title: Sizzler

text: In June 2011, Sizzler USA announced that a US management group led by the Sizzler CEO would buy the American portion of the chain of 178 restaurants from Pacific Equity Partners with the remaining 100 restaurants located outside of the United States remaining with Pacific Equity Partners. The headquarters initially remained in Culver City, California, where the chain was founded, but moved to Mission Viejo, California, in 2012.


title: Sizzler

text: In September 2020, Sizzler USA announced that they had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely forcing it to temporarily close its restaurants' dining rooms. The company also cited problems paying rent. Most of the company-owned restaurants are located in highly COVID-19 infected areas of California that did not even permit restaurants to partially open dining rooms as recently as September 2020. At the time of the bankruptcy filing, Sizzler had 107 locations in 10 states, with all but one location in Florida in states west of the Rocky Mountains in addition to several locations in Puerto Rico. This number is down from the 134 locations in 2018.


title: Sizzler

text: After Sizzler USA's separation from Sizzler International in 2011, all locations outside the United States are operated or licensed by Australia-based Collins Foods. Under Collins, Sizzler International currently has restaurants in Japan and Thailand.


title: Sizzler

text: The first Australian Sizzler steakhouse was opened in Brisbane in 1985. The steakhouses in Australia were reasonably popular during the 1990s. In the 2013 financial year, Collins Foods reported stalling revenue for their Sizzler operations in Australia, blaming the downturn of the casual dining sector in the country.


title: Sizzler

text: By 2015, Collins Foods wrote down the value of Sizzler by AU$37.5 million. In an investors meeting by Collins Foods, CEO Graham Maxwell states: "We no longer consider Sizzler to be a strategic growth prospect in Australia and therefore we will not be investing further capital". Collins Foods began to close a number of Sizzler restaurants in Australia. Meanwhile, Collins Foods' Sizzler operations in Asia continued to thrive, with further expansion planned in China.


title: Sizzler

text: Collins Foods closed all of its remaining Sizzler restaurants in Australia in November 2020. Collins Foods said of the three restaurant brands that it operates, Sizzler had been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Collins had closed all company-owned restaurants in 2020, Collins continues to license the use of the Sizzler restaurant brand for use in Thailand and Japan.


title: Sizzler

text: The current Sizzler franchise-holder in Japan is Royal Holdings Co., Ltd., a Fukuoka-based food service company. Royal Holdings opened the first Japanese Sizzler steakhouse in 1991. By August 2021, Royal Holdings had 10 Sizzler restaurants in Japan.


title: Sizzler

text: The current Sizzler franchise-holder in Thailand is Minor Food Group via a subsidiary called SLRT Limited. Minor opened its first Thai Sizzler steakhouse in 1996. By 2001, Minor had 19 Sizzler restaurants throughout Thailand.


title: Sizzler

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company experimented with the use of robotic waiters in the dining room in December 2020 to minimize physical contact between customers and restaurant staff. After the Thai government loosen COVID-19 dine-in restrictions in September 2021, Sizzler Thailand was able to reopen 54 out of a total of 60 restaurants for dine-in. Two months after reopening, the Thai franchise announced expansion plans of trying to open new 3-5 restaurants per year over the next three years. The franchise also announced plans of installing more robot food delivery systems within each restaurant which would minimize human contact between dine-in customers and the restaurant staff which would in turn lessen the transmission of COVID and other diseases.


title: Sizzler

text: According to archived snapshots of the official Sizzler China website, the Thailand-based Minor Food Group had seven Sizzler restaurants in China from May 2009 and November 2012.


title: Sizzler

text: According to archived snapshots of the official Sizzler Singapore website, Collins had three Sizzler restaurants in Singapore in December 2001. In March 2013, the company had two Sizzler restaurants in Singapore.


title: Sizzler

text: In 2000, more than 60 people became ill and one person died in an outbreak of that originated at a Sizzler restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Health officials said that the most likely source of contamination was meat supplied by the Excel Corporation meat packer. The health officials believed that cross contamination to other food items occurred when Sizzler employees handled the meat near areas where salad bar items were prepared. This was similar to an outbreak in Washington and Oregon in 1993. In the 1993 case, as in 2000, the tainted meat apparently came from Excel and contaminated salad bar items. This ultimately led to Sizzler closing the chain's remaining Midwest locations, including those in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials and public buildings. In his biography, the writer Christopher Hussey wrote, "In his lifetime (Lutyens) was widely held to be our greatest architect since Wren if not, as many maintained, his superior". The architectural historian Gavin Stamp described him as "surely the greatest British architect of the twentieth (or of any other) century".


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Lutyens played an instrumental role in designing and building New Delhi, which would later on serve as the seat of the Government of India. In recognition of his contribution, New Delhi is also known as "Lutyens' Delhi". In collaboration with Sir Herbert Baker, he was also the main architect of several monuments in New Delhi such as the India Gate; he also designed Viceroy's House, which is now known as the Rashtrapati Bhavan.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Many of his works were inspired by Indian architecture. He was elected Master of the Art Workers' Guild in 1933.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Lutyens was born in Kensington, London, the tenth of thirteen children of Mary Theresa Gallwey (1832/33–1906) from Killarney, Ireland, and Captain Charles Augustus Henry Lutyens (1829–1915), a soldier and painter. His sister, Mary Constance Elphinstone Lutyens (1868–1951), wrote novels under her married name of Mrs George Wemyss. He grew up in Thursley, Surrey. He was named after a friend of his father, the painter and sculptor Edwin Henry Landseer. Lutyens studied architecture at South Kensington School of Art, London, from 1885 to 1887. After college he joined the Ernest George and Harold Peto architectural practice. It was here that he first met Sir Herbert Baker. For many years he worked from offices at 29 Bloomsbury Square, London.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: He began his own practice in 1888, his first commission being a private house at Crooksbury, Farnham, Surrey. During this work, he met the garden designer and horticulturalist Gertrude Jekyll. In 1896 he began work on a house for Jekyll at Munstead Wood near Godalming, Surrey. It was the beginning of a professional partnership that would define the look of many Lutyens country houses.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: The "Lutyens-Jekyll" garden had hardy shrubbery and herbaceous plantings within a structural architecture of stairs and balustraded terraces. This combined style, of the formal with the informal, exemplified by brick paths, herbaceous borders, and with plants such as lilies, lupins, delphiniums and lavender, was in contrast to the formal bedding schemes favoured by the previous generation in the 19th century. This "natural" style was to define the "English garden" until modern times.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Lutyens' fame grew largely through the popularity of the new lifestyle magazine "Country Life" created by Edward Hudson, which featured many of his house designs. Hudson was a great admirer of Lutyens' style and commissioned Lutyens for a number of projects, including Lindisfarne Castle and the "Country Life" headquarters building in London, at 8 Tavistock Street. One of his assistants in the 1890s was Maxwell Ayrton.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: By the turn of the century, Lutyens was recognised as one of architecture's coming men. In his major study of English domestic buildings, "Das englische Haus", published in 1904, Hermann Muthesius wrote of Lutyens, "He is a young man who has come increasingly to the forefront of domestic architects and who may soon become the accepted leader among English builders of houses".


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: The bulk of Lutyens' early work consisted of private houses in an Arts and Crafts style, strongly influenced by Tudor architecture and the vernacular styles of south-east England. This was the most innovative phase of his career. Important works of this period include Munstead Wood, Tigbourne Court, Orchards and Goddards in Surrey, Deanery Garden and Folly Farm in Berkshire, Overstrand Hall in Norfolk and Le Bois des Moutiers in France.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: After about 1900 this style gave way to a more conventional Classicism, a change of direction which had a profound influence on wider British architectural practice. His commissions were of a varied nature from private houses to two churches for the new Hampstead Garden Suburb in London to Julius Drewe's Castle Drogo near Drewsteignton in Devon and on to his contributions to India's new imperial capital, New Delhi (where he worked as chief architect with Herbert Baker and others). Here he added elements of local architectural styles to his classicism, and based his urbanisation scheme on Mughal water gardens. He also designed the Hyderabad House for the last Nizam of Hyderabad, as his Delhi palace and planned the layout for the Janpath and Rajpath roads.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Before the end of the First World War, he was appointed one of three principal architects for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now Commonwealth War Graves Commission) and was involved with the creation of many monuments to commemorate the dead. Larger cemeteries have a Stone of Remembrance, designed by him. The best known of these monuments are the Cenotaph in Whitehall, Westminster, and the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval. The Cenotaph was originally commissioned by David Lloyd George as a temporary structure to be the centrepiece of the Allied Victory Parade in 1919. Lloyd George proposed a catafalque, a low empty platform, but it was Lutyens' idea for the taller monument. The design took less than six hours to complete. Lutyens also designed many other war memorials, and others are based on or inspired by Lutyens' designs. Examples of Lutyens' other war memorials include the War Memorial Gardens in Dublin, the Tower Hill memorial, the Manchester Cenotaph and the Arch of Remembrance memorial in Leicester.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: One of Lutyens' smaller works, but considered one of his masterpieces, is The Salutation, a house in Sandwich, Kent, England. Built in 1911–1912 with a garden, it was commissioned by Henry Farrer, one of three sons of Sir William Farrer.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: He was knighted in 1918 and elected a Royal Academician in March 1920. In 1924, he was appointed a member of the newly created Royal Fine Art Commission, a position he held until his death.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: While work continued in New Delhi, Lutyens received other commissions including several commercial buildings in London and the British Embassy in Washington, DC.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: In 1924 he completed the supervision of the construction of what is perhaps his most popular design: Queen Mary's Dolls' House. This four-storey Palladian villa was built in 1/12 scale and is now a permanent exhibit in the public area of Windsor Castle. It was not conceived or built as a plaything for children; its goal was to exhibit the finest British craftsmanship of the period.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Lutyens was commissioned in 1929 to design a new Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool. He planned a vast building of brick and granite, topped with towers and a dome, with commissioned sculpture work by Charles Sargeant Jagger and W. C. H. King. Work on this building started in 1933, but was halted during World War II. After the war, the project ended due to a shortage of funding, with only the crypt completed. A model of Lutyens' unrealised building was given to and restored by the Walker Art Gallery in 1975 and is now on display in the Museum of Liverpool. The architect of the present Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, which was built over part of the crypt and consecrated in 1967, was Sir Frederick Gibberd.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: In 1945, a year after his death, "A Plan for the City & County of Kingston upon Hull" was published. Lutyens worked on the plan with Sir Patrick Abercrombie and they are credited as its co-authors. Abercrombie's introduction in the plan makes special reference to Lutyens' contribution. The plan was, however, rejected by the City Council of Hull. He was also involved in the Royal Academy's planning for post-war London, an endeavour dismissed by Osbert Lancaster as "... not unlike what the new Nuremberg might have been had the Fuhrer enjoyed the inestimable advantage of the advice and guidance of the late Sir Aston Webb".


