title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff had a goal: "One thing was certain—the power must be in my hands." As stipulated by the Constitution of the German Empire the government was run by civil servants appointed by the Kaiser. Confident that army officers were superior to civilians, the "OHL" volunteered to oversee the economy: procurement, raw materials, labor, and food. Max Bauer, with his industrialist friends, began by setting overambitious targets for military production in what they called the Hindenburg Program. Ludendorff enthusiastically participated in meetings on economic policy—loudly, sometimes pummeling the table with his fists. Implementation of the Program was assigned to General Groener, a staff officer who had directed the Field Railway Service effectively. His office was in the (civilian) War Ministry, not in the "OHL" as Ludendorff had wanted. Therefore, he assigned staff officers to most government ministries, so he knew what was going on and could press his demands.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: War industry's major problem was the scarcity of skilled workers, therefore 125,000 men were released from the armed forces and trained workers were no longer conscripted. The "OHL" wanted to enroll most German men and women into national service, but the Reichstag legislated that only males 17–60 were subject to "patriotic service" and refused to bind war workers to their jobs. Groener realized that they needed the support of the workers, so he insisted that union representatives be included on industrial dispute boards. He also advocated an excess profits tax. The industrialists were incensed. On 16 August 1917, Ludendorff telegraphed an order reassigning Groener to command the 33rd Infantry Division. Overall, "unable to control labour and unwilling to control industry, the army failed miserably". To the public it seemed that Ludendorff was running the nation as well as the war. According to Ludendorff, "the authorities ... represented me as a dictator". He would not become Chancellor because the demands for running the war were too great. The historian Frank Tipton argues that while not technically a dictator, Ludendorff was "unquestionably the most powerful man in Germany" in 1917–18.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: The "OHL" did nothing to mitigate the crisis of growing food shortages in Germany. Despite the Allied blockade, everyone could have been fed adequately, but supplies were not managed effectively or fairly. In spring 1918, half of all the meat, eggs, and fruit consumed in Berlin were sold on the black market.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: The Navy advocated unrestricted submarine warfare, which would surely bring the United States into the war. At the Kaiser's request, his commanders met with his friend, the eminent chemist Walther Nernst, who knew America well, and who warned against the idea. Ludendorff promptly ended the meeting; it was "incompetent nonsense with which a civilian was wasting his time." Unrestricted submarine warfare began in February 1917, with the "OHL"’s strong support. This fatal mistake reflected poor military judgment in uncritically accepting the Navy’s contention that there were no effective potential countermeasures, like convoying, and confidence that the American armed forces were too feeble to fight effectively. By the end of the war, Germany would be at war with 27 nations.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff, with the Kaiser's blessing, helped Lenin and other 30 or so revolutionaries in exile return to Russia. Ludendorff agreed to send the Bolsheviks in Switzerland by train through Germany from where they would then travel to Russia via Sweden. Lenin, however, still took some convincing, insisting that he be sent on a sealed train. Lenin ultimately agreed on 31 March, and would depart Switzerland on 8 April.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: In the spring of 1917 the Reichstag passed a resolution for peace without annexations or indemnities. They would be content with the successful defensive war undertaken in 1914. The "OHL" was unable to defeat the resolution or to have it substantially watered down. The commanders despised Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg as weak, so they forced his resignation by repeatedly threatening to resign themselves, despite the Kaiser's admonition that this was not their business. Bethmann-Hollweg was replaced by a minor functionary, Georg Michaelis, the food minister, who announced that he would deal with the resolution as "in his own fashion". Despite this put-down, the Reichstag voted the financial credits needed for continuing the war.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Following the overthrow of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the new Russian government launched the Kerensky Offensive in July 1917, attacking the Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia. After minor successes the Russians were driven back and many of their soldiers refused to fight. The counterattack was halted only after the line was pushed eastwards. The Germans capped the year in the East by capturing the strong Russian fortress of Riga in September 1917, starting with a brief, overwhelming artillery barrage using many gas shells then followed by infiltrating infantry. The Bolsheviks seized power and soon were at the peace table.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff insisted on the huge territorial losses forced on Russia in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, even though this required that a million German soldiers remain in the east. During the peace negotiations with Russia, his representative kept demanding the economic concessions coveted by German industrialists. The commanders kept blocking attempts to frame a plausible peace offer to the western powers by insisting on borders expanded for future defense. Ludendorff regarded the Germans as the "master race" and after victory planned to settle ex-soldiers in the Baltic states and in Alsace-Lorraine, where they would take over property seized from Balts and the French. One after another the "OHL" toppled government ministers they regarded as weak.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: In contrast to the "OHL's" questionable interventions in politics and diplomacy, their armies continued to excel. The commanders would agree on what was to be done and then Ludendorff and the "OHL" staff produced the mass of orders specifying exactly what was to be accomplished. On the western front they stopped packing defenders in the front line, which reduced losses to enemy artillery. They issued a directive on elastic defense, in which attackers who penetrated a lightly held front line entered a battle zone in which they were punished by artillery and counterattacks. It remained German Army doctrine through World War II; schools taught the new tactics to all ranks. Its effectiveness is illustrated by comparing the first half of 1916 in which 77 German soldiers died or went missing for every 100 British to the second half when 55 Germans were lost for every 100 British.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: By February 1917 the OHL was sure that the new French commander, General Robert Nivelle, would attack, and correctly foresaw that he would try to pinch off the German salient between Arras and Noyon. So the OHL withdrew German forces to the segment of the Hindenburg line across the base of the salient in , leaving the ground they gave up as a depopulated waste land. The Nivelle Offensive in April 1917 was blunted by mobile defense in depth. Many French units mutinied, though the "OHL" never grasped the extent of the disarray.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: The British supported their allies with a successful attack near Arras and had another success in June 1917 at Messines Ridge in Flanders. Then at the end of July 1917, the British attacked Passchendaele Ridge. At first the defense was directed by General von Lossberg, a pioneer in defense in depth, but when the British adjusted their tactics, Ludendorff took over day-to-day control. The British eventually took Passchendaele Ridge at great cost.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff worried about declining morale, so in July 1917 "OHL" established a propaganda unit. In October 1917 they began mandatory patriotic lectures to the troops, who were assured that if the war was lost they would "become slaves of international capital". The lecturers were to "ensure that a fight is kept up against all agitators, croakers, and weaklings".


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: To bolster the wobbling Austro-Hungarian government, the Germans provided some troops and led a joint attack in Italy in October. They sliced through the Italian lines in the mountains at Caporetto. Two hundred and fifty thousand Italians were captured and the rest of Italian Army was forced to retreat to the Grappa-Piave defensive line.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: On 20 November 1917, the British achieved a total surprise by attacking at Cambrai. A short, intense bombardment preceded an attack by tanks, which led the infantry through the German wire. It was Ludendorff's 52nd birthday, but he was too upset to attend the celebratory dinner. The British were not organized to exploit their breakthrough, and German reserves counterattacked, in some places driving the British back beyond their starting lines.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: At the beginning of 1918 almost a million munition workers struck; one demand was peace without annexations. "OHL" ordered that all strikers fit to bear arms' be sent to the front, thereby degrading military service."


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: With Russia out of the war, the Germans outnumbered the Allies on the Western Front. After extensive consultations, "OHL" planned a series of attacks to drive the British out of the war. During the winter all ranks were schooled in the innovative tactics proven at Caporetto and Riga. The first attack, Operation Michael, was on 21 March 1918 near Cambrai. After an effective hurricane bombardment coordinated by Colonel Bruchmüller, they slashed through the British lines, surmounting the obstacles that had thwarted their enemies for three years. On the first day they occupied as large an area as the Allies had won on the Somme after 140 days. The Allies were aghast, but it was not the triumph "OHL" had hoped for: they had planned another Tannenberg by surrounding tens of thousands of British troops in the Cambrai salient, but had been thwarted by stout defense and fighting withdrawal. They lost as many men as the defenders—the first day was the bloodiest of the war. Among the dead was Ludendorff’s oldest stepson; a younger had been killed earlier. The Germans were unable to cut any vital railway. When Ludendorff motored near the front he was displeased by seeing how: "The numerous slightly wounded made things difficult by the stupid and displeasing way in which they hurried to the rear." The Americans doubled the number of troops being sent to France.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Their next attack was in Flanders. Again they broke through, advancing , and forcing the British to give back all of the ground that they had won the preceding year after weeks of battle. But the Germans were stopped short of the rail junction that was their goal. Next, to draw French reserves south, they struck along the . In their most successful attack yet they advanced on the first day, crossing the Marne but stopping from Paris. However each German triumph weakened their army and its morale. From 20 March 1918 to 25 June the German front lengthened from to .


