versions of the actual film contain two instances of alternative music. In the UK cut, the montage leading up to and continuing through the first part of the office party is set to the song "Too Lost in You", by the UK group Sugababes. In the US version of the film, this song is replaced with "The Trouble With Love Is", performed by the American singer Kelly Clarkson. In the UK version's end credit roll, the second song is a cover of "Jump (for My Love)", performed by Girls Aloud. In the US version, this song is replaced with "Too Lost in You", by Sugababes.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The Working Title Films production, budgeted at $45,000,000, was released by Universal Pictures. It grossed $62,671,632 in the United Kingdom, $13,956,093 in Australia[16] and $59,472,278 in the US and Canada. It took a worldwide total of $247,472,278.[17]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: While Love Actually received generally positive reviews in Britain, United States reviews were generally mixed. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 63% of critics gave the film a positive rating, based on 191 reviews, with an average score of 6.4/10. Its consensus states "'A sugary tale overstuffed with too many stories. Still, the cast charms."[18] On Metacritic, the film holds a 55/100 rating, based on 41 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19]

text: Todd McCarthy of Variety called it "a roundly entertaining romantic comedy," a "doggedly cheery confection," and "a package that feels as luxuriously appointed and expertly tooled as a Rolls-Royce" and predicted "its cheeky wit, impossibly attractive cast, and sure-handed professionalism... along with its all-encompassing romanticism should make this a highly popular early holiday attraction for adults on both sides of the pond".[20] Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice called it "love British style, handicapped slightly by corny circumstance and populated by colourful neurotics".[21] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film  3 1⁄2 out of 4 stars, describing it as "a belly-flop into the sea of romantic comedy [...] The movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs, until at times Curtis seems to be working from a checklist of obligatory movie love situations and doesn't want to leave anything out [...] It feels a little like a gourmet meal that turns into a hot-dog eating contest."[22] Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today wrote "Curtis' multi-tiered cake of comedy, slathered in eye-candy icing and set mostly in London at Christmas, serves sundry slices of love—sad, sweet and silly—in all of their messy, often surprising, glory."[23]

text: Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly rated it B and called it "a toasty, star-packed ensemble comedy... [That's] going to make a lot of holiday romantics feel very, very good; watching it; I felt cosy and charmed myself."[24] Nev Pierce of the BBC awarded it four of a possible five stars and called it a "vibrant romantic comedy... Warm, bittersweet and hilarious, this is lovely, actually. Prepare to be smitten."[25] Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle opined "[it] abandons any pretext of sophistication for gloppy sentimentality, sugary pop songs and bawdy humour – an approach that works about half the time [...] Most of the story lines maintain interest because of the fine cast and general goodwill of the picture."[26]

text: In his review in The New York Times, A.O. Scott called it "a romantic comedy swollen to the length of an Oscar-trawling epic – nearly two and a quarter hours of cheekiness, diffidence and high-tone smirking" and added, "it is more like a record label's greatest-hits compilation or a very special sitcom clip-reel show than an actual movie [...] The film's governing idea of love is both shallow and dishonest, and its sweet, chipper demeanour masks a sour cynicism about human emotions that is all the more sleazy for remaining unacknowledged. It has the calloused, leering soul of an early-60s rat-pack comedy, but without the suave, seductive bravado."[27] In Rolling Stone, Peter Travers rated it two stars out of a possible four, saying "there are laughs laced with feeling here, but the deft screenwriter Richard Curtis dilutes the impact by tossing in more and more stories. As a director... Curtis can't seem to rein in his writer... He ladles sugar over the eager-to-please Love Actually to make it go down easy, forgetting that sometimes it just makes you gag."[28]

text: Although critics' reviews for Love Actually were mixed, the film is more popular among audiences and has even been discussed in recent years as an arguable modern-day Christmas classic.[29][30] Christopher Orr of The Atlantic, on the other hand, remains negative toward the work and even described it as the least romantic movie of all time, considering its ultimate message to be, "It’s probably best if you give up on love altogether and get on with the rest of your life."[30][31]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film (nominee)
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Bill Nighy, winner)
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Emma Thompson, nominee)
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (nominee)
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay (nominee)
Empire Award for Best British Film (winner)
Empire Award for Best British Actress (Emma Thompson, winner)
Empire Award for Best Newcomer (Martine McCutcheon, winner)
Empire Award for Best Newcomer (Andrew Lincoln, nominee)
Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (Emma Thompson, winner)
Evening Standard Peter Sellers Award for Comedy (Bill Nighy, winner)
European Film Award for Best Actor (Hugh Grant, nominee)
European Film Award for Best Director (Richard Curtis, nominee)
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Supporting Actor (Bill Nighy, winner)
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Supporting Actress (Emma Thompson, winner)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bill Nighy, winner)
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor, Musical or Comedy (Bill Nighy and Thomas Sangster, nominees)
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress, Musical or Comedy (Emma Thompson, nominee)

text: Other adaptations[edit]

text: The screenplay by Richard Curtis was published by Michael Joseph Ltd. in the UK and by St. Martin's Griffin in the US.[32]

text: Red Nose Day special[edit]

text: Shooting for a short-film special titled, Red Nose Day Actually began in February 2017.[33] The film was broadcast on BBC One as part of Red Nose Day on March 24, 2017. Among the returning cast are Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Marcus Brigstocke and Rowan Atkinson. Additional scenes with Laura Linney and Patrick Dempsey were shot after the UK airing, for the US broadcast on May 25, 2017.[34] Actors who did not return included Emma Thompson, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Rodrigo Santoro and the late Alan Rickman.[35]


document_title: El Clásico

question_text: who has the most goals in el clasico history

text: El Clásico

text: Rivalry

text: History

text: The conflict between Real Madrid and Barcelona has long surpassed the sporting dimension,[13][14] so that elections to the clubs' presidencies are strongly politicized.[15]

text: As early as the 1930s, Barcelona "had developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan identity, opposed to the centralising tendencies of Madrid".[16][17] In 1936, when Francisco Franco started the Coup d'état against the democratic Second Spanish Republic, the president of Barcelona, Josep Sunyol, member of the Republican Left of Catalonia and Deputy to The Cortes, was arrested and executed without trial by Franco's troops[15] (Sunyol was exercising his political activities, visiting Republican troops north of Madrid).[16]

text: Barcelona was on top of the list of organizations to be purged by the National faction, just after communists, anarchists, and independentists.[15][18] During the Franco dictatorship, most citizens of Barcelona were in strong opposition to the fascist-like régime. Phil Ball, the author of Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football, says about the match; "they hate each other with an intensity that can truly shock the outsider".[19]

text: During the dictatorships of Miguel Primo de Rivera and of Francisco Franco, all regional languages and identities in Spain were frowned upon and restrained. In this period, Barcelona gained their motto Més que un club (English: More than a club) because of its alleged connection to Catalan nationalist as well as to progressive beliefs.[20] During Franco's regime, however, Barcelona was granted profit due to its good relationship with the dictator at management level, even giving two awards to him.[21] The links between senior Real Madrid representatives and the Francoist regime were undeniable;[15] for most of the Catalans, Real Madrid was regarded as "the establishment club", despite the fact that presidents of both clubs like Josep Sunyol and Rafael Sánchez Guerra, suffered at the hands of Franco's supporters in the Spanish Civil War.[16][22][23]

text: The image for both clubs was further affected by the creation of Ultras groups, some of which became hooligans. In 1980, Ultras Sur was founded as a far-right-leaning Real Madrid ultras group, followed in 1981 by the foundation of the initially left-leaning and later on far-right, Barcelona ultras group Boixos Nois. Both groups became known for their violent acts,[15][24][25] and one of the most conflictive factions of Barcelona supporters, the Casuals, became a full-fledged criminal organisation.[26]