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Works in Ireland include the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge in Dublin, which consists of a bridge over the railway and a bridge over the River Liffey (unbuilt) and two tiered sunken gardens; Heywood House Gardens, County Laois (open to the public), consisting of a hedge garden, lawns, tiered sunken garden and a belvedere; extensive changes and extensions to Lambay Castle, Lambay Island, near Dublin, consisting of a circular battlement enclosing the restored and extended castle and farm building complex, upgraded cottages and stores near the harbour, a real tennis court, a large guest house (The White House), a boathouse and a chapel; alterations and extensions to Howth Castle, County Dublin; the unbuilt Hugh Lane gallery straddling the River Liffey on the site of the Ha'penny Bridge and the unbuilt Hugh Lane Gallery on the west side of St Stephen's Green; and Costelloe Lodge at Casla (also known as Costelloe), County Galway (that was used for refuge by J. Bruce Ismay, the Chairman of the White Star Line, following the sinking of the R.M.S. "Titanic"). In 1907, Lutyens designed Tranarossan House, located just north of Downings on the Rosguill Peninsula on the north coast of County Donegal. The house was built of local granite for Mr and Mrs Phillimore, from London, as a holiday home. In 1937, Mrs Phillimore donated it to "An Óige" (Irish Youth Hostels Association) for the "youth of Ireland", and it has been a hostel ever since.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Largely designed by Lutyens over 20 or so years (1912 to 1930), New Delhi, situated within the metropolis of Delhi, popularly known as 'Lutyens' Delhi', was chosen to replace Calcutta as the seat of the British Indian government in 1912; the project was completed in 1929 and officially inaugurated in 1931. In undertaking this project, Lutyens invented his own new order of classical architecture, which has become known as the Delhi Order and was used by him for several designs in England, such as Campion Hall, Oxford. Unlike the more traditional British architects who came before him, he was both inspired by and incorporated various features from the local and traditional Indian architecture—something most clearly seen in the great drum-mounted Buddhist dome of Viceroy's House, now Rashtrapati Bhavan. This palatial building, containing 340 rooms, is built on an area of some and incorporates a private garden also designed by Lutyens. The building was designed as the official residence of the Viceroy of India and is now the official residence of the President of India.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: The Delhi Order columns at the front entrance of the palace have bells carved into them, which, it has been suggested, Lutyens had designed with the idea that as the bells were silent the British rule would never come to an end. At one time, more than 2,000 people were required to care for the building and serve the Viceroy's household.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: The new city contains both the Parliament buildings and government offices (many designed by Herbert Baker) and was built distinctively of the local red sandstone using the traditional Mughal style.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: When composing the plans for New Delhi, Lutyens planned for the new city to lie southwest of the walled city of Shahjahanbad. His plans for the city also laid out the street plan for New Delhi consisting of wide tree-lined avenues.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Built in the spirit of British colonial rule, the place where the new imperial city and the older native settlement met was intended to be a market. It was there that Lutyens imagined the Indian traders would participate in "the grand shopping centre for the residents of Shahjahanabad and New Delhi", thus giving rise to the D-shaped market seen today.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Many of the garden-ringed villas in the Lutyens' Bungalow Zone (LBZ)—also known as Lutyens' Delhi—that were part of Lutyens' original scheme for New Delhi are under threat due to the constant pressure for development in Delhi. The LBZ was placed on the 2002 World Monuments Fund Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. None of the bungalows in the LBZ were designed by Lutyens—he only designed the four bungalows in the Presidential Estate surrounding Rashtrapati Bhavan at Willingdon Crescent, now known as Mother Teresa Crescent. Other buildings in Delhi that Lutyens designed include Baroda House, Bikaner House, Hyderabad House, and Patiala House.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: In recognition of his architectural accomplishments for the British Raj, Lutyens was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) on 1 January 1930. As a chivalric order, the KCIE knighthood held precedence over his earlier bachelor knighthood.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: A bust of Lutyens in the former Viceroy's House is the only statue of a Westerner left in its original position in New Delhi. Lutyens' work in New Delhi is the focus of Robert Grant Irving's book "Indian Summer". In spite of his monumental work in India, Lutyens views on the peoples of the Indian sub-continent, although not uncommon for people of his time, would now be considered racist.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: In Madrid, Lutyens' work can be seen in the interiors of the Liria Palace, a neoclassical building which was severely damaged during the Spanish Civil War. The palace was originally built in the 18th century for James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, and still belongs to his descendants. Lutyens' reconstruction was commissioned by Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba. The Duke had been in contact with Lutyens while serving as the Spanish ambassador to the Court of St. James's.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Between 1915 and 1928, Lutyens also produced designs for a new palace for the Duke of Alba's younger brother, Hernando Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duke of Peñaranda. The palace of El Guadalperal, as it was to be called, would have been, if built, Edwin Lutyens's largest country house.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Lutyens married Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton (1874–1964) on 4 August 1897 at Knebworth, Hertfordshire. She was third daughter of Edith (née Villiers) and the 1st Earl of Lytton, a former Viceroy of India. Lady Emily had proposed to Lutyens two years before the wedding, and her parents disapproved of the marriage. Their marriage was largely unsatisfactory, practically from the start, with Lady Emily developing interests in theosophy, Eastern religions, and being drawn both emotionally and philosophically to Jiddu Krishnamurti. They had five children:


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: In the early 1940s he was diagnosed with cancer. He died on 1 January 1944 and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium in north London where he had designed the Philipson Mausoleum in 1914–1916. His ashes were buried in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral, beneath a memorial designed by his friend and fellow architect William Curtis Green.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: Lutyens received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 1921, and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 1925. In November 2015 the British government announced that all 44 of Lutyens' First World War memorials in Britain had now been listed on the advice of Historic England, and were therefore all protected by law. This involved the one remaining memorial—the Gerrards Cross Memorial Building in Buckinghamshire—being added to the list, plus a further fourteen having their statuses upgraded.


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: The architectural critic Ian Nairn wrote of Lutyen's Surrey "masterpieces" in the 1971 "Surrey" volume of the "Buildings of England" series, while noting that; "the genius and the charlatan were very close together in Lutyens". In the introduction to the catalogue for the 1981 Lutyens exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, the architectural writer Colin Amery described Lutyens as "the builder of some of our finest country houses and gardens".


title: Edwin Lutyens

text: In 2015 a memorial to Lutyens by the sculptor Stephen Cox was erected in Apple Tree Yard, Mayfair, London, adjacent to the studio where Lutyens prepared the designs for New Delhi.


title: Take My Breath

text: "Take My Breath" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on August 6, 2021, through XO and Republic Records, as the lead single from his fifth studio album, "Dawn FM" (2022). The song was written and produced by the Weeknd, Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with Belly, Andrea Di Ceglie, and Luigi Tutolo receiving additional songwriting credits.


title: Take My Breath

text: A disco, dance-pop, funk and synthwave track with psychedelic elements, "Take My Breath" was met with widespread critical acclaim for the Weeknd's vocals and its production, which was influenced by the beats and synthesizers of the 1980s. The song debuted at number six on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, marking the Weeknd's thirteenth top 10 entry.


title: Take My Breath

text: The Weeknd first teased that he was working on a new album in September 2020, via an interview with "Rolling Stone" in which he stated "I might have another album ready to go by the time this quarantine is over". Later on during the 2021 "Billboard" Music Awards in May, he went on to state in his acceptance speech "I just want to say the "After Hours" are done and "The Dawn" is coming." Throughout June and July, the Weeknd continued to mention his upcoming project under the tentative title "The Dawn" by revealing a new transitional look. He also released the singles "You Right" with Doja Cat and "Better Believe" with Belly and Young Thug during that period.


title: Take My Breath

text: On August 2, 2021, a snippet of "Take My Breath" with a visual of a sunrise titled ""The Dawn" Is Coming" and a "GQ" cover story was released in anticipation of new music. The title of the single and its release date of August 6 was confirmed later that day through a promotional video for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which featured hurdlers Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad, middle-distance runner Athing Mu and sprinter Gabrielle Thomas.


title: Take My Breath

text: "Take My Breath" has been described by music critics as a disco, dance-pop, funk and synthwave track with elements of psychedelia. The single and radio version of the song runs for a duration of three minutes and forty seconds, while the extended version has a length of five minutes and fifty-one seconds. Also, the album version of the song runs for a duration of five minutes and thirty-nine seconds, which segues from the preceding track "How Do I Make You Love Me?". It was written in the key of C minor with a tempo of 121 beats per minute. Lyrically, the song details an entanglement in a romantic relationship that ultimately leads to autoerotic asphyxiation.