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Then the Germans struck near Reims, to seize additional railway lines for use in the salient, but were foiled by brilliant French elastic tactics. Undeterred, on 18 July 1918 Ludendorff, still "aggressive and confident", traveled to Flanders to confer about the next attack there. A telephone call reported that the French and Americans, led by a mass of tanks, had smashed through the right flank of their salient pointing toward Paris, on the opening day of the Battle of Soissons. Everyone present realized that surely they had lost the war. Ludendorff was shattered.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: "OHL" began to withdraw step by step to new defensive lines, first evacuating all of their wounded and supplies. Ludendorff's communiques, which hitherto had been largely factual, now distorted the news, for instance claiming that American troops had to be herded onto troop ships by special police.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: On 8 August 1918, the Germans were completely surprised at Amiens when British tanks broke through the defenses and intact German formations surrendered. To Ludendorff it was the "black day in the history of the German Army". The German retreats continued, pressed by Allied attacks. "OHL" still vigorously opposed offering to give up the territory they desired in France and Belgium, so the German government was unable to make a plausible peace proposal.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff became increasingly cantankerous, railing at his staff without cause, publicly accusing Hindenburg of talking nonsense, and sometimes bursting into tears. Bauer wanted him replaced, but instead a doctor, Hochheimer, was brought to "OHL." He had worked closely with Ludendorff in Poland during the winter of 1915–16 on plans to bring in German colonists. Before the war he had a practice in nervous diseases. Hochheimer "spoke as a friend and he listened as a friend", convincing Ludendorff that he could not work effectively with one hour of sleep a night and that he must relearn how to relax. After a month away from headquarters Ludendorff had recovered from the severest symptoms of battle fatigue.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: On 29 September 1918, Ludendorff and Hindenburg suddenly told an incredulous Kaiser that they could not guarantee the integrity of the Western front "for two hours" and they must have an immediate armistice. A new Chancellor, Prince Maximilian of Baden, approached President Woodrow Wilson, but Wilson's terms were unacceptable to the German leadership, and so the German army fought on. The chancellor told the Kaiser that he and his cabinet would resign unless Ludendorff was removed, but that Hindenburg must remain to hold the army together. The Kaiser called his commanders in, curtly accepting Ludendorff's resignation and then rejecting Hindenburg's. Fuming, Ludendorff would not accompany the field marshal back to headquarters: "I refused to ride with you because you have treated me so shabbily".


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff had assiduously sought all of the credit; now he was rewarded with all of the blame. Widely despised, and with revolution breaking out, he was hidden by his brother and a network of friends until he slipped out of Germany disguised in blue spectacles and a false beard and fake Finnish passport, settling in a Swedish admirer's country home until the Swedish government asked him to leave in February 1919. Within seven months, he wrote two volumes of detailed memoirs. Friends, led by Breucker, provided him with documents and negotiated with publishers. Groener (who is not mentioned in the book) characterized it as a showcase of his "caesar-mania". He was a brilliant general, according to John Wheeler-Bennett, stating that he was "certainly one of the greatest routine military organizers that the world has ever seen", but he also said he was a ruinous political meddler. The influential military analyst Hans Delbrück concluded that "The Empire was built by Moltke and Bismarck, destroyed by Tirpitz and Ludendorff."


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: In exile, Ludendorff wrote numerous books and articles about the German military's conduct of the war while forming the foundation for the , the "stab-in-the-back theory," for which he is considered largely responsible, insisting that a domestic crisis had sparked Germany's surrender while the military situation held firm, ignoring that he himself had pressed the politicians for an armistice on military grounds. Ludendorff was convinced that Germany had fought a defensive war and, in his opinion, that Kaiser Wilhelm II had failed to organize a proper counter-propaganda campaign or provide efficient leadership.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff was extremely suspicious of the Social Democrats and leftists, whom he blamed for the humiliation of Germany through the Versailles Treaty. Ludendorff claimed that he paid close attention to the business element (especially the Jews), and saw them turn their backs on the war effort by—as he saw it—letting profit, rather than patriotism, dictate production and financing.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Again focusing on the left, Ludendorff was appalled by the strikes that took place towards the end of the war and the way that the home front collapsed before the military front did, with the former poisoning the morale of soldiers on temporary leave. Most importantly, Ludendorff felt that the German people as a whole had underestimated what was at stake in the war; he was convinced that the Entente had started the war and was determined to dismantle Germany completely.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff returned to Berlin in February 1919. Staying at the Adlon Hotel, he talked with another resident, Sir Neill Malcolm, the head of the British Military Mission. After Ludendorff presented his excuses for the German defeat Malcolm said, "You mean that you were stabbed in the back?" coining a key catchphrase for the German right wing.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: On 12 March 1920, 5,000 troops under the command of Walther von Lüttwitz marched on the Chancellery, forcing the government led by Friedrich Ebert and Gustav Bauer to flee the city. The putschists proclaimed a new government with a right-wing politician, Wolfgang Kapp as the new "chancellor". Ludendorff and Max Bauer were part of the putsch. The Kapp Putsch was soon defeated by a general strike that brought Berlin to a standstill. The leaders fled, Ludendorff to Bavaria, where a right-wing coup had succeeded. He published two volumes of annotatedand in a few instances pruneddocuments and commentaries documenting his war service. He reconciled with Hindenburg, who began to visit every year.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: In May 1923 Ludendorff had an agreeable first meeting with Adolf Hitler, and soon he had regular contacts with Nazis. On 8 November 1923, the Bavarian Gustav von Kahr was addressing a jammed meeting in a large beer hall, the "Bürgerbräukeller". Hitler, waving a pistol, jumped onto the stage, announcing that the national revolution was underway. The hall was occupied by armed men who covered the audience with a machine gun, the first move in the Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler announced that he would lead the Reich Government and Ludendorff would command the army. He addressed the now enthusiastically supportive audience and then spent the night in the War Ministry, unsuccessfully trying to obtain the army's backing.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: The next morning 3,000 armed Nazis formed outside of the "Bürgerbräukeller" and marched into central Munich, the leaders just behind the flag bearers. They were blocked by a cordon of police, and firing broke out for less than a minute. Several of the Nazis in front were hit or dropped to the ground. Ludendorff and his adjutant Major Streck marched to the police line where they pushed aside the rifle barrels. He was respectfully arrested. He was indignant when he was sent home while the other leaders remained in custody. Four police officers and 16 Nazis had been killed, including Ludendorff's servant.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: They were tried in early 1924. Ludendorff was acquitted, but Heinz Pernet, Ludendorff's stepson, was convicted of "aiding and abetting treason," given a fifteen-month sentence. Hitler went to prison but was released after nine months. Ludendorff's 60th birthday was celebrated by massed bands and a large torchlight parade. In 1924, he was elected to the Reichstag as a representative of the NSFB (a coalition of the German Freedom Party (DVFP) and members of the Nazi Party), serving until 1928. In 1925, he founded the Tannenbergbund, a German nationalist organization which was both anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic, and published literature espousing conspiracy theories involving Jews, Catholics—especially Jesuits—and Freemasons.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: As his views became more extreme under the influence of his wife, Mathilde von Kemnitz, Ludendorff gradually began to part company with Hitler, who was surreptitiously working to undermine the reputation of his one serious rival for the leadership of the extreme right in Germany. Nonetheless, Ludendorff was persuaded to run for President of the Republic in the March 1925 election as the DVFP candidate, in alliance with the Nazis, but received only 1.1 per cent of the vote; there is some evidence that Hitler himself persuaded Ludendorff to run, knowing that the results would be humiliating.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: No one had a majority in the initial round of the election, so a second round was needed; Hindenburg entered the race and was narrowly elected. Ludendorff was so humiliated by what he saw as a betrayal by his old friend that he broke off relations with Hindenburg, and in 1927 refused to even stand beside the field marshal at the dedication of the Tannenberg memorial. He attacked Hindenburg abusively for not having acted in a "nationalistic soldier-like fashion". The Berlin-based liberal newspaper states in its article "Ludendorff's hate tirades against Hindenburg—Poisonous gas from Hitler's camp" that Ludendorff was, as of 29 March 1930, deeply grounded in Nazi ideology.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Tipton notes that Ludendorff was a social Darwinist who believed that war was the "foundation of human society", and that military dictatorship was the normal form of government in a society in which every resource must be mobilized. The historian Margaret L. Anderson notes that after the war, Ludendorff wanted Germany to go to war against all of Europe, and that he became a pagan worshipper of the Nordic god Wotan (Odin); he detested not only Judaism, but also Christianity, which he regarded as a weakening force.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff divorced and married his second wife Mathilde von Kemnitz (1877–1966) in 1926. They published books and essays to claim that the world's problems were the result of Christianity, especially the Jesuits and Catholics, but also conspiracies by Jews and the Freemasons. They founded the (Society for the Knowledge of God), a small and rather obscure esoterical society of Theists that survives to this day. He launched several abusive attacks on his former superior Hindenburg for not having acted in a "nationalistic soldier-like fashion".