text: For many people, Barcelona is still considered as "the rebellious club", or the alternative pole to "Real Madrid's conservatism".[27][28] According to polls released by CIS (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas), Real Madrid is the favorite team of most of the Spanish residents, while Barcelona stands in the second position. In Catalonia, forces of all the political spectrum are overwhelmingly in favour of Barcelona. Nevertheless, the support of the blaugrana club goes far beyond from that region, earning its best results among young people, sustainers of a federal structure of Spain and citizens with left-wing ideology, in contrast with Real Madrid fans which politically tend to adopt right-wing views.[29][30]

text: 1943 Copa del Generalísimo semi-finals

text: On 13 June 1943, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 11–1 at home in the second leg of a semi-final of the Copa del Generalísimo, the Copa del Rey having been renamed in honour of General Franco.[31] The first leg, played at Barcelona's Les Corts stadium in Catalonia, had ended with Barcelona winning 3–0. Madrid complained about all the three goals that referee Fombona Fernández had allowed for Barcelona,[32] with the home supporters also whistling Madrid throughout, whom they accused of employing roughhouse tactics, and Fombona for allowing them to. A campaign began in Madrid. Barcelona player Josep Valle recalled: "The press officer at the DND and ABC newspaper wrote all sorts of scurrilous lies, really terrible things, winding up the Madrid fans like never before". While former Real Madrid goalkeeper Eduardo Teus, who admitted that Madrid had "above all played hard", wrote in a newspaper: "the ground itself made Madrid concede two of the three goals, goals that were totally unfair".[33]

text: Barcelona fans were banned from traveling to Madrid. Real Madrid released a statement after the match which former club president (1985–1995) Ramón Mendoza explained, "The message got through that those fans who wanted to could go to El Club bar on Calle de la Victoria where Madrid's social center was. There, they were given a whistle. Others had whistles handed to them with their tickets." The day of the second leg, the Barcelona team were insulted and stones were thrown at their bus as soon as they left their hotel. Barcelona's striker Mariano Gonzalvo said of the incident, "Five minutes before the game had started, our penalty area was already full of coins." Barcelona goalkeeper Lluis Miró rarely approached his line—when he did, he was armed with stones. As Francisco Calvet told the story, "They were shouting: Reds! Separatists!... a bottle just missed Sospedra that would have killed him if it had hit him. It was all set up."[34]

text: Real Madrid went 2–0 up within half an hour. The third goal brought with it a sending off for Barcelona's Benito García after he made what Calvet claimed was a "completely normal tackle". Madrid's José Llopis Corona recalled, "At which point, they got a bit demoralized," while Mur countered, "at which point, we thought: 'go on then, score as many as you want'." Madrid scored in minutes 31', 33', 35', 39', 43' and 44', as well as two goals ruled out for offside, made it 8–0. Basilo de la Morena had been caught out by the speed of the goals. In that atmosphere and with a referee who wanted to avoid any complications, it was humanly impossible to play... If the azulgranas had played badly, really badly, the scoreboard would still not have reached that astronomical figure. The point is that they did not play at all." Both clubs were fined 2,500 pesetas by the Royal Spanish Football Federation and, although Barcelona appealed, it made no difference. Piñeyro resigned in protest, complaining of "a campaign that the press has run against Barcelona for a week and which culminated in the shameful day at Chamartín".[35][36]

text: The match report in the newspaper La Prensa described Barcelona's only goal as a "reminder that there was a team there who knew how to play football and that if they did not do so that afternoon, it was not exactly their fault".[37] Another newspaper called the scoreline "as absurd as it was abnormal".[32] According to football writer Sid Lowe, "There have been relatively few mentions of the game [since] and it is not a result that has been particularly celebrated in Madrid. Indeed, the 11–1 occupies a far more prominent place in Barcelona's history. This was the game that first formed the identification of Madrid as the team of the dictatorship and Barcelona as its victims."[32] Fernando Argila, Barcelona's reserve goalkeeper from the game, said, "There was no rivalry. Not, at least, until that game."[38]

text: Di Stéfano transfer

text: The rivalry was intensified during the 1950s when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano. Di Stéfano had impressed both Barcelona and Real Madrid while playing for Los Millionarios in Bogotá, Colombia, during a players' strike in his native Argentina.[39] Both Real Madrid and Barcelona attempted to sign him and, due to confusion that emerged from Di Stéfano moving to Millonarios from River Plate following the strike, both clubs claimed to own his registration.[39] After intervention from FIFA representative Muñoz Calero, it was decided that both Barcelona and Real Madrid had to share the player in alternate seasons. Barcelona's humiliated president was forced to resign by the Barcelona board, with the interim board cancelling Di Stéfano's contract.[39] This ended the long struggle for Di Stéfano, as he moved definitively to Real Madrid.[39]

text: Di Stéfano became integral in the subsequent success achieved by Real Madrid, scoring twice in his first game against Barcelona. With him, Real Madrid won the initial five European Champions Cup competitions. The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the European Cup, Real Madrid winning in 1960 and Barcelona winning in 1961.

text: Luís Figo Transfer

text: In 2000, Real Madrid's then-presidential candidate, Florentino Pérez, offered Barcelona's vice-captain Luís Figo $2.4 million just to sign an agreement binding him to Madrid if he won the elections. If the player broke the deal, he would have to pay Pérez $30 million in compensation. When his agent confirmed the deal, Figo denied everything, insisting, "I'll stay at Barcelona whether Pérez wins or loses." He accused the presidential candidate of "lying" and "fantasizing". He told Barcelona teammates Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola he was not leaving and they conveyed the message to the Barcelona squad.[40]

text: On 9 July, Sport ran an interview in which he said, "I want to send a message of calm to Barcelona's fans, for whom I always have and always will feel great affection. I want to assure them that Luís Figo will, with absolute certainty, be at the Camp Nou on the 24th to start the new season... I’ve not signed a pre-contract with a presidential candidate at Real Madrid. No. I'm not so mad as to do a thing like that."[40]

text: The only way Barcelona could prevent Figo's transfer to Real Madrid was to pay the penalty clause, $30 million. That would have effectively meant paying the fifth highest transfer fee in history to sign their own player. Barcelona's new president, Joan Gaspart, called the media and told them, "Today, Figo gave me the impression that he wanted to do two things: get richer and stay at Barça." Only one of them happened. The following day, 24 July, Figo was presented in Madrid and handed his new shirt by Alfredo Di Stéfano. His buyout clause was set at $180 million. Gaspart later admitted, "Figo's move destroyed us."[41]

text: On his return to Barcelona in a Real Madrid shirt, banners with "Judas", "Scum" and "Mercenary" were hung around the stadium. Thousands of fake 10,000 peseta notes had been printed and emblazoned with his image, were among the missiles of oranges, bottles, cigarette lighters, even a couple of mobile phones were thrown at him.[42] In his third season with Real Madrid, the 2002 Clásico at Camp Nou produced one of the defining images of the rivalry. Figo was mercilessly taunted throughout; missiles of coins, a knife, a whisky bottle, were raining down from the stands, mostly from areas populated by the Boixos Nois where he had been taking a corner. Among the debris was a pig's head.[43][44]

text: Recent issues

text: During the last three decades, the rivalry has been augmented by the modern Spanish tradition of the Pasillo, where one team is given the guard of honor by the other team, once the former clinches the La Liga trophy before El Clásico takes place. This has happened in three occasions. First, during El Clásico that took place on 30 April 1988, where Real Madrid won the championship on the previous round. Then, three years later, when Barcelona won the championship two rounds before El Clásico on 8 June 1991.[45] The last pasillo, and most recent, took place on 7 May 2008, and this time Real Madrid had won the championship.[46]