title: Take My Breath

text: "Take My Breath" received widespread critical acclaim. The vocals and production of the track received praise from "Billboard"s Joe Lynch, who compared the latter aspect's usage of a synthesizer to the synth riff that was used in Donna Summer's 1977 single "I Feel Love". Ben Beaumont-Thomas of "The Guardian" gave the song a five-star rating, stating that it is "an instant disco-pop masterpiece". "Consequence of Sound" writer Mary Siroky complimented "Take My Breath", “the music is pulsing, almost dizzying in its dance-floor intensity from start to finish, leaving the listener appropriately breathless”. Chief critic Jon Pareles of "The New York Times" highlighted the record’s retro appeal, “the disco thump, electric piano chords and call-and-response falsetto vocals in "Take My Breath" hark back to vintage Bee Gees. Journalist Quinn Moreland from "Pitchfork" complimented the intro and chorus, “from the strutting intro to the extremely infectious melody, "Take My Breath" is full of life”.


title: Take My Breath

text: The music video for "Take My Breath" was first teased by the Weeknd on social media via self-released images of the visual during the week leading up to the release of the single. Directed by Cliqua, it originally was supposed to play before IMAX showings of "The Suicide Squad", but was reportedly pulled due to epilepsy concerns in regards to the pervasive strobe lighting in the video. The video was released alongside the song on August 6, 2021.


title: Take My Breath

text: The video starts with the Weeknd walking outside overlooking a sunrise, before entering a nightclub with pulsating strobe lights. Upon entering the club, he meets his love interest, played by actress and stuntwoman Shaina West. The two dance together and exchange breaths through an oxygen tank, before the Weeknd's breath is literally taken away as he gets strangled by West's braids. The video ends with the Weeknd regaining his breath and consciousness as he is seen lying down on the club floor with a snippet of "Sacrifice" playing in the background. As of early 2022, the video has over 100 million views on YouTube.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: Machine Gun Preacher is a 2011 American biographical action drama film directed by Marc Forster and starring Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, and Michael Shannon. It tells the story of Sam Childers, a former gang biker turned preacher, and his efforts to protect, in collaboration with the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the children of South Sudan from the atrocities of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The screenplay by Jason Keller was adapted from Childers' book "Another Man's War" and Ian Urbina's "Vanity Fair" article "Get Kony".


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: The film' premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and opened in the United States on September 23, 2011.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: A few years earlier, Sam Childers, an alcoholic drug-using biker from Pennsylvania, is released from prison and finds that his wife, Lynn, has given up her job as a stripper after accepting Christ as her savior. Dumbfounded by her decision, he returns to a life of crime and partying and doing heroin with his friend Donnie, and one night he almost kills a vagrant. Shaken by the experience, Sam goes to church with Lynn, where he is baptized and offered salvation.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: With a new outlook on life, Sam is able to find a stable job as a construction worker and later starts his own company. He helps Donnie get sober and goes on a missionary trip to Uganda to build homes for refugees. While there, he asks Deng, one of the SPLA soldiers watching over his group, to take him north to see Sudan. Deng warns him that it is a war zone, but Sam still wants to go. In a medical tent, Sam is asked by a female doctor to help move a woman who has just had her lips cut off by Joseph Kony's LRA rebels. That night, Sam witnesses the large numbers of children who come from their villages to sleep outdoors on the ground at the displaced persons camp because it is safer than staying at home, and Sam brings as many as will fit into his and Deng's room to sleep. The next day, Deng takes Sam to a village that was attacked by the LRA, and Sam sees a child get killed by a land mine.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: Traumatized and changed by the trip, Sam receives a "vision" from God that tells him to build both a church in his own neighborhood, which will not turn anyone away, and an orphanage in southern Sudan. He begins preaching at the church once it is built and then returns to Africa to build the orphanage. During construction, the LRA attack, destroying everything. Sam calls Lynn to tell her what happened and that he is giving up, but she says it is a test from God and he should start building again. After the orphanage is complete, a young girl brought there dies of her injuries, prompting Sam to start to lead armed raids to rescue children, including child soldiers, from the LRA.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: At home, Sam becomes increasingly unempathetic toward his family and their petty problems, his sermons become angrier, and his sole focus becomes raising money to fund his work in Africa. In Sudan, he starts to make an impact, with Kony putting a price on his head and SPLA-leader John Garang inviting him to upcoming peace talks, though Sam does not attend. One night, he and some SPLA soldiers are attacked on the road by the LRA. After chasing off the attackers, they search the area and discover a large group of children hiding in a ditch. They cannot take all of the children to the orphanage in one trip, and when they return for the children they left behind, they find a pile of burned bodies. Events such as this, along with Donnie's death from an overdose after Sam yelled at him and he broke his sobriety, push Sam away from God and further into despair. He sells his construction company and goes back to Sudan, but his changed attitude leads his men to no longer trust him to lead them in battle.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: William, the boy who was forced to kill his mother at the start of the film and subsequently ended up at the orphanage, tells Sam his story and reminds Sam that their fight is already lost if they become full of hate. His faith and purpose revitalized, Sam begins to play with the children at the orphanage and calls his daughter to say he loves her. Later, he goes out with some SPLA soldiers and rescues a caravan of children kidnapped by the LRA. There is again not enough space to take everyone to the orphanage in one trip, but this time Sam and a few soldiers stay to protect the remaining children.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: The film had a gala premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011, and a limited theatrical release on September 23, 2011. Sam Childers has shown a shortened and edited version of the film at Christian charity events.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: Chris Cornell wrote the song "The Keeper" for the film, which he performed on the "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to promote it.


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 28% based on 116 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 10; the site's critics consensus reads: "There's a complex man at the center of "Machine Gun Preacher" but the movie is too shapeless and emotionally vacant to bring his story to life." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 43 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: Machine Gun Preacher

text: Globally, "Machine Gun Preacher" made $3 million at the box office, a mere 1/10 of its $30 million budget.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: "Dreams" addresses themes such as childhood, spirituality, art, death, and mistakes and transgressions made by humans against nature.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The film does not have a single narrative, but is rather episodic in nature, following the adventures of a "surrogate Kurosawa" (often recognizable by his wearing Kurosawa's trademark hat) through eight different segments, or "dreams", each one titled.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: A young boy's mother tells him to stay at home during a day when the sun is shining through the rain, warning him that "kitsune" (foxes) have their weddings during such weather, and do not like to be seen. He defies her wishes, wandering into a forest where he witnesses the slow wedding procession of the "kitsune". He is spotted by them and runs home. His mother meets him at the front door, barring the way, and says that an angry fox had come by the house, leaving behind a tantō knife. The mother gives the knife to the boy and tells him that he must go and beg forgiveness from the foxes, refusing to let him return home unless he does so. She warns that if he does not secure their forgiveness, he must take his own life. Taking the knife, the boy sets off into the mountains, towards the place under the rainbow where the "kitsune"s home is said to be.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: On the spring day of Hinamatsuri (the Doll Festival), a boy spots a small girl dressed in pink in his house. He follows her outside to where his family's peach orchard once was. Living dolls appear before him on the orchard's slopes, and reveal themselves to be the spirits of the peach trees. Because the boy's family chopped down the trees of the orchard, the dolls berate him. However, after realizing that the boy loved the blossoms and did not want the trees to be felled, they agree to give him one last look at the orchard as it once was. They perform a dance to "Etenraku" that causes the blossoming trees to re-appear. The boy sees the mysterious girl walking among the blooming trees and runs after her, but she and the trees suddenly vanish. He walks sadly through the thicket of stumps where the trees had been, until he sees a single young peach tree, in full bloom, sprouting in her place...


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: A group of four mountaineers struggle up a mountain path during a horrendous blizzard. It has been snowing for three days and the men are dispirited and ready to give up. One by one they stop walking, giving in to the snow and sure death. The leader endeavors to push on, but he too, stops in the snow. A strange woman (the Yuki-onna of Japanese folklore) appears out of nowhere and attempts to lure the last conscious man into giving in to his death. He resists, shaking off his stupor and her entreaties, to discover that the storm has abated, and that their camp is only a few feet away.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: A discharged Japanese company commander is walking down a deserted road at dusk, on his way back home from fighting in the Second World War. He comes to a large concrete pedestrian tunnel, from which a barking and snarling anti-tank dog emerges. The commander walks through the dark tunnel and comes out on the other side. He is followed by the "yūrei" (ghost) of one of his soldiers, Private Noguchi, who had died of severe wounds in the commander's arms. Noguchi's face appears blue with blackened eyes.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: Noguchi seems not to believe that he is dead. Noguchi points to a light emanating from a house on a nearby mountainside, which he identifies as being his parents' home. He is heartbroken, knowing he cannot see them again, even while he remains respectful to the commander. Following the commander's wish that he accept his fate, Noguchi returns into the tunnel.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The commander's entire third platoon, led by a young lieutenant brandishing an officer's sword, then marches out of the tunnel. They come to a halt and present arms, saluting the commander. Their faces too are colored blue. The commander struggles to tell them that they are dead, having all been killed in combat, and says that he himself is to blame for sending them into a futile battle. They stand mute in reply. The commander orders them to turn about face, and salutes them in a farewell as they march back into the tunnel. Collapsing in grief, the commander is quickly brought back to his feet by the reappearance of the anti-tank dog.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: An art student finds himself inside the world of Van Gogh's artwork, where he meets the artist in a field and converses with him. Van Gogh relates that his left ear gave him problems during a self portrait, so he cut it off. The student loses track of the artist, and travels through a number of Van Gogh's works trying to find him, concluding with Van Gogh's "Wheat Field with Crows".