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: By the time Hitler came to power, Ludendorff was no longer sympathetic to him. The Nazis distanced themselves from Ludendorff because of his eccentric conspiracy theories.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: On 30 January 1933, the occasion of Hitler's appointment as Chancellor by President Hindenburg, Ludendorff allegedly sent the following telegram to Hindenburg:


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Some historians consider this text to be a forgery. In an attempt to regain Ludendorff's favor, Hitler arrived unannounced at Ludendorff's home on his 70th birthday in 1935 to promote him to field marshal. Infuriated, Ludendorff allegedly rebuffed Hitler by telling him: "An officer is named General Field-Marshal on the battlefield! Not at a birthday tea-party in the midst of peace." He wrote two further books on military themes.


title: Erich Ludendorff

text: Ludendorff died of liver cancer in the private clinic in Munich, on 20 December 1937 at the age of 72. He was given—against his explicit wishes—a state funeral organized and attended by Hitler, who declined to speak at his eulogy. He was buried in the in Tutzing in Bavaria.


title: Asin

text: Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She began her acting career in the South Indian film industry, but later shifted her focus to Bollywood. She speaks eight languages.


title: Asin

text: Making her acting debut at the age of 15 with Sathyan Anthikkad's Malayalam film "Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka" (2001), Asin had her first commercial success with the Telugu film "Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi" in 2003, and won a Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for the film. "M. Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi" (2004) was her debut in Tamil and a huge success. She received her Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award for her most noted critically acclaimed performance in her third Tamil film, "Ghajini" (2005). She then played the lead female roles in many successful films, the most notable being the action films "Sivakasi" (2005), "Varalaru" (2006), "Pokkiri" (2007), "Vel" (2008) and "Dasavathaaram" (2008), hence establishing herself as the leading actress of Tamil cinema and was also honoured by the Tamil Nadu government with the Kalaimamani award for her excellence in the field of art and literature. In 2013, Asin was conferred with the Pride of South Indian Cinema award at SIIMA for her contribution to Tamil cinema.


title: Asin

text: In late 2008, Asin made her debut in the Bollywood film "Ghajini" (2008), opposite Aamir Khan, which was the first Bollywood film to have collected more than 1 billion in the domestic box office, subsequently collecting worldwide. Asin won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and many accolades for Ghajini. 2011 marked the most successful phase of Asin's Bollywood career, as she starred in Anees Bazmee's romantic comedy "Ready", in which she co-starred alongside Salman Khan. The film was a major hit at the box office, collecting worldwide. In 2012, Asin first starred in Sajid Khan's multistarrer "Housefull 2", which collected more than 1 billion. She then featured in "Bol Bachchan" and "Khiladi 786", which were also commercially successful with both grossing over 1 billion.


title: Asin

text: Asin was born on 26 October 1985 at Kochi in the state Kerala in a Malayali Syro-Malabar Catholic family. Her father Joseph Thottumkal is an Ex-CBI officer and later managed several businesses. Her mother Seline Thottumkal, who moved from Kochi to Chennai and then to Mumbai to live with her daughter, is a surgeon. According to custom, Asin was to be named Mary, after her paternal grandmother. Asin's father however, named her Asin as the name had a beautiful meaning. Asin has quoted that her name means "pure and without blemish". She states that the 'A' in her name is from Sanskrit meaning "without", and "sin" from English.


title: Asin

text: She attended Naval Public School from LKG through X standard. She then attended St. Teresa's School in Kochi for her Kerala Higher Secondary Examination Board (Plus Two) Education. After that, she attended St. Teresa's College in Kochi, a college affiliated with MG University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature.


title: Asin

text: Asin's first assignment was an advertisement for BPL Mobile. She debuted in the Malayalam film "Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka" in 2001, at the age of 15. After taking a year out to pursue her education, Asin returned with her breakthrough film as an actress, "Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi" opposite Ravi Teja, portraying a Tamil girl in her first Telugu language film, which subsequently fetched her the Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In the same year she won the Santosham Best Actress Award for her performance alongside Nagarjuna in her second Telugu film "Shivamani". Her following two Telugu films "Lakshmi Narasimha" and "Gharshana", both portrayed Asin as the love interest for police officers and both were successful ventures.


title: Asin

text: Asin's first Tamil language film was "M. Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi", in which she co-starred with Jayam Ravi. Asin reprised her role from her film "Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi" for the remake, which saw her portraying a Malayali girl instead of the Tamil girl in the original. The movie subsequently went on to super-hit in Tamil cinema during 2004, introducing Asin to Tamil film industry. After a brief return to Telugu films, to do "Chakram", she appeared in "Ullam Ketkumae". The film, initially launched in 2002, was supposed to be her debut as a lead heroine, is a college love story, directed by Jeeva, which was long-delayed but eventually became a successful venture at the box office, creating wider opportunities for her and the rest of the cast.


title: Asin

text: After the release of "Ullam Ketkumae", Asin was cited as a leading heroine of the Tamil film industry after starring in blockbuster films such as "Ghajini", "Sivakasi", "Varalaru" and "Pokkiri" respectively. The film which provided the breakthrough for Asin was "Ghajini". The film, co-starring Surya, directed by AR Murugadoss, earned her the Tamil Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Her role was that of a vivacious young model named Kalpana. "Sify.com" praised her portrayal as "magical", describing her character as a "lovable chatterbox", played with "sheer ability in the romantic interludes, the poignant and heartfelt scenes when she rescues minor girls from villains and her gory end are touching". On the following Diwali in 2005, Asin had two releases, "Sivakasi" and "Majaa". Despite the latter becoming an average grosser, the former went on to be a successful venture at the box office.


title: Asin

text: The following year, her long-delayed venture "Varalaru" opposite Ajith Kumar also succeeded at the box office, and "The Hindu" said she "looks lustrous and sails through her role smoothly". Asin appeared in Pawan Kalyan's "Annavaram", another successful venture, which was a remake of Thirupaachi. In January 2007, Asin appeared opposite Ajith Kumar and Vijay in two different films, "Aalwar" and "Pokkiri", with the latter becoming a success, whilst "Aalwar" became a failure. Though Asin's role in "Aalwar" got mixed to positive reviews, her performance in "Pokkiri" was lauded by critics. Her final project of the year was opposite Surya, in Hari's "Vel", which had a Diwali 2007 release, subsequently becoming her third successful film which released during the Diwali season in three years. Asin, who portrayed a TV anchor, was appreciated for her role in the film.


title: Asin

text: Asin appeared in her first dual role in K. S. Ravikumar's "Dasavathaaram" opposite Kamal Haasan, who portrayed ten roles. The film had been under production since September 2006. Despite being overshadowed by Haasan's ten roles, Asin's portrayals in the film were praised as her "best-to-date", with one of her roles being that of a Vaishnavite in 12th century Tamil Nadu; whilst the other character was a Brahmin girl from Chidambaram, for which she won her first ITFA Best Actress Award. "Dasavathaaram" subsequently went on to become one of the blockbusters.


title: Asin

text: Since establishing herself as the leading actress in South India, Asin opted to move into Bollywood. Her first film "Ghajini", opposite Aamir Khan, was the remake of her breakthrough film of the same name. Upon release, the film garnered positive reactions from critics and masses alike, with Asin being singled out for her "fabulous" portrayal. Noted critic Taran Adarsh described her Hindi debut as "fabulous" and that "to share the screen space with an actor of the stature of Aamir Khan and yet remain in your memory even after the show has ended is no cakewalk. She looks fresh and photogenic and acts her part brilliantly, giving Asin's performance a positive outlook."


title: Asin

text: "Ghajini" became the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2008 and the sixth highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time according to net collections. Asin later appeared in Vipul Shah's "London Dreams", alongside Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn, in which she played a south Indian girl, Priya, who is emotional but strong willed and an ambitious dancer at the same time. The film received mixed reviews from critics.


title: Asin

text: Her first film of 2011 was "Kaavalan", which released on 15 January 2011. The film was a critical and commercial success, with "Behindwoods" praising her performance in a review and her being awarded a SIIMA award for Best Actress.


title: Asin

text: Her next movie with Salman Khan, "Ready", was released on 3 June 2011 to mixed reviews. Critics praised the chemistry between Salman and Asin. Upon release, "Ready" became the second highest weekend grossing Bollywood film, after "Dabangg" and went on to become the fifth film in Bollywood history to cross the coveted mark in the domestic market.