text: The two teams met again in the UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2002, with Real Madrid winning 2–0 in Barcelona and a 1–1 draw in Madrid. The match was dubbed by Spanish media as the "Match of the Century".[47]

text: While El Clásico is regarded as one of the fiercest rivalries in world football, there have been rare moments when fans have shown praise for a player on the opposing team. In 1980, Laurie Cunningham was the first Real Madrid player to receive applause from Barcelona fans at Camp Nou; after excelling during the match, and with Madrid winning 2–0, Cunningham left the field to a standing ovation from the locals.[48][49] On 26 June 1983, during the second leg of the Copa de la Liga final at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, having dribbled past the Real Madrid goalkeeper, Barcelona star Diego Maradona ran towards an empty goal before stopping just as the Madrid defender came sliding in an attempt to block the shot and crashed into the post, before Maradona slotted the ball into the net.[48] The manner of Maradona's goal led to many Madrid fans inside the stadium start applauding.[48][50] In November 2005, Ronaldinho became the second Barcelona player to receive a standing ovation from Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu.[48] After dribbling through the Madrid defence twice to score two goals in a 3–0 win, Madrid fans paid homage to his performance with applause.[51][52] On 21 November 2015, Andrés Iniesta became the third Barcelona player to receive applause from Real Madrid fans while he was substituted during a 4–0 away win, with Iniesta scoring Barça's third.[53]

text: A 2007 survey by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas showed that 32% of the Spanish population supported Real Madrid, while 25% supported Barcelona. In third place came Valencia, with 5%.[54] According to a poll performed by Ikerfel in 2011, Barcelona is the most popular team in Spain with 44% of preferences, while Real Madrid is second with 37%. Atlético Madrid, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao complete the top five.[55] Both clubs have a global fanbase and are the world's two most followed sports teams on social media—on Facebook, as of March 2016, Barcelona has 91 million fans, Real Madrid has 87 million fans.[11][56]

text: The rivalry intensified in 2011 where, due to the final of the Copa Del Rey and the meeting of the two in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona and Real Madrid were scheduled to meet each other four times in 18 days. Several accusations of unsportsmanlike behaviour from both teams and a war of words erupted throughout the fixtures which included four red cards. Spain national team coach Vicente del Bosque stated that he was "concerned" that due to the rising hatred between the two clubs, that this could cause friction in the Spain team.[57]

text: In recent years, the rivalry has been "encapsulated" by the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.[58] Following the star signings of Neymar and Luis Suárez to Barcelona, and Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to Madrid, the rivalry has been expanded to a battle of the clubs attacking trios, "BBC" (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) against "MSN" (Messi, Suárez, Neymar).[59]

text: Results

text:
Matches
Wins
Draws
Goals
Home Wins
Home Draws
Away Wins

M
B
M
B
M
B
M
B
M
B

La Liga
175
72
70
33
284
280
52
49
15
18
20
21

Copa del Rey
33
12
14
7
64
63
5
7
5
2
3
5

Copa de la Liga
6
0
2
4
8
13
0
1
2
2
0
1

Supercopa de España
14
8
4
2
30
18
6
4
1
1
2
0

Champions League
8
3
2
3
13
10
1
1
2
1
2
1

All competitions
236
95
92
49
399
384
64
61
25
24
27
28

Friendly / Other
34
4
20
10
44
86
3
11
4
6
1
8

All matches
270
99
112
59
443
470
67
72
29
30
28
36

text: Records

text: Biggest wins (5+ goals)

text:
10
Real Madrid 11–1 Barcelona
19 June 1943
Copa del Rey

6
Real Madrid 8–2 Barcelona
3 February 1935
La Liga

5
Barcelona 7–2 Real Madrid
24 September 1950
La Liga

Barcelona 6–1 Real Madrid
19 May 1957
Copa del Rey

Real Madrid 6–1 Barcelona
18 September 1949
La Liga

Barcelona 5–0 Real Madrid
21 April 1935

Barcelona 5–0 Real Madrid
25 March 1945

Real Madrid 5–0 Barcelona
5 October 1953

Real Madrid 0–5 Barcelona
17 February 1974

Barcelona 5–0 Real Madrid
8 January 1994

Real Madrid 5–0 Barcelona
7 January 1995

Barcelona 5–0 Real Madrid
29 November 2010

text: Longest runs

text: Most consecutive wins

text:
Games
Club
Period

6
Barcelona
25 January 1948 – 15 January 1949

6
Real Madrid
30 September 1962 – 28 February 1965

5
Real Madrid
5 March 1933 – 3 February 1935

5
Barcelona
13 December 2008 – 29 November 2010

text: Most consecutive draws

text:
Games
Period

3
11 September 1991 – 7 March 1992

3
1 May 2002 – 20 April 2003

text: Most consecutive matches without a draw

text:
Games
Period

18
25 January 1948 – 21 November 1954

17
23 November 1960 – 19 March 1967

14
4 December 1977 – 4 June 1983

12
19 May 1957 – 27 April 1960

10
5 March 1933 – 28 January 1940

text: Longest undefeated runs

text:
Games
Club
Period

14
Real Madrid
31 January 1931 – 3 February 1935

13
Barcelona
1 November 1917 – 3 June 1928

text: Longest undefeated runs in the league

text:
Games
Club
Period

7 (5 Wins)
Real Madrid
31 January 1932 – 3 February 1935

7 (5 Wins)
Barcelona
13 December 2008 – 10 December 2011

6 (6 Wins)
Real Madrid
30 September 1962 – 28 February 1965

6 (4 Wins)
Barcelona
11 May 1997 – 13 October 1999

6 (3 Wins)
Barcelona
28 November 1971 – 17 February 1974

5 (4 Wins)
Barcelona
30 March 1947 – 15 January 1949

5 (3 Wins)
Barcelona
11 May 1975 – 30 January 1977

text: Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal

text:
Games
Club
Period

5
Barcelona
3 April 1972 – 17 February 1974

3
Barcelona
10 January 1914 – 7 March 1916

3
Real Madrid
29 June 1974 – 11 May 1975

3
Barcelona
29 November 2009 – 29 November 2010

text: Most consecutive games scoring

text:
Games
Club
Period

23
Barcelona
27 April 2011 – 13 August 2017

18
Real Madrid
3 May 2011 – 22 March 2015

17
Barcelona
27 November 1982 – 31 January 1987

14
Real Madrid
15 February 1959 – 21 January 1962

14
Real Madrid
5 December 1990 – 16 December 1993

13
Real Madrid
1 December 1946 – 23 November 1952

13
Real Madrid
22 April 1962 – 9 April 1968

12
Barcelona
26 March 1916 – 26 April 1926

11
Barcelona
11 September 1991 – 7 May 1994

10
Barcelona
30 January 1997 – 13 October 1999

text: Goalscoring

text: Top goalscorers

text: Players in bold players are still active

text:
Player
Club
La Liga
Copa
Super Cup
League Cup
Europe
Total

 Lionel Messi
Barcelona
17
—
6
—
2
25[note 1]