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: A large nuclear power plant near Mount Fuji has begun to melt down. The sky is filled with red fumes and millions of Japanese citizens flee in terror towards the ocean. Eventually, two men, a woman, and her two small children are seen alone at the edge of the sea. The older man, who is dressed in a business suit, explains to the younger man that the rest of the population have drowned themselves in the ocean. He then says that the different colors of the clouds billowing across the rubbish-strewn landscape signify different radioactive isotopes. According to him, red indicates plutonium-239, which can cause cancer; yellow indicates strontium-90, which causes leukemia; and purple indicates cesium-137, which causes birth defects. He then remarks about the foolish futility of color-coding such dangerous gases.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The woman, hearing these descriptions, recoils in horror before angrily cursing those responsible and the pre-disaster assurances of safety they had given. The suited man displays contrition, suggesting that he is in part responsible for the disaster. The other man, dressed casually, watches the multicolored radioactive clouds advance upon them. When he turns back towards the others at the shore, he sees the woman weeping: the suit-clad man has leaped to his death. A cloud of red dust reaches them, causing the mother to shrink back in terror. The remaining man attempts to shield the mother and her children by using his jacket to feebly fan away the radioactive billows.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: A man finds himself wandering around a misty, bleak mountainous terrain. He meets an oni-like man, who is actually a mutated human with a single horn on his head. The "demon" explains that there had been a nuclear holocaust which resulted in the loss of nature and animals, towering dandelions taller than humans, and humans sprouting horns. He elaborates that, by dusk, the horns cause them to feel excruciating pain; however, they cannot die, so they simply howl in agony during the night. Many of the "demons" were former millionaires and government officials, who are now (in Buddhist style) suffering through a hell befitting for their sins.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The "demon" warns the man to flee, when the man asks where he should go to, the "demon" asks if he too wants to become a demon. The horrified man then runs away from the scene with the "demon" in pursuit.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: A man enters a peaceful, stream-laden village, where he sees children laying flowers on a large stone. He meets an elderly, wise man who is fixing a broken watermill wheel. The elder informs the younger man that residents of the village simply refer to it as "the village", and that outsiders call it "the village of the watermills". When the younger man inquires about the lack of electricity in the village, the elder explains that the people of his village decided long ago to forsake modern technology, and laments the notion of modern convenience and the pollution of nature.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The younger man asks the elder about the stone which children were placing flowers on. The elder tells him that, long ago, an ailing traveler died on that spot. The villagers buried him there and placed the rock there as a headstone. Ever since, it has become customary in the village to offer flowers there. The younger man and the elder hear the sounds of a funeral procession for an old woman nearby. Rather than mourning her death, the people in the procession celebrate joyfully the peaceful end of her long life. The elder goes to join the procession, and the younger man leaves flowers on the stone before departing the village.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: For the "Sunshine Through the Rain" segment, writer-director Akira Kurosawa built a near-exact replica of his childhood home; the nameplate on the gate even reads "Kurosawa". During production, Kurosawa showed the actress playing the mother a photo of his own mother, and gave her tips on how to act as her.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The setting of the segment "The Blizzard" may have been inspired by Kurosawa's personal life, since he confessed to being "a devotee of mountain climbing".


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: In "Crows", Vincent van Gogh is portrayed by American filmmaker Martin Scorsese. The segment features Prelude No. 15 in D-flat major ("Raindrop") by Chopin. The visual effects for this segment were provided by George Lucas and his special effects group Industrial Light & Magic. Additionally, it is the only segment in the film wherein the characters do not speak Japanese, but instead English and French.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The "Village of the Watermills" segment was filmed at the Daio Wasabi farm in the Nagano Prefecture. The segment, and the film as a whole, ends with an excerpt from "In the Village", part of the Caucasian Sketches, Suite No. 1 by the Russian composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. The colorful costumes worn by the villagers during a funeral procession are based on unusual clothes that Kurosawa saw in a remote northern village in his childhood. The idea of the stone in this segment, on which passersby lay flowers, was possibly inspired by a similar stone from Kurosawa's father's home village in Akita prefecture:


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: Near the main thoroughfare of the village stood a huge rock, and there were always cut flowers on top of it. All the children who passed by it picked wild flowers and laid them atop the stone. When I wondered why they did this and asked, the children said they didn't know. I found out later by asking one of the old men in the village. In the Battle of Boshin, a hundred years ago, someone died at that spot. Feeling sorry for him, the villagers buried him, put the stone over the grave and laid flowers on it. The flowers became a custom of the village, which the children maintained without ever knowing why.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" gave the film a mostly positive review, writing: "It's something altogether new for Kurosawa, a collection of short, sometimes fragmentary films that are less like dreams than fairy tales of past, present and future. The magical and mysterious are mixed with the practical, funny and polemical."


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The Encyclopedia of International Film praised Kurosawa in relation to "Dreams" as having "long been a master of complex narrative. Now he wants to tell what he does." It praised the editing and staging in the film as "hypnotically [serene]", and called "Dreams" "one of the most lucid dreamworks ever placed on film."


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: Donald Richie and Joan Mellen wrote of the film and of Kurosawa: "Beyond himself, he is beautiful because the beauty is in the attitude of the director. This is evident not only in the didactic approach, but also in the whole slowness, in the quantity of respect and in the enormous, insolent security of the work. That a director in 1990 could be so strong, so serious, so moral and so hopeful, is already beautiful."


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "This late-career anthology by Akira Kurosawa often confirms that "Dreams" are more interesting to the dreamer than their audience, but the directorial master still delivers opulent visions with a generous dose of heart."


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: "Dreams" was released on DVD by Warner Home Video on two occasions: one on March 18, 2003, and the other on August 30, 2011 as part of the Warner Archive Collection.


title: Dreams (1990 film)

text: The Criterion Collection released special editions of the film on Blu-ray and DVD on November 15, 2016 in the US. Both editions feature a new 4K restoration, headed by Lee Kline, technical director of the Criterion Collection, and supervised by one of the film's cinematographers, Shoji Ueda. Also included in the release is an on-set making-of documentary directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi called "Making of "Dreams"", which was filmed during its production, and Catherine Cadou's 2011 French documentary "Kurosawa's Way".


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Thomas William Cochrane ( ; born May 14, 1953) is a Canadian musician best known as the frontman for the rock band Red Rider and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight Juno Awards. He is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, an officer of the Order of Canada, and has an honorary doctorate from Brandon University. In September 2009, he was inducted onto the Canadian Walk of Fame.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: After meeting at the El Mocambo tavern in Toronto, Cochrane joined the Canadian rock band Red Rider in 1978 and served as their lead singer and main songwriter for more than ten years. Red Rider included Ken Greer, Jeff Jones, Peter Boynton and Rob Baker. Bruce Allen managed the band from their debut until 1985. Cochrane recorded six studio albums with Red Rider plus a live album, a best-of album, and a box set. By 1986, the band was billed as "Tom Cochrane & Red Rider". He would later refer to this period of his career as a stretch of "manageable success" before the release of "Mad Mad World".


title: Tom Cochrane

text: In 2002, Cochrane reunited with his former Red Rider bandmates Greer and Jones and continues to perform with them.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Already a household name in Canada from his time with Red Rider, Cochrane launched his solo career in 1991 with the release of the song "Life Is a Highway". The single became a global success and was followed by the release of his "Mad Mad World" album, which would reach the six million mark in worldwide sales. The albums "Ragged Ass Road," "Songs of a Circling Spirit," "X-Ray Sierra" and "No Stranger" followed.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: An avid golfer, pilot, and hockey buff, Cochrane lives in Oakville, Ontario, with his wife Kathleene. He spends summers at his cottage/studio on the shores of Georgian Bay in Northern Ontario and winters part-time at his home outside of Austin, Texas. Cochrane and his wife have two daughters, Cody and Evanne. Cochrane continues to tour and perform in Canada. In 2006, the group Rascal Flatts charted in the top 10 of the Hot 100 with a cover of "Life Is a Highway", which they recorded for the Pixar film "Cars". Although the song was not originally released to country radio, several country stations began playing the song, causing it to chart within the top 20 of Hot Country Songs. Chris Ledoux also had a country hit with "Life Is A Highway".


title: Tom Cochrane

text: In October, 2016, Cochrane celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his "Mad Mad World" album with an announcement of the release of a special edition of the album, featuring a demo recording of "Love is a Highway", the working title of "Life is a Highway", as well as a second disc featuring a live performance from a 1992 Chicago stop on the tour supporting the album. In 2017, he toured with Meghan Patrick and Nice Horse, and released a coffee table book about the album.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: The Manitoba provincial government recently named a section of a highway near his hometown of Lynn Lake after the hit "Life Is a Highway". A stretch of Highway 391 is being renamed Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway. This is part of a series of Honours for the musician's influence on Canadian music.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Canadian Music Hall of Fame induction: Cochrane was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2003 for outstanding contribution to the greater recognition of Canadian music. The ceremony took place April 5, 2003, at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec. The following night, Cochrane was honoured for his induction in a speech by Jeff Healey at the Juno Awards at the Corel Centre (now Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa). Cochrane closed the show by performing a medley of his hits and was joined onstage by host Shania Twain for the final song, "Life Is a Highway".