title: Asin

text: In 2012, she first appeared alongside Akshay Kumar in Sajid Khan's multistarrer comedy "Housefull 2". Though it received a mixed critical reception, it was a major commercial success. Asin generally received favourable reviews for her performance, with Adarsh stating that "[a]mongst the female leads, Asin has the meatiest role and gives a decent account of herself."


title: Asin

text: On 6 July 2012, Rohit Shetty's "Bol Bachchan", alongside Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan, released with mixed reviews with the critics praising the performances of Asin, Ajay Devgn, and Abhishek Bachchan.


title: Asin

text: "Khiladi 786", in which she reunited with her "Housefull 2" costar, Akshay Kumar, released on 7 December 2012 to mixed reviews, but was strong at the box office and eventually became a commercially successful venture.


title: Asin

text: Asin did not appear in any movie in 2013 or 2014. Her only movie release of 2015 was "All Is Well", directed by Umesh Shukla and produced by Bhushan Kumar. In one interview, director Umesh Shukla stated that Asin would be seen in an "important dramatic role".


title: Asin

text: During the shoot of her film "Ready" in Sri Lanka, she was part of camps that were meant to help the Sri Lankan Tamil people who were affected by the Sri Lankan Civil War.


title: Asin

text: In an interview during the DNA I Can Women's Half Marathon in 2012, Asin, speaking about the importance of health and the necessity of education said:


title: Asin

text: Asin has been the brand ambassador for several companies and products, and has appeared in commercials for Avon, Mirinda, Colgate, Fairever, Tanishq, Big Bazaar, Parachute, Spinz talc, Lux, Amrutanjan Healthcare, and Clinic All Clear. Asin has been endorsing Mirinda soft drinks since 2004.


title: Asin

text: Asin is a Catholic Christian belonging to the Syro-Malabar rite, and currently resides in Mumbai. She also owns an apartment in Marine Drive, Kochi and a farmhouse in Vagamon, Kerala. The actress is a polyglot. She can speak seven languages; being well-versed in Malayalam (her mother tongue), Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, English, Hindi and French. Asin also speaks a smattering of Italian and learnt basic Marathi for her movie "Khiladi 786", in which she played a typical Marathi girl. In June 2013, it was reported in the Indian media that Asin was learning German during her free time. She began learning Spanish after visiting Spain in early 2014.


title: Asin

text: Asin married Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma in January 2016 in a Christian wedding that was followed by a Hindu ceremony, and quit acting after marriage. Their first child, a daughter Arin, was born on 24 October 2017.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: The Spanish Princess is a historical drama television limited series developed by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham for Starz. Based on the novels "The Constant Princess" (2005) and "The King's Curse" (2014) by Philippa Gregory, it is a sequel to the miniseries "The White Queen" and "The White Princess". It centres around Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope), the eponymous Spanish princess who became Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII (Ruairi O'Connor).


title: The Spanish Princess

text: Designed as a 16-part limited series, the first eight episodes premiered on May 5, 2019. On June 3, 2019, Starz ordered the remaining eight episodes, which premiered on October 11, 2020. The series finale aired on November 29, 2020.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: Teenaged princess Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Spanish rulers Isabella and Ferdinand, finally travels to England, to meet her husband by proxy, Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir apparent of Henry VII of England, to whom she has been betrothed since she was a child. Unwelcome by some, she and her diverse court, including her lady-in-waiting Lina, who is of Moorish ancestry, struggle to adapt to English customs. Catherine is horrified to learn that Arthur's younger brother, the arrogant Henry, Duke of York, is the author of the romantic correspondence she has received. When Arthur dies suddenly, her destiny as the one who will bring peace between Spain and England seems in doubt, until she sets her sights on Prince Henry.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: On March 15, 2018, it was announced that Starz had greenlit the production. Emma Frost and Matthew Graham were set to serve as showrunners in addition to executive producing alongside Colin Callender, Scott Huff, Charlie Pattinson, and Charlie Hampton. Production companies All3 Media's New Pictures and Playground were expected to be involved.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: On May 17, 2018, it was reported that the first two episodes would be directed by Birgitte Stærmose and that most episodes in the series would be directed by women.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: On June 3, 2019, Starz announced that the series would return for another eight episodes and that Graham and Frost "always intended for "The Spanish Princess" to span 16 episodes, but they wrote a natural stopping place after the first eight just in case." Part two would be broadcast in 2020, with stars Charlotte Hope and Ruairi O'Connor returning to the show as Catherine and Henry, "along with other key cast." It was confirmed on June 9, 2019, by showrunner Emma Frost, that both Georgie Henley and Olly Rix, who portray Meg Tudor and Edward Stafford, would return for the next eight episodes and that Meg's role would be "huge in the back eight" and that "we are totally with her story, we're up in Scotland, we're sort of "Spanish Princess" meets "Outlander"" and that Stafford would get some "redemption." Richard Pepper's agent confirmed, on May 8, 2020, that he would return as Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire. Jordan Renzo's return as Charles Brandon was confirmed by the part two teaser trailer on May 7, 2020 and Laura Carmichael's return was confirmed in an interview done by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham; the same interview confirmed that part two would "move around from France to England to Scotland a lot more and tell three interconnected stories."


title: The Spanish Princess

text: Alongside the directing announcement, it was confirmed that Charlotte Hope, Stephanie Levi-John, Angus Imrie, Harriet Walter, Laura Carmichael, Ruairi O'Connor, Georgie Henley, Elliot Cowan, Alexandra Moen, Philip Cumbus, Nadia Parkes, Aaron Cobham, Alan McKenna, Richard Pepper, Olly Rix, Jordan Renzo, Daniel Cerqueira, and Alicia Borrachero had been cast in the series.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: Principal photography for the series commenced on May 15, 2018, at Wells Cathedral in Wells, Somerset.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: Principal photography for part two commenced on September 26, 2019 and finished on March 11, 2020, one day before lockdown due to COVID-19. Some filming took place at Mendip Hills, which doubled for Flodden Field.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: On December 20, 2018, a "first look" still image from the series was released. On January 25, 2019, a teaser trailer for the series was released.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: On March 7, 2019, the series was given a May 5, 2019, premiere date. On September 10, 2020, the trailer for part two was released; the eight-episode installment premiered on October 11, 2020.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: The series received mixed to positive reviews in the United States. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, part one of the series has an approval rating of 75% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.13/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""The Spanish Princess" blends soapy melodrama with beautifully rendered historical set-pieces to paint a rounder — if still not fully realized — portrait of an often overlooked queen." However, reflecting the low viewer ratings "The Spanish Princess" received, only 25% of Rotten Tomatoes audience members liked the show, so it had a 75% negative rating with viewers. "The Spanish Princess Season 2" is only rated at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, without a sufficient numbers of ratings to gain a positive or a negative "Tomatometer" reading.


title: The Spanish Princess

text: In Spain, the series caused curiosity upon release, but later received a combination of hard criticisms and tired indifference. It was accused of "wild historical inaccuracy", and has been described by various media as "insulting", "offensive", and "as full of stereotyping as sadly expected". The newspaper ABC wrote that it "invents and humiliates [Catherine's] history." The newspaper "20minutos" and the TV guide by eldiario.es both call it "one of the worst shows about Spanish history."


title: You Should Have Left

text: You Should Have Left is a 2020 American psychological horror film written and directed by David Koepp, based on the 2017 book of the same name by Daniel Kehlmann. It stars Kevin Bacon, and Amanda Seyfried. Jason Blum served as a producer through his Blumhouse Productions banner.


title: You Should Have Left

text: Originally intended to be theatrically released, the film was released digitally via Premium VOD on June 18, 2020, by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics.


title: You Should Have Left

text: Theodore Conroy (Kevin Bacon) is a retired banker married to a younger woman Susanna (Amanda Seyfried), an actress, and they have a daughter named Ella. One afternoon when Theo attempts to visit Susanna on set, he is denied entry. While waiting to be granted authorization, he hears Susanna doing a love-making scene and is visibly annoyed. Susanna later apologizes to Theo, attributing his obstruction to a misunderstanding, and she tells him she has "put him on the approved list". Theo informs Susanna that the set security guard recognized him; Susanna teases Theo, telling him that "they think you're dangerous."


title: You Should Have Left

text: Soon after, they book a vacation in Wales, but there is something strange about the house—time passed unusually fast and they both experience bad nightmares. They also discover that neither one of them made the booking, each thinking the other did it.