  Alfredo Di Stéfano
Real Madrid
14
2
2
—
—
18

 Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid
8
5
4
—
—
17

 Raúl
Real Madrid
11
—
3
—
1
15

 César
Barcelona
12
2
—
—
—
14

 Francisco Gento
Real Madrid
10
2
—
—
2
14

  Ferenc Puskás
Real Madrid
9
2
—
—
3
14

 Santillana
Real Madrid
9
2
—
1
—
12

 Hugo Sánchez
Real Madrid
8
—
2
—
—
10

 Juanito
Real Madrid
8
—
—
2
—
10

 Josep Samitier
Barca / Real
4
6
—
—
—
10

 Estanislao Basora
Barcelona
8
1
—
—
—
9

 Jaime Lazcano
Real Madrid
8
—
—
—
—
8

 Karim Benzema
Real Madrid
6
1
1
—
—
8

 Iván Zamorano
Real Madrid
4
2
2
—
—
8

 Eulogio Martínez
Barcelona
2
5
—
—
1
8

 Luis Suárez
Barcelona
2
4
—
—
2
8

 Santiago Bernabéu
Real Madrid
—
8
—
—
—
8

text: Consecutive goalscoring

text:
Player
Club
Consecutive matches
Total goals in the run
Start
End

 Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid
6
7
2011–12 Copa del Rey (1st leg)
2012–13 La Liga (7th round)

 Iván Zamorano
Real Madrid
5
5
1992–93 La Liga (20th Round)
1993 Supercopa de España (2nd leg)

 Simón Lecue
Real Madrid
4
5
1935–36 La Liga (7th Round)
1939–40 La Liga (9th Round)

 Ronaldinho
Barcelona
4
5
2004–05 La Liga (12th Round)
2005–06 La Liga (31st Round)

 Giovanni
Barcelona
4
4
1997 Supercopa de España (1st leg)
1997–98 La Liga (28th Round)

text: Most hat-tricks

text: Five players have been able to score more than one hat trick: Jaime Lazcano, Santiago Bernabéu, Paulino Alcántara, Lionel Messi and Ferenc Puskás have all scored two hat-tricks in El Clásico history (2).

text: Most assists

text: Lionel Messi has delivered the most assists in El Clásico history (14).[61]

text: Most appearances

text: Players in bold are still active

text:
Appearances
Player
Club

43
Manuel Sanchís
Real Madrid

42
Francisco Gento
Real Madrid

42
Xavi
Barcelona

37
Fernando Hierro
Real Madrid

37
Raúl
Real Madrid

37
Iker Casillas
Real Madrid

37
Sergio Ramos
Real Madrid

37
Andrés Iniesta
Barcelona

37
Lionel Messi
Barcelona

text: Players who played for both clubs

text:
1902:  Alfonso Albéniz
1906:  José Quirante
1911:  Alfonso Albéniz
1911:  Arsenio Comamala
1913:  Walter Rozitsky
1930:  Ricardo Zamora (via Espanyol)
1932:  Josep Samitier
1950:  Alfonso Navarro
1961:  Justo Tejada
1962:  Evaristo
1965:  Fernand Goyvaerts
1988:  Bernd Schuster
1990:  Luis Milla
1992:  Nando
1994:  Michael Laudrup
1995:  Miquel Soler (via Sevilla)
2000:  Luís Figo
2000:  Albert Celades (via Celta Vigo)
2002:  Ronaldo (via Inter Milan)
2007:  Javier Saviola

text:
1905:  Luciano Lizarraga
1939:  Hilario (via Valencia)
1961:  Jesús María Pereda (via Real Valladolid, then Sevilla)
1965:  Lucien Muller
1980:  Lorenzo Amador (via Hércules)
1994:  Gheorghe Hagi (via Brescia)
1994:  Julen Lopetegui (via Logroñés)
1995:  Robert Prosinečki (via Real Oviedo)
1996:  Luis Enrique
1999:  Dani García (via Mallorca)
2000:  Alfonso Pérez (via Real Betis)
2004:  Samuel Eto'o (via Mallorca)

text:
From Barcelona to Madrid
16

From Barcelona to another club before Madrid
4

Total
20

From Madrid to Barcelona
3

From Madrid to another club before Barcelona
9

Total
12

Total Switches
32

text: Honours

text: The rivalry reflected in El Clásico matches comes about as Real Madrid and Barcelona are the most successful football clubs in Spain. As seen below, Barcelona leads Real Madrid 90–88 in terms of official overall trophies.[62] While the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is recognised as the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, it was not organised by UEFA. Consequently, UEFA does not consider clubs' records in the Fairs Cup to be part of their European record.[63] However, FIFA does view the competition as a major honour.[64]

text:
Real Madrid
Competition
Barcelona

Domestic

33
La Liga (Primera División)
24

19
Copa del Rey
29

10
Supercopa de España
12

1
Copa Eva Duarte (defunct)
3

1
Copa de la Liga (defunct)
2

64
Aggregate
70

European and Worldwide

12
UEFA Champions League/European Cup
5

—
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (defunct)
4

2
UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup
—

4
UEFA Super Cup
5

—
*Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (defunct)
3

3
*UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Cup (defunct)
—

3
FIFA Club World Cup
3

24
Aggregate
20

88
Total Aggregate
90

text: Note: FIFA recognized the winner of the Intercontinental Cup as a World Champion.

text: Note: The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is not recognized in the UEFA Record and Statistics


document_title: Good Magic

question_text: where did good magic place in the preakness

text: Good Magic

text: Background[edit]

text: Good Magic is a chestnut colt bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Stables, which is now owned by Barbara Banke.[2] Banke is the widow of Jess Stonestreet Jackson, who co-owned two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, whose wins included the Preakness Stakes, Breeders' Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup. Curlin is the sire of Good Magic and multiple other stakes winners including Exaggerator, Stellar Wind, Keen Ice and Palace Malice.[3] Good Magic's dam is 	Glinda the Good, a stakes-winning daughter of Hard Spun.[4]

text: Good Magic was sold at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sales for $1 million to Bob Edward's e Five Racing. Edwards, who also owns the pet pharmaceutical company e5 Pharma, started horseracing operations in August 2015.[4] Banke subsequently bought back a share of the colt.[5]

text: Good Magic is trained by Chad Brown.[2]

text: Racing career[edit]

text: Good Magic made his racing debut on August 26, 2017 in a maiden special weight race at Saratoga. Going off as the odds-on favorite, he stalked the early pace but was unable to get by the winner, Hazit, who prevailed by a length.[6]

text: Despite the loss, Brown stepped the colt up to Grade I company in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on October 7. The field included only one graded stakes winner, Firenze Fire, but had several highly-regarded maiden race winners like Hazit and Aveenu Malcainu.[7] Good Magic raced in mid-pack behind a fast early pace then made a wide move around the turn to hit the lead in mid-stretch. However, he was then overtaken by Firenze Fire, who closed from well back to win by half a length.[8][9]

text: Believing Good Magic was rapidly improving and would benefit from longer races, Brown decided to enter him in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on November 4.[10] The favorite was the undefeated Bolt d'Oro, whose wins included the FrontRunner Stakes. The field also included Solomini (second in the FrontRunner), Firenze Fire (Champagne), The Tabulator (Iroquois Stakes) and Free Drop Billy (Breeders' Futurity).[11][12]

text: Good Magic broke well and settled near the rail behind the early leaders, Solomini and U S Navy Flag, with The Tabulator racing alongside. Rounding the final turn, Solomini moved to the lead as U S Navy Flag started to tire. With U S Navy Flag in front of him and The Tabulator on his outside, Good Magic's jockey, Jose Ortiz, decided to wait rather than try to squeeze by on the rail, having been warned by Brown that the inside of the track was not playing well.[13] When a gap opened, Good Magic split horses, moved to the outside and "zoomed past" Solomini on his way to a 4 1⁄4-length victory.[14] Good Magic became the first horse to ever break his maiden at the Breeders' Cup.[15]

text: "He's not a real big horse," said Brown, "but he's growing. It was his first time around two turns, and he aced the test."[4]