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Order of Canada: In April 2008, Cochrane received one of the highest honours for a Canadian citizen when he was invested as an officer of the Order of Canada (the level companion of the Order of Canada is the highest honour, and several people originally invested as officers have been promoted to companions for continued contributions to charity and the arts, among other fields). Cochrane was honoured for a lifetime of charity work, his contribution to the arts and for being unabashedly Canadian.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Canada's Walk of Fame: In September 2009, Cochrane was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame. The induction was highlighted by a two-hour nationally televised gala at Toronto's Four Season's Center for the Performing Arts. Anne Murray hosted the event which also included the inductions of Kim Cattrall, Raymond Burr, Blue Rodeo, Dsquared2, Howie Mandel, Robert Munsch and Chantal Petitclerc.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Honorary colonel: In November 2007, Cochrane was formally invested as an honorary colonel (HCol) by the Royal Canadian Air Force's 409 "Nighthawks" Tactical Fighter Squadron. As part of his investiture weekend, Cochrane experienced his second flight in a CF-18.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Honorary doctorate: In May 2005, Cochrane received an honorary doctorate from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba. In addition, musician James Ehnes, journalist Henry Champ and actress Shirley Douglas received honorary doctorates from the university at the spring convocation held May 28, 2005.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame Cochrane was inducted on May 9, 2014, Gil Moore formerly of the band Triumph made the presentation.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Canadian Music Industry Humanitarian Award: In March 2005, Cochrane received the Humanitarian Award at the Canadian Music Industry Association's (CMIA) gala dinner in Toronto during the annual Canadian Music Week Festival.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: Allan Waters Humanitarian Award: In April 2013, Cochrane received the award at the 2013 Juno Awards gala dinner.


title: Tom Cochrane

text: On October 31, 2016, the provincial legislature of Manitoba announced a 322-kilometre section of PR 391, Manitoba's premium highway, connecting Lynn Lake and Thompson would be renamed Tom Cochrane's Life Is A Highway.


title: Robert Capron

text: Robert B. Capron Jr. (born July 9, 1998) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Rowley Jefferson, Greg Heffley's best friend, in the first three installments of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film series. More recently, he is known for starring as Mason in the drama series "Elementary", and as David Lewan in the film "The Polka King".


title: Robert Capron

text: He started off with a role in "Bride Wars", and later had small parts in "" and the film by Disney, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". His mother, Kaye Capron, played his character's mother in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". Capron is from Scituate, Rhode Island, and has also been billed as Robert B. Capron. He graduated Brown University in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in modern culture and media/history.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The Pontiac LeMans is a model name that was applied to subcompact- and intermediate-sized automobiles marketed by Pontiac from 1961 to 1981 (1983 in Canada) model years. Originally a trim upgrade based on the Tempest, it became a separate model. In 1964 the Tempest was available with an optional GTO package that later became a separate model, the Pontiac GTO, muscle car. 1970 introduced the GT-37 package.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Manufactured in five generations in the 1960s and 1970s, it was replaced by the downsized Pontiac Grand Am. From 1988 to 1993 the name was resurrected for a badge-engineered version of the Daewoo LeMans manufactured by Daewoo in South Korea.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: It is named for the French city of Le Mans which has been the site of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's oldest active endurance sports car race since it began in 1923.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The LeMans was introduced as the top trim package of the compact-sized Pontiac Tempest toward the end of the 1961 model year on GM's new Y body platform. The Tempest LeMans featured sportier and more luxurious features and standard equipment than the Tempest, including different badging and bucket seats. The trim option was available only on the two-door sedan (pillared coupe) body style.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For the 1962 model year, the LeMans was still a trim package that was now also available in the convertible body style, as well as with the inline-four 4-bbl carbureted engine. There was also no pillarless hardtop body style available in either the Tempest and LeMans versions.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For 1963, the LeMans name was still used only on two-door coupes and convertibles, but now was designated as a separate model in the Pontiac compact car lineup. This would last for just one year. Optional was a high-performance "336 CID V8" engine. The four was also available.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The Tempest line was changed to an intermediate-sized car on the new GM A platform in 1964. The LeMans was its own separate model like it was in 1963 which included carpeted lower door panels, deluxe steering wheels, courtesy lighting, and full wheel covers. For 1964, a two-door hardtop was added. A new I6 was introduced, as well as a redesigned V8 that now actually displaced 326 CID.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Shortly after the start of the 1964 model year, the LeMans became available with a new performance package designated as the GTO, or 'Gran Turismo Omologato'. The GTO option included a V8 from the full-sized Pontiac Catalina that produced with a four-barrel carburetor or in Tri-Power version featuring three two-barrels.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Pontiac's 1965 A-body intermediates included Tempest, Tempest Custom, Lemans, and GTO. The entire line was restyled, adding to the overall length while retaining the same wheelbase and interior dimensions. The new model had Pontiac's characteristic vertically stacked quad headlights. Overall weight was increased by about . The dashboard design was changed, and a breakerless transistor ignition was a new option. A 326 cubic inch High Output engine was available with 4-barrel carburation for Tempest and Lemans. The 326 HO produces . Horsepower ratings for the GTO version were increased to in the four-barrel and with Tri-Power carburation. The LeMans line was expanded to include a four-door sedan for the 1965 model year.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The GTO became a separate model of its own for 1966, though retaining the same basic body as the Tempest and LeMans models. For 1966, all Pontiac intermediates got new styling featuring tunnelback rooflines on two-door hardtop and pillared coupes. While the GTO continued as a big-engined muscle car, the Tempest and LeMans models got a new SOHC straight-six as the base engine. This engine, as well as the early Tempest with the transaxle in the rear, were ideas of Pontiac's Chief Engineer John DeLorean (who became Pontiac's general manager at the end of the 1965 model year). This engine was available in an economical one-barrel carbureted, 165 hp version as standard equipment on all Pontiac intermediates except GTOs. Optional on all Tempest and LeMans models except station wagons was a Sprint package that included a four-barrel version of the I6 that also included higher compression ratio and hotter cam, resulting in 207 horsepower, along with an "all-syncro" floor-mounted three-speed transmission with Hurst shifter, suspension kit, and body striping. Optional were a two-barrel V8 rated at or a four-barrel 326 HO V8 with higher compression ratio and dual exhausts.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The Sprint-optioned Tempest and LeMans models were not popular during the mid-to-late 1960s, being outsold by the bigger-engined GTO. The Sprint option and SOHC six-cylinder engine were discontinued after 1969, and replaced with a Chevrolet-built OHV six-cylinder engine, becoming the base engine from 1970 to 1976 in most Pontiac intermediates.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The four-door Safari station wagon became available for the 1968 model year in the Tempest line. A new engine replaced the 326. This new engine was based on all existing Pontiac engine architecture and using the 326, 389, and 400 engines crank at 3.75" and expanding the 326's 3.72" bore to 3.88" to give 353.84 cubic inches. It was marketed by Pontiac as a 350, just like the original 326 was called rather than its true size of 325.84. For 1968 the 350 was available in two versions as a 265 hp 2-bbl and a 325 hp 4-bbl.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: In 1969 the engine came as 265 hp 2bbl and 330 hp 4bbl. The ten horsepower increase over 1968's engine is due to a different cam plus the use of the #48 big valve heads, the same head used on the Ram Air 3 400-cubic inch engine and the 428-HO engine at 390 hp. 1969 would be the last high performance version of the 350. The Sprint OHC six was increased from its original size of 230 to 250 cubic inches, and the horsepower had increased from the original to in its final version in 1969.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For 1970, Pontiac’s intermediate lineup was reshuffled to include the Tempest, Lemans, Lemans Sport, GTO and GTO Judge series. The Le Mans nameplate was downgraded to replace the sub-series previously known as the Tempest Custom, while the previous top Le Mans series was renamed the Le Mans Sport in the same three body styles as earlier, including a four-door hardtop sedan, two-door hardtop coupe and convertible. New for this year were Firebird inspired front bumpers, wrap-around taillights, and crease style body lines. Replacing the Pontiac-built OHC six-cylinder as the base engine for Tempest, LeMans, and LeMans Sport was Chevrolet's 250 cubic-inch straight-six engine. V8 offerings included 350 and 400-cid options with 2 barrel carburation and a 400-cid 4 barrel carbureted engine with dual exhausts. The four-barrel 350 HO was discontinued.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Pontiac wanted to have a car that was less expensive than its Chevrolet counterpart, so in February 1970, Pontiac introduced the T-37 Hardtop Coupe, replacing the Tempest nameplate for the two-door pillared coupe. The T-37 was initially described as "General Motors' lowest-priced hardtop," but was undercut by a base Chevrolet Chevelle hardtop coupe introduced a few weeks later. The T-37 Coupe was followed by the introduction of a new option to T-37, the GT-37 package. The GT-37 represented the "stripper" muscle car package. In addition to the three V8 engines, GT-37 extras included Rally II wheels sans trim rings, white letter tires, chrome tipped dual exhaust, vinyl accents stripes, 3-speed floor shift transmission, sport mirrors, hood locking pins, and GT-37 badging.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For the 1971 model year, Pontiac dropped the Tempest name altogether and introduced its intermediate lineup as T-37, Lemans GT-37, Lemans, and Lemans Sport The GTO and GTO Judge were a separate line. Two-door coupes and four-door sedans were available with T-37, Lemans, and Lemans Sport. The 2-door Hardtop was available across the series, while the convertible model was limited to Lemans Sport and the GTO line. The GT-37 returned as package to T-37 models and was marketed as "The GTO for Kids under 30." The GT-37 received the same feature package as the previous year with the exception of new eyebrow-type side striping similar to that of the GTO Judge model. In mid-March 1971, a second design change for the GT-37 switched the striping to a reflective sword-style stripe sometimes referred to as the 1971 ½ GT-37. 1971 also afforded the customer the opportunity to choose any of Pontiac's optional V8's such as 350, 400, or 455 cubic inch models, including the 455 High Output (HO) engine. The 455 had only been offered on the GTOs in 1970 and came in a four-barrel version or the High Output version. All 1971 engines were detuned with lower compression ratios to run on lower-octane regular leaded, low-lead or unleaded gasoline. Brakes were 9.5" drums.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For 1972, all Pontiac intermediates were now Le Mans models and the low-priced T-37 line was replaced by a base Le Mans pillared coupe. The top-line intermediate was the Luxury Le Mans, available in hardtop sedan and coupe models, featuring upgraded interiors compared to regular Le Mans models. The Le Mans Sport was available as a two-door hardtop or convertible with Strato bucket seats and interiors from the Luxury Le Mans. The GTO was changed from a separate series back to an option package on Le Mans and Le Mans Sport coupes. Replacing the previous GT-37 option package for 1972 was the new "Le Mans GT" option, available on Le Mans pillared and hardtop coupes with any V8 ranging from the 350 two-barrel to the 455 HO four-barrel, and also included the same appearance and handling items carried over from the GT-37.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: From 1973 to 1977, the Le Mans and other GM intermediates were much larger in size than previous models due to evolutionary changes that resulted in larger cars year after year and federally mandated 5 mph crash bumpers that added weight and length. During this period, Pontiac's intermediate lineup included the base Le Mans, Le Mans Sport Coupe, GTO (1973 only), Luxury Le Mans (became the Grand Le Mans in 1975), the Euro-styled Grand Am from 1973 to 1975, and the 1977 Can Am. Body styles were all based on GM's Colonnade design for both sedans and coupes (no convertibles or hardtops offered after 1972) that included center pillars for improved rollover safety standards but eliminated true hardtop design, along with frameless windows similar to a hardtop. Two-door coupes featured triangular "fixed" rear side windows that did not open, which were covered with louvers on the Le Mans, LeMans Sport Coupe, GTO sport coupes, and the new Grand Am.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The 1973 Le Mans, along with all other GM intermediates, was new from the ground up but retained the same wheelbase lengths of 112 inches for two-door coupes, and 116 inches for four-door sedans and station wagons. All models featured the federally mandated 5-mile-per-hour front bumpers along with single headlights. Handling capabilities were greatly improved on all models due to new front-suspension components shared with the F-body Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro, improved rear-coil suspension and bias-belted tires (except Grand Ams, which got radial tires).