title: You Should Have Left

text: One night, Ella sees the shadow of a man on the wall. The next morning, while Theo writes in his meditation journal, she asks Susanna why people dislike Theo. Susanna reluctantly explains that Theo's first wife drowned in the bathtub and people suspected that he killed her, though he was acquitted at trial. While in town for supplies, the shopkeeper asks if he's met Stetler, who Theo presumes is the home owner. He mysteriously gives Theo a drafting triangle and tells him to measure the right angles, leaving Theo confused.


title: You Should Have Left

text: Theo wrestles with feelings of jealousy and mistrust toward Susanna. One evening while she is taking a bath, Theo checks the messages on her phone and laptop. Theo has a dream that night and sees someone has written in his journal: "You should leave. Go now." The following morning as he watches Susanna and Ella playing outside, he texts her. At the same time he sees Susanna look at her phone, he hears a text vibration on the kitchen counter and finds an identical phone with his messages on the screen. Realizing that she has a secret phone, he suspects she has been cheating on him. He confronts Susanna and she admits to an affair with another actor. Theo asks her to leave for the night and she goes into town to stay at an inn.


title: You Should Have Left

text: He returns to his journal to see that someone has now written “You should have left. Now it’s too late.” Upon discovering an anomaly in the angle between the wall and floor, they measure the kitchen and find that it is larger inside than outside. Ella and Theo get separated; the two of them appear to be experiencing separate visions in the dream world. Once reunited, Theo calls Susanna, wanting her to come back and take him and Ella away from the house, but her phone is turned off. He then calls the shopkeeper, inquiring whether he knows of any cab services in the area. The shopkeeper replies that there are none and speaks of the house cryptically, saying that the Devil collects souls from there.


title: You Should Have Left

text: Desperate to escape the house, Theo and Ella decide to go to town by foot, but see a shadowy figure observing them from inside as they walk away from it. After some time, they find they have circled back to the house. Seeing no other option, they stay there for the night, but Theo enters the dream world again and sees his and Susanna's past selves as they first arrived at the house. He then meets Stetler, who has taken Ella captive. He takes Theo's form to taunt him and says he will return Ella on the condition that Theo does "what he must." Ella is returned, relieving Theo.


title: You Should Have Left

text: The next day, Susanna returns to the house and Theo gives her Ella. He finally confesses to the true circumstances surrounding the death of his first wife: he didn't directly kill her, but didn't help when she was drowning; he simply watched her die because he had been miserable with her for so long. He accepts that he belongs in the house. Theo's spirit is then seen trapped inside the house, revealing he had been the figure watching himself and Ella leave the night before, having tried to warn his past self by writing the messages in his journal. The shopkeeper's voice says that some people don't leave the house, and that "the place finds them anyway."


title: You Should Have Left

text: In March 2018, it was announced Kevin Bacon would star in the film, with David Koepp directing and writing, based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Kehlmann; Koepp and Bacon had previously collaborated on the 1999 film "Stir of Echoes". Jason Blum served as a producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner. In June 2018, Amanda Seyfried joined the cast of the film.


title: You Should Have Left

text: Filming took place at various locations in Wales, including at the Life House in Llanbister, Radnorshire.


title: You Should Have Left

text: The film's score was composed by Geoff Zanelli. Back Lot Music released the soundtrack on June 18, 2020, coinciding with the film's streaming release.


title: You Should Have Left

text: "You Should Have Left" was released digitally via PVOD on June 18, 2020 by Universal Pictures. Universal decided to forego the film's originally scheduled theatrical release in the United States and Canada due to movie theater closures since mid-March, because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.


title: You Should Have Left

text: In its first weekend, the film was the second-most rented on FandangoNow and the iTunes Store. In its second weekend, it fell to number three and number six, respectively. In its third weekend the film placed sixth on FandangoNow, but ranked second on Spectrum's weekly chart, then the following weekend placed fifth on both services. Over the weekend of July 31, Universal lowered the price of the film from $19.99 to $5.99, and "You Should Have Left" finished second on FandangoNow and fifth at Apple TV.


title: You Should Have Left

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critics consensus reads, ""You Should Have Left" hints at a genuinely creepy experience, but never quite manages to distill its intriguing ingredients into a consistently satisfying whole." At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."


title: You Should Have Left

text: Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a "B−" and said, "when "You Should Have Left" is at its best, it's unconcerned with mapping out such easy clarifications and leans into the raw madness of corrosive guilt and a house made to punish people who dare come inside its walls." Critic Terry Mesnard wrote that the larger-than-it-seems house in the film felt "ripped" from the 2000 novel "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski.


title: Brad Hall

text: William Bradford Hall (born March 21, 1958) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known as a "Weekend Update" news anchor on "Saturday Night Live" and for creating the sitcoms "The Single Guy" and "Watching Ellie".


title: Brad Hall

text: Hall was a producer, writer, and director on the Golden Globe winning sitcom "Brooklyn Bridge", for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He has appeared in various motion pictures, most notably the 1986 cult classic "Troll" and as Nancy Allen's boyfriend in 1990's "Limit Up". In 2012, he directed "Picture Paris", which appeared at the Tribeca Film Festival. He also has guest-starred on series such as "Parks and Recreation", "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", and "Curb Your Enthusiasm".


title: Brad Hall

text: Hall was born in Santa Barbara, California. He was an avid surfer as a child, saying that he "learned how to surf as soon as I could walk."


title: Brad Hall

text: Hall is married to actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whom he met while both were attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. They met in a comedy troupe that Hall started, called "The Practical Theater". They both performed on "Saturday Night Live" from 1982 to 1984, appeared together in "Troll" (1986), and guest-starred together on two episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm". They have two sons, Henry (b. 1992) and Charles (b. 1997).


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a 2009 American military science fiction action film based on the toy franchise created by Hasbro, with particular inspiration from the comic book series and toy line "". It is the first installment in the live-action "G.I. Joe" film series. The film was directed by Stephen Sommers. "G.I. Joe" features an ensemble cast based on the various characters of the franchise. The story follows two American soldiers, Duke and Ripcord, who join the G.I. Joe Team after being attacked by Military Armaments Research Syndicate (M.A.R.S.) troops.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: After leaked drafts of the script were criticized by fans, Larry Hama, writer of the comic, was hired as creative consultant, and rewrites were made. Filming took place in Downey, California, and Prague's Barrandov Studios, and six companies handled the visual effects.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: The film made its world premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on August 6, 2009, and was theatrically released worldwide the following day, following an extensive marketing campaign focused on the Mid-American public. "The Rise of Cobra" opened at the top of the box office and went on to gross over $302 million worldwide by the end of its run, though critical reception was generally negative. A sequel, titled "", was released on March 28, 2013.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: In the near future, weapons master James McCullen has created a nanotech-based weapon—nanomites designed to devour metal and other materials, capable of destroying anything from tanks to cities. The nanobots can only be stopped by activating the kill switch. His company M.A.R.S. sells four warheads to NATO, and NATO troops led by American soldiers Duke and Ripcord deliver the warheads. Their convoy is ambushed by the Baroness, whom Duke recognizes to be his ex-fiancée Ana Lewis. Duke and Ripcord are rescued by Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Breaker, and Heavy Duty. They take the warheads to The Pit, G.I. Joe's command center in Egypt, and upon arriving, rendezvous with the head of the G.I. Joe Team, General Hawk. Hawk takes command of the warheads and excuses Duke and Ripcord, only to be convinced to let them join his group, after Duke reveals that he knows the Baroness.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: McCullen is revealed to be using the same nanotechnology to build an army of soldiers with the aid of the Doctor, planning on using the warheads to cause worldwide panic and bring about a new world order. Using a tracking device, McCullen locates the G.I. Joe base and sends Storm Shadow and the Baroness to retrieve the warheads, with assistance from Zartan.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Storm Shadow and the Baroness retrieve the warheads and take them to Baron DeCobray, the Baroness's husband, for him to weaponize in his particle accelerator; after he reluctantly does this, DeCobray is killed by Storm Shadow. Making their way to Paris, the Joes pursue the Baroness and Storm Shadow, but they launch one of the missiles. The missile hits the Eiffel Tower, destroying it and some of the surrounding area before Duke hits the kill switch. He is captured and taken to McCullen's base under the Arctic.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: The Joes locate the secret base and fly there, as McCullen loads the three remaining warheads onto three missiles, which are aimed for Beijing, Moscow, and Washington, DC, the world's three most important capitals. He states that he intends to do this because by killing millions of people in these cities, he will strike fear into the hearts of every man, woman, and child on the planet, after which they will turn to the person with the most power in the world, the President of the United States. After Snake Eyes takes out one missile, Ripcord destroys the remaining two by using a stolen M.A.R.S. prototype Night Raven jet, while Scarlett, Breaker, and Snake Eyes infiltrate the base. Snake Eyes duels and prevails over Storm Shadow. Duke learns that McCullen's employer the Doctor is actually Rex Lewis, Ana's brother, believed to have been killed by a mistimed airstrike during a mission led by Duke (also the origin of the alienation between Duke and Ana). Rex had encountered Dr. Mindbender in the bunker and was seduced by the nanomite technology, taking too long to retrieve the data and getting caught in the bombing, which disfigured him. After freeing Duke, the Baroness is subdued, as the Doctor reveals he has implanted her with nanomites, which has put her under his control for the past four years. Attempting to kill Duke using a flamethrower, McCullen ends up being burned when Duke shoots the weapon and causes it to explode, so Rex and he flee to an escape vessel. Duke and the Baroness pursue him while the Joes fall back after Rex activates the base's self-destruct sequence, which involves 'blowing the ice cap' to create blocks of ice which then nearly crush the Joes.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Rex assumes the identity of the Commander, having healed McCullen's burned face with nanomites, transforming his skin into a silver-like substance and naming him "Destro", which places McCullen under the Commander's control. They are captured by G.I. Joe soon after. On the supercarrier USS "Flagg", the Baroness is placed in protective custody until they can remove the nanomites from her body. Meanwhile, Zartan, having had his physical appearance altered by nanomites, infiltrates the White House during the missile crisis and assumes the identity of the President of the United States, thus completing a part of McCullen's plan to rule the world.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: In 1994, Larry Kasanoff and his production company, Threshold Entertainment, held the rights to do a live-action "G.I. Joe" film with Warner Bros. as the distributor. Instead they chose to concentrate the company's efforts upon its "Mortal Kombat" films. As late as 1999, there had been rumors that a film from Threshold Entertainment was still a possibility, but that project was never developed.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: In 2003, Lorenzo di Bonaventura was interested in making a film about advanced military technology; Hasbro's Brian Goldner called him and suggested to base the film on the G.I. Joe toy line. Goldner and di Bonaventura worked together before, creating toy lines for films di Bonaventura had produced as CEO of Warner Bros. Goldner and di Bonaventura spent three months working out a story, and chose Michael B. Gordon as screenwriter, because they liked his script for "300". Di Bonaventura wanted to depict the origin story of certain characters, and introduced the new character of Rex, to allow an exploration of Duke. Rex's name came from Hasbro. Beforehand, Don Murphy was interested in filming the property, but when the Iraq War broke out, he considered the subject matter inappropriate, and chose to develop "Transformers" (another Hasbro toy line) instead. Di Bonaventura related, "What [the Joes] stand for, and what Duke stands for specifically in the movie, is something that I'd like to think a worldwide audience might connect with."