text: Good Magic received a Beyer Speed Figure of 100 for the win and entered into consideration for the Eclipse Award for champion two-year-old.[16] In Pool 1 of the future wager for the 2018 Kentucky Derby, he was made the top individual pick at 8-1.[17]

text: On January 25, 2018, he was named the 2017 American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse.[18]

text: 2018: three-year-old season[edit]

text: Good Magic made his first start of 2018 in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 3. Although he had trained well in the weeks before the race, Good Magic was considered vulnerable due to a lack of racing fitness.[19] He settled in fourth place behind Promises Fulfilled, who set a steady pace and held on to win as an 18-1 longshot. Good Magic started to close ground around the turn but flattened down the stretch to finish third.[20]

text: On April 7, Good Magic made his next start in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland racetrack. He settled into fifth behind the early pace set by Arawak and Flameaway, then launched his move around the far turn, drawing away down the stretch for a 1 1⁄2-length win. "He ran maybe a little short fitness-wise in his last race and came back and redeemed himself today," said Brown. "He put himself right at the top of the class again."[21]

text: On May 5, Good Magic entered the 2018 Kentucky Derby, going off as the sixth betting choice at odds of 9.7-1 in a field of 20. The favorite was Justify, winner of the Santa Anita Derby. The track was muddy after exceptionally heavy rain throughout the day so the start was seen as critical. Good Magic broke well and settled a few lengths behind a fast early pace set by Promises Fulfilled and Justify. As they rounded the final turn, Promises Fulfilled dropped back while Good Magic shifted to the outside and started to make up ground on Justify. He closed to within a length and a half at the top of the stretch before Justify again pulled away, eventually winning by two-and-a-half lengths. Good Magic tired in the final strides but still hung on for second against a fast closing Audible.[22][23]

text: Good Magic's connections decided to race him just two weeks later in the 2018 Preakness Stakes, where he again faced Justify over a sloppy track. This time, Ortiz decided to press the pace more closely and raced side by side with Justify until mid-stretch. At that point, Justify started to inch away while Bravazo and Tenfold started closing rapidly. In a blanket finish, Good Magic finished fourth to Justify, but just one length behind.[24] The change in tactics was somewhat controversial, with Ortiz feeling that he had "messed up". Brown was also disappointed because Good Magic does not like to be on on the lead, but felt the colt's inside post position and the lack of other early speed horses didn't leave Ortiz with many options.[25]

text: Statistics[edit]

text:
Date

Age

Distance

Race

Grade

Track

Odds

Field

Finish

Winning Time

Winning(Losing)Margin

Jockey

Ref

Aug 26, 2017

2

 6 1⁄2 furlongs

Maiden Special Weight

Maiden

Saratoga

0.75*

5

2

1:16.40

2999900000000000000♠(1 length)

John Velazquez

[6]

Oct 7, 2017

2

 1 mile

Champagne Stakes

Grade I

Belmont Park

4.30

12

2

1:35.91

3000500000000000000♠(1⁄2 length)

Jose Ortiz

[8]

Nov 4, 2017

2

 1 1⁄16 miles

Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Grade I

Del Mar

11.50

12

1

1:43.34

4 1⁄4 lengths

Jose Ortiz

[26]

Mar 3, 2018

3

 1 1⁄16 miles

Fountain of Youth Stakes

Grade II

Gulfstream Park

0.70*

9

3

1:44.17

2999800000000000000♠(2 lengths)

Jose Ortiz

[27]

Apr 7, 2018

3

 1 1⁄8 miles

Blue Grass Stakes

Grade II

Keeneland

1.60*

14

1

1:50.18

1 1⁄2 lengths

Jose Ortiz

[28]

May 5, 2018

3

 1 1⁄4 miles

Kentucky Derby

Grade I

Churchill Downs

9.70

20

2

2:05.31

2999750000000000000♠(2 1⁄2 lengths)

Jose Ortiz

[22]

May 19, 2018

3

 1 3⁄16 miles

Preakness Stakes

Grade I

Pimlico

3.90*

8

4

1:58.62

1⁄2 length

Jose Ortiz

[24]

text: An asterisk after the odds means Good Magic was the post-time favorite.

text: Pedigree[edit]

text:
Pedigree of Good Magic, chestnut colt, March 1, 2015[1]

SireCurlin2004

Smart Strike1992

Mr. Prospector

Raise a Native

Gold Digger

Classy 'n Smart

Smarten

No Class

Sherriff's Deputy1994

Deputy Minister

Vice Regent

Mint Copy

Barbarika

Bates Motel

War Exchange

DamGlinda the Good2009

Hard Spun2004

Danzig

Northern Dancer

Pas de Nom

Turkish Tryst

Turkoman

Darbyvail

Magical Flash 1990

Miswaki

Mr. Prospector

Hopespringseternal

Gils Magic

Magesterial

Display Copy (family: 12-c)[29]

text: Good Magic is inbred 3S x 4D to Mr. Prospector, meaning this stallion appears in the third generation of the sire's side of the pedigree and in the fourth generation of the dam's side. Good Magic is also inbred 5S x 4D x 5D to Northern Dancer.


document_title: List of countries by lithium production

question_text: who has the most lithium in the world

question_tokens: who has the most lithium in the world

text: List of countries by lithium production

text: This is a list of countries by lithium mine production in 2016.

text:
Rank
Country/Region
lithium mine production
(tonnes)

 World
36,000

1
 Australia
14,300

2
 Chile
12,000

3
 Argentina
5,700

4
 China
2,000

5
 Zimbabwe
900

6
 Portugal
200

7
 Brazil
200


document_title: Assassin's Creed Unity

question_text: when does assassin's creed unity take place

question_tokens: when does assassin 's creed unity take place

text: Assassin's Creed Unity

text: Gameplay[edit]

text: Assassin's Creed Unity is an action-adventure stealth game set in an open world environment. The game was meant to be rebuilt, with fencing being used as an inspiration for the new system. In addition to returning weapons from previous games, Assassin's Creed Unity introduces the Phantom Blade. The Phantom Blade uses the mechanics of a crossbow to fire a silent projectile at a great distance, while still serving the same role as the Hidden Blade in previous Assassin's Creed games.[7] Navigation for the game was also overhauled: new "Free-run up" and "Free-run down" commands were added to make it easier for the player to scale buildings in either direction. Additionally, Arno learns new moves throughout the game, but the player can also purchase new skills as well.[8] With the updated, larger crowds, new interactions with them are also available. The crowd regularly presents many activities, appearing organically, that the player can then choose to engage in at their leisure. Examples include scaring a group of bullies by pulling out a weapon, "settling" a disagreement between two civilians by killing one of them, which is usually a Templar, or chasing down a thief who has just pick pocketed somebody.[9]

text: For the first time, the series allows players to customize the characters' abilities, adopting a skill tree that enables players to assign points earned through gameplay to improve their skills in stealth, melee, and ranged combat, and health.[10] Players are also able to customise their weapons, armour and equipment to further complement their individual style of play.[11] Players also have a wider selection of weapons available, including swords, axes, spears, rifles, pistols and throwable items, such as smoke bombs.[12] The expansion DLC, Assassin's Creed Dead Kings, adds the formidable guillotine gun.