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Engine offerings were carried over from 1972 with revisions to meet the 1973 emission requirements. Standard on base Le Mans sedans and coupes was Chevrolet's 250-cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine, while the Le Mans Sport Coupe, Luxury Le Mans sedans and coupes, and all Safari wagons got Pontiac's 350-cubic-inch V8 with two-barrel carburetor rated at 150 horsepower standard (optional on base Le Mans models). Optionally available on Le Mans, Le Mans Sport and Luxury Le Mans was a 400-cubic-inch V8 with two-barrel carb and 170 horsepower, a 230-horsepower 400 four-barrel (standard with the GTO option) and a 250-horsepower 455 four-barrel was optional on all models. Planned and listed as an option for the 1973 GTO but never materialized was a 455 Super Duty V8 rated at 310 net horsepower for which introduction was delayed by Pontiac management due to emission issues until the spring of 1973 and then only in the smaller Firebird Formula and Trans Am pony cars.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: A three-speed automatic transmission was standard on Le Mans and Luxury Le Mans models while the GTO came with a floor-mounted three-speed with Hurst shifter. Available at extra cost was the three-speed Turbo Hydra-matic with all engines, while a four-speed manual with Hurst shifter was available with the 230-horsepower 400.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Changes for the 1974 Le Mans included new split grilles with horizontal bars on base Le Mans and Le Mans Sport models, while Luxury Le Mans models got chromed vertical bar split grilles. Model offerings in each series were the same as 1973, except for the addition of a new Luxury Le Mans Safari wagon and the deletion of the GTO series from the intermediate line to the compact Pontiac Ventura series. The federally mandated 5-mph bumpers matched the stronger front bumpers of the previous year giving a less curvaceous rear end treatment with vertical taillights and license plate/fuel filler moved above the bumper. Base Le Mans coupes retained the fixed full triangular rear side windows while Luxury Le Mans coupes got a smaller vertical opera window similar to the Grand Prix along with an optional Landau rear quarter vinyl roof. Le Mans Sport Coupes were now available with two rear side window treatments - the louvered triangular version carried over or the opera window with Landau vinyl roof from the Luxury Le Mans.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: All engines were carried over from 1973 including the 250 inline-six, and V8s including the 350 two-barrel, 400 two- and four-barrel, and 455 four-barrel. New to the options list for 1974 was a 350 four-barrel. The same assortment of three- and four-speed manual transmissions were carried over for 1974 along with the three-speed Turbo Hydra-matic.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: New to the options list for 1974 on all models were GM-specification radial-ply tires manufactured by GM's usual tire suppliers that included revised suspension tuning.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The 1975 Le Mans received mostly trim changes including new crosshatch grilles on base and Sport models, and a distinctive vertical bar grille with more chrome on the Grand Le Mans (renamed from Luxury Le Mans) series cars and only revised nameplates and taillight lenses in the rear. Interiors were revised on top Grand Le Mans cars to include the distinctive wrap-around dashboard from the Grand Prix and Grand Am models with simulated African Crossfire Mahogany trim, a notchback bench seat with armrest in sedans and wagons, or a no-cost choice of the notchback bench or Strato bucket seats in coupes. Base Le Mans and Sport Coupe models carried over trim only slightly revised from 1974 including a revised Custom Cushioned steering wheel.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Pontiac's Maximum Mileage System consisted of GM's new catalytic converter that reduced emissions while improving drivability and fuel economy, a High Energy electronic ignition, and lengthened routine maintenance intervals. Radial tires were standard on all models and a "Radial Tuned Suspension" option was available that included upgraded radial tires along with front and rear sway bars.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Engines were revised for 1975 to meet that year's emission requirements and mated to the catalytic converter, which spelled the end of true dual exhausts. The 250 cubic-inch Chevy inline-six was standard on base Le Mans coupes and sedans while the 350 two-barrel V8 was optional and standard on the Le Mans Sport Coupe, and Grand Le Mans sedans and coupes, and optional engines on all of those models including a 350 four-barrel and a 400 two-barrel. Le Mans and Grand Le Mans Safari wagons came standard with a 400 four-barrel engine that was optional on other models. The 455 V8 was discontinued for all LeMans models for 1975, but still available in the Grand Am. Transmission offerings included a three-speed manual standard with the six-cylinder and 350 two-barrel V8, with the three-speed Turbo Hydra-matic optional with those engines, a "mandatory" option with all other engines in sedans and coupes, and standard on the Safari wagons. The Hurst-shifted four-speed manual was no longer offered.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For 1976, the Le Mans and Grand Le Mans were the only Pontiac intermediate offerings with the discontinuation of the Grand Am series. All models received new rectangular headlights with distinct grilles unique to the base and Le Mans Sport and another one for the Grand Le Mans. The Grand Le Mans had the instrument panel of the 1973-75 Gran Am, while the Le Mans and Le Mans Sport continued with the regular dash. The 1973-75 Luxury Le Mans had the regular Le Mans instrument panel.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The Chevy-built 250 straight-six was now standard on all Le Mans and Grand Le Mans sedans and coupes along with the Le Mans Sport Coupe with V8 options including a new "Oldsmobile-built" 260 V8 and Pontiac V8s of 350 and 400 cubic inches with two- or four-barrel carburetion (400 four-barrel still standard on all Safari wagons), along with the return of the 455 four-barrel V8 after a one-year absence. The three-speed manual transmission was standard with the Chevy six with Turbo Hydra-matic optional, the latter now the only transmission offered with all V8s except the small 260 which could be ordered with a five-speed manual in the Le Mans Sport Coupe.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: Also new for 1976 was an "Enforcer" police package on Le Mans sedans with either the 400 or 455 V8s that included Turbo Hydra-matic transmission, variable-ratio power steering, heavy-duty power front disc brakes, and suspension tuning.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The 1977 model year was the last for the Le Mans and Grand Le Mans built off the 1973-vintage Colonnade body. Appearance changes were limited to revised grilles and taillight lenses. Engine offerings were revised with Buick's 231 cubic-inch V6 replacing the Chevy inline-six as the base power plant in sedans and coupes. The base V8 (standard on Safari wagons and optional on other models) was Pontiac's new 301 cubic-inch engine based on the same V8 engine block as other Pontiac V8s but utilized many lightweight components. Optional V8s were pared down to Pontiac-built 350 and 400 four-barrel powerplants. The three-speed manual was the standard transmission on V6 models, while the Turbo Hydra-matic was optional and the only transmission available with the V8 engines. Those drivetrain offerings were available in 49 states. In California, Pontiac V8s were not offered for 1977 due to the inability to meet that state's more stringent regulations. For California, the Buick V6 was standard on most models with the available V8 engines were Oldsmobile's 350 and 403 four-barrel engines. Turbo Hydra-matic was the only transmission offered in California.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: A sporty-performance model based on the Le Mans Sport Coupe called the Pontiac Can Am was a one-year only offering for 1977. The Can Am came standard with the 400 four-barrel V8 in 49 states or the Olds 403 four-barrel in California, along with Turbo Hydra-matic transmission, a Grand Prix instrument panel and console, Strato bucket seats, and rear spoiler. It was partially intended as a replacement for the 1973-75 Grand Am, whose departure had caused A-body sales to drop significantly, while these Pontiac models had been the weakest sellers of the line with a high percentage of low-profit fleet sales.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For the final year of the Colonnade Le Mans models, they were joined by newly downsized B-body Catalina and Bonneville full-sized cars, which weighed a few pounds less than the "intermediates" and rode on the same 116-inch wheelbase length as the Le Mans sedans and Safari wagons and also had similar dimensions as far as length and width were concerned. The intermediates would have to wait one more year for downsizing, and although the new B-bodies made them redundant, it was still considered necessary to sell both as a hedge in case the B-body cars proved to be troublesome. In addition, many customers still preferred the Colonnade intermediates to the B-bodies and they continued to sell well for their final year, mostly thanks to the coupe models.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: In 1978, the Le Mans and other GM mid-sized cars were considerably downsized and lost some 600-800 lb. Pontiac's engines were also downsized, with the standard engine being the Buick 3.8 L 231 ci V6, Pontiac 265 ci V8, or optional Pontiac 4.9 L 301 ci V8 for 1978, (a Chevy 305 ci V8 in California). 1978 also saw Pontiac's 350 ci & 400 ci engine production shut down after many years of service as its hallmark V8s. A limited production run of 400ci engines was made, but were only available in 1978 and 1979 Trans Ams equipped with the four-speed manual transmission. Chevrolet's 350 V8 was available in 1979 LeMans Safaris (station wagon) only.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: From 1978 to 1980, Pontiac's mid-sized lineup included the base Le Mans, Grand Le Mans, and a revived Grand Am; all available as a Coupe, Sedan, or Wagon. In 1980, the Grand Am was only offered only as a coupe, and the "Grand Am" nameplate was again discontinued until 1985, when it was used on Pontiac's new compact car — a form the Grand Am would take for the next two decades.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The final year for the mid-sized Le Mans was 1981, with sedans featuring a new formal roofline shared with its divisional counterparts. Only base and Grand Le Mans models were offered initially, joined mid-year by a new LJ trim level positioned between the base and Grand models. The car was given a new Firebird-esque slanted nose which made the 2-door coupe popular in NASCAR, especially as a superspeedway race car in 1981, which was the first year these cars were used in the series. A Le Mans driven by Cale Yarborough won the 1983 Daytona 500, and one driven by Tim Richmond at the 1983 Pocono 500. Engine offerings by this time included Buick's 231 CID V6, Pontiac's 4.3 L 265 CID V8, Pontiac's 301 CID V8, and Chevrolet's 305 CID V8 (for California only).