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: By February 2005, Paul Lovett and David Elliot, who wrote di Bonaventura's "Four Brothers", were rewriting Gordon's draft. In their script, the Rex character is corrupted and mutated into the Cobra Commander, whom Destro needs to lead an army of supersoldiers. Skip Woods was rewriting the script by March 2007, and he added the Alex Mann character from the British Action Man toy line. Di Bonaventura explained, "Unfortunately, our president [George W. Bush] has put us in a position internationally where it would be very difficult to release a movie called "G.I. Joe". To add one character to the mix is sort of a fun thing to do." The script was leaked online by El Mayimbe of "Latino Review", who revealed Woods had dropped the Cobra Organization in favor of the Naja / Ryan, a crooked CIA agent. In this draft, Scarlett is married to Action Man but still has feelings for Duke and is killed by the Baroness. Snake Eyes speaks, but his vocal cords are slashed during the story, rendering him mute. Mayimbe suggested Stuart Beattie rewrite the script. Fan response to the film following the script review was negative. Di Bonaventura promised with subsequent rewrites, "I'm hoping we're going to get it right this time." He admitted he had problems with Cobra, concurring with an interviewer "they were probably the stupidest evil organization out there [as depicted in the cartoon]". Hasbro promised they would write Cobra back into the script.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: In August 2007, Paramount Pictures hired Stephen Sommers to direct the film after his presentation to CEO Brad Grey and production president Brad Weston was well received. Sommers had been inspired to explore the "G.I. Joe" universe after visiting Hasbro's headquarters in Rhode Island. The project had found the momentum based on the success of "Transformers", which di Bonaventura produced with Murphy. Sommers partly signed on to direct because the concept reminded him of James Bond, and he described an underwater battle in the story as a tribute to "Thunderball". Stuart Beattie was hired to write a new script for Sommers's film, and "G.I. Joe" comic and filecard writer Larry Hama was hired as creative consultant. Hama helped them change story elements that fans would have disliked and made it closer to the comics, ultimately deciding fans would enjoy the script. He persuaded them to drop a comic scene at the film's end, where Snake Eyes speaks. To speed up production before the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, John Lee Hancock, Brian Koppelman and David Levien also assisted in writing various scenes. Goldner said their inspiration was generally Hama's comics and not the cartoon. Sommers said had it not been for the rich backstory in the franchise, the film would have fallen behind schedule because of the strike.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: After "Variety" had reported that the film recharacterizes G.I. Joe as being a Brussels-based outfit whose name stands for "Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity", there were reports of fan outrage over Paramount's alleged attempt to change the origin of G.I. Joe Team. Hasbro responded on its "G.I. Joe" site that it was not changing what the "G.I. Joe" brand is about, and the name will always be synonymous with bravery and heroism. Instead, it would be a modern telling of the "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra" storyline, based out of the "Pit" as they were throughout the 1980s comic book series.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Filming began on February 11, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. The Downey soundstage was chosen as Paramount needed a large stage to get production underway as soon as possible. The first two levels of the Pit were built there, to complement the rest of the building which would be done with special effects. Downey also housed Destro's M.A.R.S. base in the Arctic, his legitimate weapons factory in an ex-Soviet state, as well as filming various submarines' interiors, including a SHARC (Submersible High-speed Attack and Reconnaissance Craft) crewed by two G.I. Joes.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Filming in the Czech Republic's Barrandov Studios began in May. The crew took over sections of the Old Town in Prague. While filming in the city on April 26, people were injured when a bus and several cars collided with a four-wheel-drive vehicle that appeared to have braking problems. The emergency services confirmed those taken to hospital had minor injuries. Filming wrapped after a month in Prague. Additional second unit filming took place in Paris, Egypt, Tokyo, the Arctic, and underwater.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Sommers felt "almost 100 percent" of the technology in the film would actually become available within 10 to 20 years, citing the various books and magazines about developing weapons that he loved reading. For example, Sommers said he believed invisibility was impossible, but the virtual invisibility provided by camouflage camera that projects the background of a soldier's body upon its front allowed him to include it. The production designers modelled the interior of Destro's private submarine on a Handley Page Jetstream. Sommers said the bulky immobile "accelerator suits" (which Beattie said had enabled them to write "a car chase where one guy's not even in a car") had been tough on the actors and were likely to have their roles reduced in potential sequels. Critics have compared the suits to that of NFL SuperPro, a comic book character jointly licensed by the NFL and Marvel Comics, and resembling an armored football player.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Di Bonaventura predicted that the aid offered by the United States armed forces to the film's development would be limited since much of the hardware depicted in the film is fictional. The filmmakers were denied use of MRAP armored vehicles at the start of filming as the Defense Department had just prioritized their deployment on combat operations; however, they were later permitted to film the vehicles at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin Military Reservation. Some commentators reviewing previews and promotional art from the film have noted superficial resemblances between it and the action film parody "".


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Six visual effects companies worked in "The Rise of Cobra", the most prominent being Digital Domain, which handled the Paris action sequences and the opening convoy sequence. For the Eiffel Tower destruction, special software was written for depicting how the crumbling metal works. To create the digital Eiffel Tower, the technicians had access to the original building plans, and built a digital model so complex that it could not fit in a single computer file. For the nanomites, designers used two proprietary software applications for their depiction—one made by Digital Domain, and another by Prime Focus VFX, which also created tools to generate 3D cloud and sky environments for the aerial scenes. Many scenarios were almost fully developed by computer-generated imagery, such as the landing platform of the Pit, the Cobra ice caverns, and the final underwater battle. As for the sound effects themselves, only one is considered popular and isn't instantly recognizable. When the pulse cannon fires upon the main submarine during the polar assault, the sound of a program de-resolution from the 1982 cult movie classic TRON can be heard.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra – Score from the Motion Picture was composed by Alan Silvestri, who reunited with director Stephen Sommers to record his score with a 90-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the scoring stages at Sony and Fox. A soundtrack album of the score was released by Varèse Sarabande Records on August 4, 2009.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: The score came under scrutiny from various soundtrack forums soon after being released. Spectral analysis of the content of the CD revealed certain frequency cutoff patterns around 16 kHz, which are typical for lossy codecs. By analyzing the block size of these cutoffs, individuals at Hydrogenaudio were able to identify the lossy codec that was used before mastering the CD as MP3 with a sample rate of 48 kHz. According to the aforementioned forums, Varèse's German subsidiary Colosseum Schallplatten acknowledged this as a mastering error, while Varèse Sarabande itself denied this. It is so far unclear if a remastered version with full frequency content will be released.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: The film's actors were scanned for Hasbro's toy line, which began in July 2009 with the release of 3¾-inch-tall action figures. "The Rise of Cobra" toy line also includes 12-inch figures, and vehicles, including the first play set based on the Pit in the franchise's history. Electronic Arts developed a video game sequel to the film, also titled "".