text: Assassin's Creed Unity also introduces cooperative multiplayer to the series. Players can enter taverns, which act as social hubs in the game, where you can see if any friends are playing the game at the current time. If they are currently in a mission, they will appear as a "ghost" version of their player, allowing you to approach it to request to join their mission. If accepted, you are transitioned to their game and both of you reset to the most recent checkpoint, and continue on from there. Up to four players can join together in this fashion. The player will take on the role of Arno, customized within their own game, with other players appearing as their own customized version of Arno in their own sets of equipment, weapons, and armor. Many missions and activities will be available for cooperative play (which the player can also complete on their own), but there are some story missions that are single player only.[9]

text: There are significant tie-ins with the Assassins Creed Unity Companion App, a "freemium" click app with limited "direct ties to the overall story of Unity". There are a significant number of chests, assassination targets, and other collectibles that are visible to all players but only accessible to those who have completed certain goals within the app. Following an update in February 2015, this requirement is no longer necessary, meaning players who have downloaded the update, can now collect all the chests in the game without having to play the companion app.[13][14][15]

text: Synopsis[edit]

text: Characters[edit]

text: The main character of the game is Arno Dorian (Dan Jeannotte),[16][17] a native Frenchman who was born in Versailles to an Assassin father. After his father is killed by Shay Patrick Cormac at the end of Assassin's Creed Rogue, Arno is adopted, unaware that his new family holds a senior position within the Templar Order, with his new father figure being the Templar Grandmaster.[9][18][19] Arno blames himself when his adoptive father is murdered, and so sets out on a quest of redemption that brings him into the Brotherhood of Assassins, where he slowly rises through the ranks, much like Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze as seen in previous games.[9][19] Arno's love interest is a Templar named Elise De LaSerre (Catherine Bérubé),[20] the daughter of the Templar Grandmaster who adopted Arno, who also sets out to investigate more about her father's death and its role in a growing ideological change within the Templar Order that threatens its core values.[18][19][21] Additional characters include Marquis de Sade (Alex Ivanovici), Napoleon Bonaparte (Brent Skagford) and Maximilien de Robespierre (Bruce Dinsmore).[20]

text: Setting[edit]

text: Arno's story starts in Versailles as a child, but for most of the story he is in Paris. His adventure in Paris starts on the eve of the French Revolution in 1789, and extends up to the Thermidorian Reaction in 1794.[16] The modern day setting focuses on the Assassins contacting the player and requesting their help to explore Arno in the past, as well as helping in the present.[22] Co-operative multiplayer missions follow the development of the Brotherhood of Assassins during the French Revolution.[18] In addition, "time anomalies" are introduced during the story. Accessing them takes Arno to various points of Parisian history, such as Paris' Belle Époque, or its occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II.[23]

text: Plot[edit]

text: The "Initiate" is a player of Helix, a gaming device produced by Abstergo that allows access to many different genetic memories.

text: The story begins with the player playing through a memory of the sacking of the Paris Temple, and the capture of Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, in 1307. During the sack, de Molay entrusts another Templar with a sword and a book, which the Templar hides within a French crypt shortly before being killed by an Assassin. The memory then fast forwards to de Molay's death at the stake, and his curse towards King Phillip IV and Pope Clement V.

text: At this point, Bishop from the Assassin Brotherhood hijacks the memory sequence and implores the player to join them as an initiate. Bishop provides an internal Abstergo video memo, in which Abstergo describes the capture of a Sage who contains precursor DNA (which is in a triple–rather than a double–helix). Abstergo goes into detail regarding the Phoenix Project, whereby Abstergo hopes to use the Sage to compile a whole precursor genome for unclear purposes. Bishop provides access to another memory segment and directs the new initiate to locate another Sage, whose corpse they hope to recover.

text: The memory then segues to Versailles in 1776, as Arno Dorian, a French nobleman's son, meets Elise De La Serre, daughter of the Templar Grand Master. After his father is murdered at the palace, the Grand Master De La Serre adopts Arno despite knowing his father was an Assassin; information to which Arno is oblivious. The story then skips forward 13 years, to Elise's initiation into the Templar order in 1789. Arno is given a message to deliver to Msr. De La Serre, but puts it in his office in order to sneak into the party to meet with Elise. After meeting her, Arno sneaks out, and finds Msr. De La Serre murdered in a courtyard. Arno, mistaken to be De La Serre's killer, is captured by the gendarmerie and imprisoned in the Bastille. There, he finds apocalyptic writings on the wall and impresses a fellow prisoner, the Assassin Pierre Bellec, with his fighting skills. Bellec invites Arno into the Brotherhood when they escape during the Storming of the Bastille.

text: Arno returns home first and is turned away by Elise, who reveals that the message Arno was supposed to deliver to her father was a warning of his impending murder, and reveals herself as a Templar. Arno joins the Brotherhood and begs for the opportunity to find and eliminate the other Templars involved in De La Serre's death, including Le Roi des Thunes ("The King of Beggars"). He is granted his request by Mirabeau, who was attempting to broker peace between the Orders with De La Serre. During the course of his investigation, Arno rescues François-Thomas Germain, a silversmith being held hostage by the Templar Grand Master Lafreniere. After killing Lafreniere, who was actually the one trying to warn De La Serre, Arno runs into Elise and realizes that Germain is the Sage, as well as the one who ordered De La Serre's murder. The Brotherhood Council begins to question Arno's loyalty as he acts rashly in his pursuit of De La Serre's killer.

text: Realizing that Germain's plot is intended to spark a mass revolt against the King of France, Arno assassinates two more central figures, an officer organizing a prisoner revolt (Captain Frederic Rouille) and another who was hoarding food (merchant Marie Levesque) to create the impression that the nobility was squandering resources as France starved. Arno also crosses paths with Napoleon Bonaparte, an artillery officer, while searching the Tuileries Palace for letters from the leader of the Assassins, Mirabeau, to King Louis, which the Templars could use as an excuse to purge the Assassins' agents across France. Bonaparte later helped him in taking down Captain Rouille, who served under his command during the September Massacres of September 1792. During this time, Arno saves Elise and convinces her to parley with the Brotherhood, as she confesses her own faction of the Templars are being killed by a schism led by the Sage. Mirabeau agrees, hoping to gain a massive favor from the potential future Grand Master of the Templars, and is murdered by Bellec, who intends to purge the Assassin leadership for beginning to agree with Templar beliefs. Refusing to join him, Arno kills Bellec, and escapes from the food riots and the assassination of Levesque shortly thereafter with Elise in a hot air balloon, after which Arno confesses to Elise that he still loves her.

text: With the Revolution in full swing, Arno tracks Germain to the execution of King Louis XVI, but chooses to stay and protect Elise rather than pursue him. Elise rejects him for the decision, and Arno is exiled from the Brotherhood for ignoring orders to pursue his personal vendetta, causing him to fall into a drunken depression. Arno languishes for several months before he is found in Versailles by Elise who convinces him to return as Paris is tearing itself apart during the Reign of Terror. Arno returns to Paris and, with Elise's help, discredits the reputation of Maximilien de Robespierre, whom Germain, now Grand Master of the Templars, had placed in charge of maintaining chaos during the Revolution. After Arno and Elise find Robespierre, who had locked himself in his office in an attempt to avoid arrest, Elise shoots Robespierre in the jaw and makes him write down the location of Germain.

text: Arno confronts Germain at the top of the Temple, only to find he now has the Sword of Eden. The fight eventually ends in the same Templar crypt in which the game began, where Arno strikes Germain only to have the Sword blow him backwards and trap him under rubble. Elise first attempts to help Arno out of the rubble then goes ahead to take on Germain by herself, but as Arno gets the rubble off of him and runs to protect Elise the Sword explodes, killing Elise and mortally wounding Germain. Arno then kills Germain, who in his memories confirms he is the Sage and that he wanted to purge the Templar Order of all who had forgotten the teachings of de Molay.