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For the 1982 model year, General Motors underwent a revision of its mid-size model lines, with particular attention focused on the Pontiac brand. In addition to the discontinuation of the LeMans, additional changes were made to reduce model overlap. As part of the 1982 introduction of the front-wheel drive A platform, the Pontiac 6000 served as the direct successor for the LeMans sedan and station wagon. Though introduced as a premium model over the LeMans, the Grand Prix coupe continued in production (on the re-designated G platform), accommodating for the withdrawal of the LeMans coupe.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The Grand LeMans itself was not directly replaced for 1982, though its withdrawal was accommodated through a revision to both the G platform and the full-size B platform. Rather than undergo an expensive redesign to downsize the vehicle, Pontiac moved the Bonneville nameplate from its full-size line to the G-body four-door sedan. Sharing the newly-introduced notchback body (for 1981) of the four-door Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass, and Chevrolet Malibu, the Bonneville was slotted above the 6000 in the Pontiac model line, receiving many of the styling elements of its B-body predecessor. In Canada, Pontiac continued to use the Grand LeMans name for the G-body Bonneville through the 1983 model year. As part of the model revision, the previous Catalina/Bonneville full-size line was replaced by the Pontiac Parisienne (the nameplate used for the Bonneville by GM Canada), adopting a minor styling revision.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For 1984, the Bonneville Safari station wagon was discontinued, with the Bonneville four-door sedan produced through 1986; for 1987, the model line shifted to front-wheel drive, becoming a counterpart of the Buick LeSabre and Oldsmobile Delta 88. For 1988, the Grand Prix adopted the front-wheel drive W platform; in 1990, the first Grand Prix sedan was introduced as the replacement for the 6000 (replacing it entirely for 1992).


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For the 1988 model year, Pontiac revived the LeMans nameplate in North America, replacing the Pontiac 1000 as the smallest Pontiac model line. It was an early introduction for the model year, with sales beginning in June 1987. Marking the switch of the subcompact T-body to front-wheel drive in North America, the LeMans was a captive import of the Daewoo LeMans from South Korea, offered in three-door hatchback (called the "Aerocoupe") and four-door sedan bodystyles (a five-door hatchback was also offered in New Zealand). The joint venture with Daewoo, in which the two companies built a new factory expressly to assemble the new T-car, had been announced in January 1984 but was delayed due to a period of political turmoil.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The throttle body injected 1.6-liter engine producing at 5,600 rpm was also an Opel design, built in South Korea. The introductory lineup all had this engine and consisted of the Value Leader ("VL", only as a three-door Aerocoupe), the standard LeMans (Sedan or Aerocoupe), and the SE (Sedan only) on top. A four-speed manual was standard equipment, with a five-speed version (standard on the SE) and a three-speed automatic optionally available. The LeMans was also sold in Canada through General Motors' Passport International Division as the "Passport Optima."


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: In February 1988, a new model was released, going on sale the following month: the new sportier Pontiac LeMans GSE Aerocoupe, positioned similarly to the Opel Kadett GSi, was equipped with an Australian-built 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine also used in the Pontiac Sunbird. Unlike the Kadett GSi, however, the GSE only had throttle body injection and its maximum power arrived at a leisurely 4,800 rpm. The GSE was available in red, white, or silver with 14 inch alloy wheels, fog lights and a rear spoiler. The GSE also received the Recaro-style seats of the Kadett GSi. The five-speed manual transmission used with the larger engine was an Opel design, built in Japan by Isuzu. This version was sold in Canada as the Passport Optima GSi. Along with the introduction of the GSE, the Pontiac LeMans SE sedan now featured the GSE's 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine while the earlier base model was renamed LE; the LE received the five-speed manual as standard equipment, leaving the four-speed for the VL only. The two-liter SE Sedan was dropped after the 1989 model year.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: The GSE seemed good on paper, but it cost more than the Honda Civic Si and more than a Sunbird with the same engine, while the LeMans' reputation for troubled quality also did it no favors. The less-than-peppy engine combined with low-geared steering and a vague shift linkage meant that its performance did not match the sporty exterior; it had better gas mileage than many of its competitors but that did not help create a youthful image. For 1990, Pontiac added quicker steering on the GSE but the model did not return for 1991. This left the Base model (3-door only) and the LE (both bodystyles).


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: For the 1992 model year the LeMans received some very minor changes including amber turn signals at the rear and a new color (Bright Yellow). The lineup was renamed SE "Value Leader" Aerocoupe, with the better equipped version called SE (Aerocoupe/Sedan). Model year sales dropped to under 20,000 cars, a far cry from the planned 90,000 per year. For 1993 the LeMans received a facelift, with a reworked front, new side moldings, and superficially changed taillights. The mechanical parts, however, remained mostly as they had been in 1987. This version was called the Asüna SE/GT in the Canadian market, where it replaced the Passport Optima. The SE was available as a three-door hatchback or four-door sedan, while the sporty and better equipped GT only came as a hatchback. The Asüna SE and GT were only available for the 1993 model year; in 1994, the Asüna brand was discontinued altogether. In North America, poor quality tarnished sales as well as the relationship between the companies. Daewoo's joint venture with General Motors ended in 1992, and the Pontiac LeMans (and Asüna SE/GT) were discontinued after the 1993 model year with no replacement, ending the final use of the LeMans nameplate.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: In 1994, Daewoo updated the LeMans/Racer and renamed it the Cielo; the model line continued to be built in numerous countries until 2016. In North America, Pontiac left the subcompact segment until 2005, when they introduced a rebadged Chevrolet Aveo four-door in Canada as the Pontiac Wave. This was replaced by the Pontiac G3 hatchback for 2009; this was briefly marketed in the United States as well. In 2010 (the final year of Pontiac), the G3 was available only in Canada.


title: Pontiac LeMans

text: It was also sold in New Zealand as the Pontiac LeMans from 1989, becoming the first Pontiac badged car to be sold on the NZ market since the Canadian-sourced Pontiac Laurentian of the 1960s. In addition to the bodystyles available in North America, New Zealand also received the five-door hatchback.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: The music of the "Star Wars" franchise is composed and produced in conjunction with the development of the feature films, television series, and other merchandise within the epic space opera franchise created by George Lucas. The music for the primary feature films (which serves as the basis for the rest of the related media) was written by John Williams. Williams' work on the series included the scores of nine feature films, a suite and several cues of thematic material for Solo and the theme music for the Galaxy's Edge Theme Park. These count among the most widely known and popular contributions to modern film music, and utilize a symphony orchestra and features an assortment of about fifty recurring musical themes to represent characters and other plot elements: one of the largest caches of themes in the history of film music.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Released between 1977 and 2019, the music for the primary feature films was, in the case of the first two trilogies, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and, in select passages, by the London Voices chorus. The sequel trilogy was largely conducted by Williams and William Ross, and performed by the Hollywood Freelance Studio Symphony and (in a few passages) by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Additional composers have since contributed music to other movies and media within the "Star Wars" universe"." The music for several animated and live-action television series spin-offs has been written by Kevin Kiner, Ludwig Göransson, Natalie Holt, and Ryan Shore. Music for the spin-off films, other television programs, and video games, as well as the trailers of the various installments, were created by various other composers, with this material occasionally revisiting some of Williams' principal themes (and, with one spin-off film, with Williams actually writing a new theme for the composer to use).