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: IDW Publishing released a four-issue prequel written by Chuck Dixon. Each issue focuses on Duke, Destro, the Baroness and Snake Eyes, respectively. It began publication in March 2009. The weekly film adaptation was written by Denton J. Tipton and drawn by Casey Maloney. The film's universe continued in a limited series about Snake Eyes later in 2009: Ray Park enjoyed playing the character and approached writer Kevin VanHook and artist S. L. Gallant with the idea of a comic further exploring his incarnation of the character.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: As part of the movie launch campaign, more than 300 twelve-inch, parachute-equipped, G.I. Joe action figures were dropped from a 42-story Kansas City hotel roof and soared across 500 feet to the ground at the 16th Annual International G.I. Joe Convention. For viral marketing, black helicopters with "G.I. Joe" written on them flew over American beaches. Tie-ins were made with Symantec, 7-Eleven, and Burger King.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Paramount's vice chairman Rob Moore claimed the movie was prioritized for mid-Americans, and thus marketing was more focused on cities such as Kansas City and Columbus. In Europe, the marketing was focused on action sequences set in Paris, Egypt and Tokyo, and emphasizes that G.I. Joe is an international team of elite operatives and not "about beefy guys on steroids who all met each other in the Vietnam War."


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: In 2009, R.M. Productions Ltd. was contracted by Paramount Pictures Corp. to produce a viral marketing campaign for "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra". This resulted in the creation of "G.I. Joe: The Invasion of Cobra Island", a two-part animated web video, which eventually went viral. The plot has G.I. Joe called in to stop Cobra when they develop a secret bio-weapon on their hidden island base. It was done in the style of "" and "Thunderbirds", using a mix of vintage Hasbro G.I. Joe vehicles of the 1980s, and the newly produced 25th-anniversary G.I. Joe figures. The characters were animated using custom puppetry techniques, while their faces and other special effects were done using 3D animation software packages.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: The film was first screened in the US on July 31, 2009 at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The premiere was at Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theatre on August 7, 2009, and on the following day, "G.I. Joe" started playing at 4,007 theaters in the US, along with 35 other markets.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" was released on November 3, 2009 on Blu-ray and DVD in regular and two-disc editions, and later as a book and as . Both disc editions include audio commentary by Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay, and two making-of featurettes, with the second disc of the special edition holding a digital copy of the film. The film opened at #1 at the DVD sales chart, making $40.9 million from 2,538,000 DVD units in the first week of its release. The film sold more than 3.8 million discs, 500,000 of them on Blu-ray, during its first week. The film was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 20, 2021, to coincide with the theatrical release of Snake Eyes.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: During the opening weekend (August 7–9, 2009), "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" opened at #1 of the North American box office with an estimated $54.7 million. It earned an additional $44 million internationally during the same weekend. In the following week, the film opened in 14 more territories and continued atop the international box office with $26 million. This made it the third Hasbro film to reach number one at the box office after "Transformers" and "".


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: The film grossed $150 million in the United States and $152.3 million internationally for a worldwide gross of $302.5 million against a production budget of $175 million. It is the 22nd-highest-grossing film of 2009 and the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2009 to gross $300 million worldwide behind "Star Trek", "Monsters vs. Aliens", "", "Terminator Salvation", "Fast & Furious", "A Christmas Carol", "Inglourious Basterds", "The Proposal", and "The Blind Side".


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Paramount decided to not screen the film for print critics before its release and wanted to focus on internet critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 33% based on 171 reviews, with an average rating of 4.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "While fans of the Hasbro toy franchise may revel in a bit of nostalgia, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is largely a cartoonish, over-the-top action fest propelled by silly writing, inconsistent visual effects, and merely passable performances." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 32 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: One of the many complaints made by fans was that the film did not relate to the "G.I. Joe" franchise. G4tv.com stated that, "[the studio] actually went out of their way to butcher the "G.I. Joe" mythos in favor of derivative storyline devices." They cited the Baroness, who was changed from an East European noble in the comics to Duke's brainwashed ex-girlfriend in the film.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Dan Jolin of "Empire" magazine commented that it was ""Bond" without the style and "" without the bellylaughs". The "Daily Telegraph" reviewer said, "The taint of cruddiness extends everywhere in this joyless stinker." James Berardinelli said the characters were "as plastic as the toys that inspired them" and considered Tatum "wooden" and that his character was "more animated in sequences when he is rendered by special effects than when being portrayed by Tatum". Roger Ebert described that "there is never any clear sense in the action of where anything is in relation to anything else". Chuck Wilson of "The Village Voice" criticized the dialogue and described the underwater battle as "absurdly overproduced, momentarily diverting, and then instantly forgettable". Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" considered the plot "at once elemental and incomprehensible", and Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" thought that, despite the high budget, the special effects "look shockingly crappy; the Eiffel Tower appears to be destroyed by some green slime left over from the "Ghostbusters" films". Reviewers also criticized the film for the scientific impossibility of sinking ocean ice.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Matthew Leyland from "Total Film" called it "a throwaway blast of solid, stupid fun" and gave it three out of five stars, particularly praising Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance as the treacherous Cobra Commander. Sister publication "SFX" called the film "dumb and dopey, with plenty of bumpy bits" and that ""GI Joe" has a genuine cliffhanger charm, especially when the last act becomes a whole string of pulp plot twists. The ending screams 'To Be Continued'; we could do worse.", finally awarding the score of three stars out of five.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Christopher Monfette of IGN also gave the film a positive review, saying "This is an adult's interpretation of a childhood phenomenon, and if you're willing to give it a shot, one suspects that you'll find yourself entertained enough to give your best, "Yo, Joe!" He gave the film three and a half out of five stars. Betsy Sharkey of the "Los Angeles Times" criticized the excessive flashbacks, but praised the action scenes and design, and considered that Marlon Wayans "steals the show". Dan Kois of "The Washington Post" describing it as "loudest, flashiest, silliest and longest blockbuster in a summer full of long, silly, flashy, loud blockbusters" thought it was "as polished and entertaining as war-mongering toy commercials get".


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Cast members Eccleston, Tatum and Miller have been critical of the film in the years since its release. Eccleston stated "Working on something like "GI Joe" was horrendous. I just wanted to cut my throat every day" and admitted he regretted taking the role primarily for the financial reward. Tatum, in an interview with Howard Stern, said he hated the film, revealing he was pushed into doing the film as to fulfill a three-picture deal he had signed with Paramount. "The script wasn't any good," said Tatum but expressed relief that it could have been worse. Miller, in an interview with Forbes, stated “I’m sorry,” she said as soon as I mentioned I had seen not only the first movie but also the companion piece. “You saw both of them? Wait, there was a second one? Well, they didn’t bring me back.” “There are roles in those kinds of things that would be fun and things that I think my kid would like. I just haven’t been offered that yet. I would be open to it. I know what I can do now, and I know what I can’t do,” she mused. “I shouldn’t have played a villain in a comic book because I’m just not that villainous or tall or strong. I am internally, of course, but I couldn’t fire a gun without blinking. I’m not a particularly physically threatening presence. The whole thing was a bit of a disaster from start to finish.”