text: The game closes with Arno explaining how his understanding of the Creed has changed, and promising to watch over Paris and keep Elise's memory alive. Years later, Arno, having become a Master Assassin, recovers Germain's skeleton from the Temple and places it in the Catacombs of Paris, much to the relief of the Initiate's Assassin handler Bishop, who is now confident that Abstergo will not be able to find it.

text: Dead Kings[edit]

text: The Dead Kings downloadable content picks up one week after Germain's death. Arno, still feeling devastated over Elise, finds refuge in Saint-Denis (at the time, known as Franciade). He is contacted by the Marquis de Sade at a tavern, who requests his help in finding the manuscript of Nicolas de Condorcet, hidden in the tomb of Louis IX beneath the city, in exchange for a ship that would take Arno to Egypt.

text: During his search, Arno encounters a group of tomb raiders, led by Captain Philippe Rose, a subordinate of Napoleon Bonaparte, who wishes to retrieve the artifact located within a Precursor temple, buried under the city's church. He also finds that the manuscript has been stolen by a child thief, Léon, who was captured by the raiders. Arno rescues Léon and retrieves the manuscript, but declines to help him stop the raiders. His resolve softens after an encounter with a vision of Elise, as well as hearing Léon's pleas.

text: After discovering the location of the temple, and retrieving the key from one of Napoleon's officers, Arno finally manages to open the door to the temple. He is then ambushed by Rose, who attempts to take the artifact for himself. Arno survives the ambush, and makes it to the artifact before Rose and his men. After killing Rose, Arno retrieves the artifact, a head-shaped lantern containing a spherical Piece of Eden, and uses it to repel the raiders and escape the temple. He later meets de Sade at the tavern and delivers the manuscript as promised. Finally, Arno decides to stay in France, and contacts the Brotherhood to deliver the Piece of Eden to Egypt, far away from the reach of Bonaparte, who is arrested for desertion and treason.

text: Development[edit]

text: Development for the game began shortly after the completion of 2010's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood,[9] with the core development team splitting off during the early stages of development on Assassin's Creed III.[24] On March 19, 2014, early screenshots of the game were leaked, as well as its title Unity. The leak revealed that Unity would feature a new location and time period, Paris during the French Revolution, a new assassin, and that it would be released in late 2014 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[25] On March 21, Ubisoft confirmed the game's existence, having been in development for more than three years, by releasing pre-alpha game footage. They also confirmed the game's release date of Q4 2014, and that it would also see a release on Windows.[26] Ubisoft writer Jeffrey Yohalem revealed that the French Revolution setting for the game was deliberately teased, along with Assassin's Creed III's American Revolution setting, in symbols seen at the end of Brotherhood.[27] Ubisoft Montreal is the lead developer for the project, with contributing work from the Ubisoft studios in Toronto, Kiev, Singapore, Shanghai, Annecy, Montpellier, Bucharest, Quebec, and Chengdu.[28]

text: At E3 2014, trailers were released for the game, demonstrating the game's cooperative multiplayer mode for up to four players, a first for the series.[29] The trailer featured Lorde's cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World, which was produced by Michael A. Levine and Lucas Cantor.[30] The development team was able to use the new power of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to improve the NPC crowds. Up to 1000 individual AI characters can appear in a crowd, each acting independently and reacting to each other as well as the player's actions.[9] The PC version of the game uses Nvidia's GameWorks technology such as TXAA anti-aliasing, advanced DX11 tessellation and Nvidia PhysX technology, due to a partnership between Ubisoft and Nvidia.[31][32]

text: Lead game designer Benjamin Plich has said this game will be more difficult than previous entries thanks to the removal of the counter button and more aggressive guards.[33] Plich also said that the game will feature synchronized Double Assassinations.[34]

text: In August 2014, Assassin's Creed Rogue was announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and was revealed to have ties to the story in Unity.[18]

text: The game is written in a combination of C++ and C#, totaling an estimated 15.5 million lines of code of the former, and five million of the latter.[35]

text: Historical consulting[edit]

text: On October 6, 2014, Ubisoft announced that they had enlisted the help of academic historians such as Laurent Turcot, professor at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières for daily life of 18th-century Paris and Jean Clement Martin professor at the Sorbonne, to revise the script.[36]

text: Like other games in the series, Unity features a large number of real world landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the Statue of Liberty.[37][38]

text: Release[edit]

text: The game was originally intended to be released worldwide on October 28, 2014.[39] However, on August 28, 2014, it was delayed until November 11, 2014 in North America and November 13, 2014 in PAL regions. On the delay, Vincent Pontbriand, senior producer at Ubisoft, said, "As we got close to the finish, we realized we were near the target but still needed a bit more time to hone some of the details to make sure Assassin’s Creed Unity is exceptional.” Additionally, the game received a day one patch with further updates to the game.[5]

text: Controversies[edit]

text: Gender options in cooperative mode[edit]

text:
"We recognize the valid concern around diversity in video game narrative. Assassin's Creed is developed by a multicultural team of various faiths and beliefs and we hope this attention to diversity is reflected in the settings of our games and our characters. Assassin's Creed Unity is focused on the story of the lead character, Arno. Whether playing by yourself or with the co-op Shared Experiences, you the gamer will always be playing as Arno, complete with his broad range of gear and skill sets that will make you feel unique. With regard to diversity in our playable Assassins, we've featured Aveline, Connor, Adewale and Altaïr in Assassin's Creed games and we continue to look at showcasing diverse characters. We look forward to introducing you to some of the strong female characters in Assassin's Creed Unity."

—Ubisoft's response to the all-male character models for the cooperative mode.[40]

tag: div

text: After the cooperative multiplayer mode was revealed at E3 2014, additional information about the mode was revealed by creative director Alex Amancio and technical director James Therien. Amancio stated that the mode did not include the ability to play as a female avatar, due to "the reality of production". Amancio added by saying, "It's double the animations, it's double the voices, all that stuff and double the visual assets. Especially because we have customizable assassins. It was really a lot of extra production work," which was echoed by Therien. Level designer Bruno St-André expanded on this by stating that an estimated 8,000 additional animations would have had to be recreated for a female avatar.[41][42]

text: This caused dissatisfaction in some video game community outlets. Brenna Hillier of VG247 noted how there were nine development teams working on the game, and said "Ubisoft has here trotted out a tired, stupid, constantly refuted excuse for why it has perpetuated the cycle of sexism and under-representation in the games industry."[43] Tim Clark of PC Gamer made note "that previous Assassin's Creed games have had playable women as part of the multiplayer component, and that Brotherhood had you supported by on-call assassins, many of whom were female, so it’s hardly like it can’t be done." Clark also looked to the way Amancio and Therien answered the question and felt how they referenced "how much the team wanted to include playable female characters suggests... that this is probably a decision which hasn’t gone down well internally."[44] Former Assassin's Creed designer Jonathan Cooper responded by saying, "In my educated opinion, I would estimate this to be a day or two's work. Not a replacement of 8,000 animations." He also revealed that Aveline de Grandpré, the female protagonist of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, "shares more of Connor Kenway's animations than Edward Kenway does."[45] Fans also created petitions urging Ubisoft to change their stance.[46] Additionally, former Assassin's Creed game designer Patrice Désilets commented that Amancio's reasoning was valid, but that Ubisoft should put in the effort to let players have gender options.[47]

text: Amancio attempted to clear up any confusion, by stating, "I understand the issue, I understand the cause, and it is a noble one, but I don't think it's relevant in the case of Unity. In Unity you play this character called Arno, and when you're playing co-op you're also playing Arno – everybody is. It's like Aiden Pearce in Watch Dogs... Arno has different skills - you select skill points in the game, there are gear elements that have an impact and all these weapons that make the character you make your own. But you're always playing Arno... The reason we're just changing the face and keeping the bodies is we want people to show off the gear that they pick up in the game through exploration. That's why we kept that."[46]

text: Platform parity[edit]

text: In October 2014, Ubisoft's senior producer Vincent Pontbriand made a statement that all console versions of the game would be locked at the same resolution of 900p. This was done "...to avoid all the debates and stuff."[48] Many readers took this in reference to how the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are constantly compared in the media for raw power, presuming that the PlayStation 4 version of the game's resolution was lowered to reach parity with the Xbox One's, but Ubisoft later denied that this was the reason.[49]

text: Instead, Pontbriand stated that the decision for parity came from the limitations of the consoles' CPUs. The number of NPCs and general amount of AI was paramount to keeping the game locked at 30 frames per second.[50]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text:
Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator
Score