title: Music of Star Wars

text: The scores are primarily performed by a symphony orchestra of varying size joined, in several sections, by a choir of varying size. They each make extensive use of the "leitmotif", or a series of musical themes that represents the various characters, objects and events in the films. Throughout all of the franchise, which consists of a total of over 18 hours of music, Williams has written approximately sixty or seventy themes, in one of the largest, richest collection of themes in the history of film music.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Kevin Kiner composed the score to the film "" (2008), the predecessor to the . Both properties loosely use some of the original themes and music by John Williams. Kiner's own material for the film includes a theme for Anakin Skywalker's Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano, as well as a theme for Jabba the Hutt's uncle Ziro. Kiner went on to score the TV series' entire seven seasons, which concluded in 2020. A soundtrack album was released in 2014 by Walt Disney Records.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Kiner continued his work with the franchise for the animated series "Star Wars Rebels" (2014), which also incorporates Williams' themes. He would later do the spin-off of Clone Wars, The Bad Batch in 2021.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: For the hand drawn anime short by Studio Ghibli "Grogu and Dust Bunnies," Ludwig Göransson composes the score.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: For the Disney+ series "The Book of Boba Fett", Ludwig Göransson composes the main theme, while Joseph Shirley composes the score.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: For the Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi", John Williams returned to write the main theme. Natalie Holt composed the rest of the score, making her the first woman to score a live-action "Star Wars" project.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: The scores utilize an eclectic variety of musical styles, many culled from the Late Romantic idiom of Richard Strauss and his contemporaries that itself was incorporated into the Golden Age Hollywood scores of Erich Korngold and Max Steiner. The reasons for this are known to involve George Lucas's desire to allude to the underlying fantasy element of the narrative rather than the science-fiction setting, as well as to ground the otherwise strange and fantastic setting in recognizable, audience-accessible music. Indeed, Lucas maintains that much of the films' success relies not on advanced visual effects, but on the simple, direct emotional appeal of its plot, characters and, importantly, music.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Lucas originally wanted to use tracked orchestral and film music in a similar manner to , itself a major inspiration for "Star Wars". Williams, who was hired to consult and possibly work on the source music, was advised to form a soundtrack with recurring musical themes to augment the story, while Lucas's choice of music could be used as a temporary track for Williams to base his musical choices on. This resulted in several nods or homages to the music of Gustav Holst, William Walton, Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky in the score to "Star Wars." Williams relied less and less on references to existing music in the latter eight scores, incorporating more strains of modernist orchestral writing with each progressive score, although occasional nods continue to permeate the music. The score to has clear resemblances to the successful scores of other contemporary composers of the time, namely Howard Shore's "Lord of the Rings", Hans Zimmer's "Gladiator" and Tan Dun's" Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", with which the movie was most likely scored contemporarily. However, his later scores were otherwise mostly tracked with music of his own composition, mainly from previous "Star Wars" films. Williams also started to develop his style throughout the various films, incorporating other instruments, unconventional orchestral set-ups (as well as various choral ensembles) and even electronic or electronically attenuated music as the films progressed. Williams often composed the music in a heroic but tongue-in-cheek style, and has described the scored film as a "musical".


title: Music of Star Wars

text: "Star Wars" was one of the film scores that heralded the revival of grand symphonic scores in the late 1970s. One technique that particularly influenced these scores is Williams' use of the "leitmotif", which was most famously associated with Richard Wagner's "Der Ring Des Nibelungen" and, in early film scores, with Steiner. A leitmotif (or leading motive) is a recurring, evolving musical theme for narrative elements such as characters, locations, ideas, sentiments, objects or other specific part of the film. It is commonly used in modern film scoring as a device for mentally anchoring certain parts of a film to the soundtrack. Of chief importance for a leitmotif is that it must be strong enough for a listener to latch onto while being flexible enough to undergo variation and development along the progression of the story. The more varied and nuanced the use of leitmotif is, the more memorable it typically becomes. A good example of this is the way in which Williams subtly conceals the intervals of "The Imperial March" within "Anakin's Theme" in "", implying his dark future to come.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Also important is the density in which leitmotifs are used: the more leitmotifs are used in a piece of a given length, the more thematically rich it is considered to be. Film music, however, typically needs to strike a balance between the number of leitmotives used, so as to not become too dense for the audience (being preoccupied with the visuals) to follow. Williams' music of "Star Wars" is unique in that it is relatively dense for film scoring, with approximately 17 themes used in each two-hour film, of which about 90% is scored.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Williams re-recorded some of his suites from the first trilogy with the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra as an album. Several of his later themes were released as singles and music videos, and were later released a collection of suites from the six films as a compilation that played to a series of clips from the films, with sparse dialogue and sound effects. These became the basis for a series of hour-long concerts which featured "Star Wars" music to images from the films, "", which took place in 2009 and 2010. First performed in London, it went on to tour across the United States and Canada, last playing in London, Ontario, Canada on July 25, 2010.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: The scores of the first trilogy (in the form of its Blu-Ray release) and "" are performed as Live to Projection concerts, but with greatly reduced forces. The performances follow the music of the finished film, with some of the music looped, tracked or omitted entirely, and do not feature any of the diegetic pieces and often omit the choral parts.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: John Williams sketched the score for his various orchestrations and wrote the music for a full symphony orchestra (ranging from 79 to 113 players overall


title: Music of Star Wars

text: "The Empire Strikes Back" required 104 players, not including the conductor or synthesizer (rhttp://www.jw-collection.de/scores/tesblp.htmecalls ) due to the inclusion of a fourth flute, and sections that required a third harp, five oboes overall, an added piccolo and eight percussionists overall.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: If the Empire Strikes Back is to augmented with the string section size of Revenge of the Sith or the Skywalker Symphony Recording, it would require about 112 players and a small women choir.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: A Star Wars in Concert production that would follow the orchestration of the recording, would have to feature some of the expansions of the various episodes, requiring about 110 players, as well as the mixed choir and possibly the bass choir.</ref>) and, in several passages, chorus (ranging from 12 to 120 singers overall) and a few non-orchestral instruments. The orchestration is not consistent throughout the different films, but generally, the score makes use of a considerable brass section over a comparatively smaller string section, giving the series its heraldic, brassy sound.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Several of the scores require larger forces, including a large (over 100-piece) romantic-period orchestra, a mixed choir and even a boy choir, although none of the scores call for particularly immense forces compared to larger film or theater works. Nevertheless, due to added high woodwinds and percussion parts, scores such as Empire Strikes Back and Attack of the Clones call for 106 and 110 players, respectively. The former called for a third harp and fourth bassoon, while the latter (and all prequel scores) utilized a fuller string section. Revenge of the Sith also utilized a second set of timpani. Comparatively, the original "Star Wars" trilogy and the sequel trilogy films call for much smaller forces of as little as 82 players, and small choral accompaniment in select cues. The first spin-off film, "Rogue One", followed the prequel trilogy's instrumentation, using a 110-piece orchestra and 90-piece mixed choir.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: In live performances, the forces are usually greatly reduced: Official were held with as little as 60-piece orchestras and 50-piece mixed choral ensembles or with the choir omitted altogether.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: John Williams wrote a series of themes and motifs for certain characters and ideas in each of the "Star Wars" films. The multiple installments allowed Williams to compose some sixty or seventy themes and reprise some of them extensively, continually developing them over a long period of screen time.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Williams introduces a considerable, but manageable number of themes in each episode (seven themes on average), attempting to compose main themes that are distinct, long-lined and memorable. Connections between the themes are formed for narrative purposes or, more generally, in the favour of cohesion. As a result, some of the themes play very often: the Force Theme plays over one hundred times in the series.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Each score can be said to have a "main theme", which is developed and repeated frequently throughout the film, and represents the high and low points of the film itself as much as they do narrative elements within the film: for instance, the frequent use of The Imperial March in "Empire Strikes Back". Besides the main theme and a handful of other principal themes, Williams forged several smaller motifs for each episode, which are generally not as memorable and at times interchangeable. As a result of his compositional process, a large number of incidental musical material and themes that are specific to certain setpieces also occur throughout the piece. Williams had designated the music of the main titles to be the main theme of the series as a whole, but there isn't necessarily a main theme for each trilogy. Instead, each trilogy (and to a lesser extent, each film) has its own style or soundscape.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Williams' Star Wars catalog remains one of the largest collections of leitmotifs in the history of cinema, although – for comparison – it still falls short of Wagner's use of leitmotifs in the "Ring Cycle" or even Howard Shore's work on the "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" films. Both works feature many more themes for a similar or shorter running time; and use the themes with greater specificity and variation; where Williams prefers to write fewer themes (to allow him to focus on them better) and use them in a more straightforward manner and sometimes, solely for their romantic effect. Shore and Wagner's themes are also inter-related and arranged into sets of subsets of related themes through various melodic or harmonic connections, whereas Williams prefers greater distinction between his themes.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Williams scores the films one episode at a time and attempts to base each score on new material as much as possible. Therefore, the "Imperial March" makes no appearance in the original Star Wars, since Williams didn't conceive of it until he was scoring "The Empire Strikes Back", and the same is true of "Across the Stars" and "The Phantom Menace". Other themes get abandoned, like the Droid motive from "The Empire Strikes Back" or the original Imperial motives of the original "Star Wars." Between trilogies, Williams had often changed his way of using leitmotives, moving from long-lined melodies in the classic trilogy to shorter, more rhythmic ideas in the prequel trilogy.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: Williams doesn't always use his themes in a strictly narrative sense. In almost each entry, he will occasionally use a theme seemingly at random, purely because its mood fits the scene. Princess Leia's Theme is used for the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original "Star Wars", which has little to do with her character even though she is present in the scene. Yoda's Theme appears several times during the Cloud City sequences in "The Empire Strikes Back". The concert piece Duel of the Fates is used several times throughout the prequel trilogy, appearing over the entire final battle in "The Phantom Menace" (as opposed to just the lightsaber duel for which it was written); Anakin Skywalker's search for his mother in "Attack of the Clones"; and the unrelated Yoda and Darth Sidious's duel in "Revenge of the Sith." Williams' original composition for the Geonosis Battle Arena in "Attack of the Clones," a variation on the Droid Army March, was used for the Utapau assault in "Revenge of the Sith". Multiple uses of the Force Theme are also non-thematic.


title: Music of Star Wars

text: This also happens through the use of tracked music. "Attack of the Clones", the first film to be shot digitally, had major edits made after the scoring process, leading to the inclusion of tracked music over many of the digitally created sequences such as the Droid Factory on Geonosis or the Clone Army's arrival to the battle. These scenes used music such as Yoda's theme or incidental music from "The Phantom Menace" with little dramatic connection to what is occurring on screen. Musical similarities exist between the final scenes of "The Phantom Menace" with Finn's confession to Rey in "The Force Awakens", probably a result of temp-track choice. In other cases, the material was not tracked but rather lifted from the original composition and re-recorded, such as in the big action scenes of "Return of the Jedi", both of which lift material from the Battle of Yavin and Ben's death. Other composers to have used Williams' themes in spinoff materials have likewise sometimes used them loosely.