GameRankings
(PC) 73.33%[51]
(XONE) 70.18%[52]
(PS4) 68.11%[53]

Metacritic
(XONE) 72/100[54]
(PC) 70/100[55]
(PS4) 70/100[56]

Review scores

Publication
Score

Destructoid
7/10[57]

Eurogamer
7/10[58]

Game Informer
8/10[59]

GameSpot
7/10[60]

GamesRadar
[61]

GameTrailers
8/10[62]

Giant Bomb
[63]

IGN
7.8/10[64]

Joystiq
[65]

OXM (UK)
8/10[66]

PC Gamer (US)
65/100[67]

Polygon
6.5/10[68]

VideoGamer.com
8/10[69]

text: Assassin's Creed Unity received mixed reviews from critics upon release. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 73.33% based on 3 reviews and 70/100 based on 10 reviews,[51][55] the Xbox One version 70.18% based on 45 reviews and 72/100 based on 59 reviews[52][54] and the PlayStation 4 version 68.11% based on 27 reviews and 70/100 based on 40 reviews.[53][56] Matt Miller from Game Informer gave the game 8/10, praising the detailed environment and architecture, decent voice acting, strategy-required missions, challenging gameplay and well-paced story missions, but criticizing the controls and balance, as well as game-breaking technical issues. He also stated that both the navigation system and the combat system still needed to be improved.[59] Louise Blain from GamesRadar gave the game 4/5, praising the dense and atmospheric game world, character-focused mission design, overhauled free-running mechanics, in-depth character customization and satisfying combat. However, she criticized the game's framerate and poor enemy AI design.[61]

text: Chris Carter from Destructoid gave the game 7/10, praising the new movement system, likable lead characters, iconic setting, smooth animation and improved draw distance. New additions such as character customization and huge crowds were also praised. However, he criticized the predictable story, technical issues, and the mission design of co-op multiplayer, as it is impossible to play some missions solo. He stated that "Unity feels like a step back. ... It lacks that grand sense of roaming the uncharted seas in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, or even the open-ended feel of the wilderness in Assassin's Creed III, but it's a journey worth taking if you're already into the series."[57] Tom Bramwell from Eurogamer gave the game 7/10, praised the setting, rich content, inspiring story and interesting side-missions. However, he criticized the over-familiar and unimaginative mission-design, overzealous auto-correct system in the free-running mechanics and the lack of weapon customization. He described the game as a "missed opportunity".[58]

text: Marty Silva from IGN gave the game 7.8/10, praising the recreation of Paris and ambitious ideas presented in the multiplayer, but criticizing the unrefined stealth, weak story and lack of a strong lead character. He stated that "the true new-gen Assassin’s Creed game is a gorgeous, entertaining, and successful proof of concept for what lies ahead for the series, though it isn’t what I’d call revolutionary."[64]

text: Tom Senior from PC Gamer gave the game 65/100, saying that "Unity could become a perfectly enjoyable part of the Assassin's Creed canon. It's a solid campaign elevated by quality assassination missions and an extraordinary setting that might just push the big number at the bottom of this review into the 80s, but with a big selling point out of operation, a raft of technical issues, performance problems, microtransactions and stilted combat and freerunning systems, Unity—in its current state—can only be considered a failed revolution."[67] Sam Prell from Joystiq gave the game 2.5/5, saying that "It's hard not to appreciate everything that it [Unity] gets right, and you'll have a good time if you can wrangle some friends for co-op, but it's impossible to ignore where Unity falls tragically short."[65] PC World stated that the game "is a new low for the Assassin's Creed series."[70] The review also criticized Assassin's Creed Unity for its small scale, poor gameplay, and high minimum system requirements. Similarly, CNET stated that "[w]hile it will likely suffice for Assassin's Creed core fans, Unity stumbles throughout and never really finds its footing."[71]

text: In December 2015, Game Informer ranked the game as the eighth best game in the Assassin's Creed series to date.[72]

text: Ubisoft's responses[edit]

text: Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat apologized on behalf of the studio with regard to the poor launch of Unity, stating that the "overall quality of the game was diminished by bugs and unexpected technical issues", and prevented users from "experiencing the game at its fullest potential". In response to the issues, Ubisoft announced that it would halt sales of the game's season pass and Gold Edition, and offer the game's first DLC campaign, Dead Kings, for free. As compensation, those who bought the season pass received a free digital download of one of six Ubisoft games (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, The Crew, Far Cry 4, Just Dance 2015, Rayman Legends, or Watch Dogs), and would also "continue to have access to a variety of additional content [for Unity], including Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China".[73][74] To claim the game, however, users had to forfeit their right to sue Ubisoft with regard to the game and the devaluation of the season pass.[75]

text: In February 2016 Ubisoft announced that it would not be announcing any additional Assassin's Creed games for the rest of the year, citing the many issues of Unity and stating that, "we’ve learned a lot based on your feedback." In this statement, Ubisoft pledged its commitment to evolve the game's mechanics in order to create "more enjoyable games".[76] This news has possible connections to Ubisoft's third quarter financial report, which was released on the same day, and states that Assassin's Creed Syndicate had a "slower launch than expected."[77]

text: Criticism by French Left Party[edit]

text: The French Left Party and its frontman Jean-Luc Mélenchon criticized the historical interpretation the game was conveying about the French Revolution, depicting Robespierre as "a blood-thirsty monster" and Marie Antoinette as "a poor little girl".[78] He has described Ubisoft's version of the historical period as "propaganda" that builds upon the growing sense of self-hatred spreading throughout France. Mélenchon has expressed his criticisms in multiple media appearances, telling the New York Times that, “Smearing the great revolution is dirty work that aims to instill the French with even more self-loathing and talk of decline. If we continue like this, no common identity will remain possible for the French besides religion and skin color.” [79]

text: Alexis Corbière, national secretary of the Left Party, said that "the game was conveying all the counter-revolutionary clichés that have been forged for two centuries".[80] He added "To everyone who's gonna buy Assassin's Creed Unity, I wish you a nice time. But I also tell you that having fun doesn't prevent you from thinking. Just play it, but don't let yourself be manipulated by the propaganda".[81]

text: Without mentioning the criticism specifically, in an interview published on October 6, 2014 by Time, the game's creative director Alex Amancio said "What we actually try to do, and I think this is just a personal belief that we have, is to avoid reducing history... We try very hard to portray things as factually as possible."[82] Despite this, game producer Antoine Vimal du Monteil answered that, ultimately, "Assassin's Creed Unity is a mainstream video game, not a history lesson."[83]

text: Sales[edit]

text: As of December 31, 2014, Ubisoft has shipped a combined 10 million copies of Assassin's Creed Unity and Assassin's Creed Rogue.[84]

text: Notes[edit]

text: Jump up ^ Additional work by Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Chengdu, Ubisoft Kiev, Ubisoft Montpellier, and Ubisoft Bucharest.