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Tatum won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Action for his performance as Duke and the film also received three other Teen Choice Award nominations: Choice Movie: Action, Choice Movie Actress: Action for Sienna Miller, and Choice Movie: Villain for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film was also nominated for six Razzies including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, Worst Supporting Actor for Marlon Wayans, and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel—with Sienna Miller winning the Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress at the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards becoming the biggest stump for 2010.


title: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

text: Inspired by the movie, "The Ballad of G.I. Joe" was released in 2009 on the website Funny or Die. Written by Daniel Strange and Kevin Umbricht, and featuring celebrities such as Olivia Wilde, Zach Galifianakis, Alexis Bledel, Henry Rollins, and Vinnie Jones, the video short parodies several characters from "" by showing what they do in their spare time.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2021.


title: Dakar

text: The area around Dakar was settled in the 15th century. The Portuguese established a presence on the island of Gorée off the coast of Cap-Vert and used it as a base for the Atlantic slave trade. France took over the island in 1677. Following the abolition of the slave trade and French annexation of the mainland area in the 19th century, Dakar grew into a major regional port and a major city of the French colonial empire. In 1902, Dakar replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of French West Africa. From 1959 to 1960, Dakar was the capital of the short-lived Mali Federation. In 1960, it became the capital of the independent Republic of Senegal.


title: Dakar

text: The Cap-Vert peninsula was settled no later than the 15th century, by the Lebu people, an aquacultural subgroup of the Wolof ethnic group. The original villages—Ouakam, Ngor, Yoff and Hann—still constitute distinctively Lebou neighborhoods of the city today. In 1444, the Portuguese reached the Bay of Dakar, initially as slave-raiders. Peaceful contact was finally opened in 1456 by Diogo Gomes, and the bay was subsequently referred to as the ""Angra de Bezeguiche"" (after the name of the local ruler). The bay of "Bezeguiche" would go on to serve as a critical stop for the Portuguese India Armadas of the early 16th century, where large fleets would routinely stop, both on their outward and return journeys from India, to repair, collect fresh water from the rivulets and wells along the Cap-Vert shore and trade for provisions with the local people for their remaining voyage. (It was famously during one of these stops, in 1501, where the Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci began to construct his "New World" hypothesis about America.)


title: Dakar

text: The Portuguese eventually founded a settlement on the island of Gorée (then known as the island of Bezeguiche or Palma), which by 1536 they began to use as a base for slave exportation. The mainland of Cap-Vert, however, was under control of the Jolof Empire, as part of the western province of Cayor which seceded from Jolof in its own right in 1549. A new Lebou village, called Ndakaaru, was established directly across from Gorée in the 17th century to service the European trading factory with food and drinking water. Gorée was captured by the United Netherlands in 1588, which gave it its present name (spelled "Goeree", after Goeree-Overflakkee in the Netherlands). The island was to switch hands between the Portuguese and Dutch several more times before falling to the English under Admiral Robert Holmes on January 23, 1664, and finally to the French in 1677. Though under continuous French administration since, métis families, descended from Dutch and French traders and African wives, dominated the slave trade. The infamous "House of Slaves" was built at Gorée in 1776.


title: Dakar

text: In 1795, the Lebou of Cape Verde revolted against Cayor rule. A new theocratic state, subsequently called the "Lebou Republic" by the French, was established under the leadership of the Diop, a Muslim clerical family originally from Koki in Cayor. The capital of the republic was established at Ndakaaru. In 1857 the French established a military post at Ndakaaru (which they called "Dakar") and annexed the Lebou Republic, though its institutions continued to function nominally. The Serigne (also spelled Sëriñ, "Lord") of Ndakaaru is still recognized as the traditional political authority of the Lebou by the Senegalese State today.


title: Dakar

text: The slave trade was abolished by France in February 1794. However, Napoleon reinstated it in May 1802, then finally abolished it permanently in March 1815. Despite Napoleon's abolition, a clandestine slave trade continued at Gorée until 1848, when it was abolished throughout all French territories. To replace trade in slaves, the French promoted peanut cultivation on the mainland. As the peanut trade boomed, tiny Gorée Island, whose population had grown to 6,000 residents, proved ineffectual as a port. Traders from Gorée decided to move to the mainland and a "factory" with warehouses was established in Rufisque in 1840.


title: Dakar

text: Large public expenditure for infrastructure was allocated by the colonial authorities to Dakar's development. The port facilities were improved with jetties, a telegraph line was established along the coast to Saint-Louis and the Dakar-Saint-Louis railway was completed in 1885, at which point the city became an important base for the conquest of the Western Sudan.


title: Dakar

text: Gorée, including Dakar, was recognised as a French "commune" in 1872. Dakar itself was split off from Gorée as a separate "commune" in 1887. The citizens of the city elected their own mayor and municipal council and helped send an elected representative to the National Assembly in Paris. Dakar replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of French West Africa in 1902. A second major railroad, the Dakar-Niger built from 1906 to 1923, linked Dakar to Bamako and consolidated the city's position at the head of France's West African empire. In 1929, the "commune" of Gorée Island, now with only a few hundred inhabitants, was merged into Dakar.


title: Dakar

text: Urbanization during the colonial period was marked by forms of racial and social segregation—often expressed in terms of health and hygiene—which continue to structure the city today. Following a plague epidemic in 1914, the authorities forced most of the African population out of old neighborhoods, or "Plateau", and into a new quarter, called Médina, separated from it by a "sanitary cordon". As first occupants of the land, the Lebou inhabitants of the city successfully resisted this expropriation. They were supported by Blaise Diagne, the first African to be elected Deputy to the National Assembly. Nonetheless, the Plateau thereafter became an administrative, commercial, and residential district increasingly reserved for Europeans and served as model for similar exclusionary administrative enclaves in French Africa's other colonial capitals (Bamako, Conakry, Abidjan, Brazzaville). Meanwhile, the Layene Sufi order, established by Seydina Mouhammadou Limamou Laye, was thriving among the Lebou in Yoff and in a new village called Cambérène. Since independence, urbanization has sprawled eastward past Pikine, a commuter suburb whose population (2001 est. 1,200,000) is greater than that of Dakar proper, to Rufisque, creating a conurbation of almost 3 million (over a quarter of the national population).


title: Dakar

text: In its colonial heyday Dakar was one of the major cities of the French Empire, comparable to Hanoi or Beirut. French trading firms established branch offices there and industrial investments (mills, breweries, refineries, canneries) were attracted by its port and rail facilities. It was also strategically important to France, which maintained an important naval base and coaling station in its harbor and which integrated it into its earliest air force and airmail circuits, most notably with the legendary Mermoz airfield (no longer extant).


title: Dakar

text: In 1940, Dakar became involved in the Second World War when General de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces, sought to make the city the base of his resistance operations. The object was to raise the Free French flag in West Africa, to occupy Dakar and thus start to consolidate the French resistance of its colonies in Africa. The plan had British naval support when fighting alone against the Axis powers. However, due to delays and the plan becoming known, Dakar had already come under the influence of the German controlled will of the Vichy government. With the arrival of French naval forces under Vichy control and faced by stubborn defences onshore, de Gaulle's proposals were resisted and the Battle of Dakar ensued off the coast lasting three days September 23–25, 1940, between the Vichy defences and the attack of the Free French and British navy. The enterprise was abandoned after appreciable naval losses. Although the initiative on Dakar failed, General de Gaulle was able to establish himself at Douala in the Cameroons which became the rallying point for the resistance of the Free French cause.


title: Dakar

text: In November 1944 West African conscripts in the French army mutinied against poor conditions at the Thiaroye camp, on the outskirts of the city. The mutiny was seen as an indictment of the colonial system and constituted a watershed for the nationalist movement. On December 1, 1944, French soldiers guarding the camp opened fire on the West African soldiers. Accounts of the death toll range from around 35 (the official French account) to over 300 (army veterans active at the time).


title: Dakar

text: Dakar was the capital of the short-lived Mali Federation from 1959 to 1960, after which it became the capital of Senegal. The poet, philosopher and first President of Senegal Léopold Sédar Senghor tried to transform Dakar into the "Sub-Saharan African Athens" (l'Athènes de l'Afrique subsaharienne), as his vision was for it.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar is a major financial center, home to a dozen national and regional banks (including the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) which manages the unified West African CFA franc currency), and to numerous international organizations, NGOs and international research centers. Dakar has a large Lebanese community (concentrated in the import-export sector) that dates to the 1920s, a community of Moroccan business people, as well as Mauritanian, Cape Verdean, and Guinean communities. The city is home to as many as 20,000 French expatriates. France still maintains an air force base at Yoff and the French fleet is serviced in Dakar's port.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar is located on the Cap-Vert peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland.


title: Dakar

text: The Dakarois climate is generally very warm. Dakar has an ocean-influenced hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: "BSh"), with a short rainy season and a lengthy dry season. Dakar's rainy season lasts from July to October while the dry season covers the remaining eight months. The city sees approximately of rainfall per year.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar between December and May is usually very warm with daily temperatures around . Nights during this time of the year are warm, some . However, between May and November the city becomes decidedly hotter with daily highs reaching and night lows a little bit above . Notwithstanding this hotter season Dakar's weather is far from being so hot as experienced in inland Sahelian cities like Niamey and N'Djamena, where temperatures hover above for much of the year. Dakar is cooled year-round by sea breezes.


title: Dakar

text: The city of Dakar is a commune (also sometimes known as "commune de ville"), one of the some 125 communes of Senegal. The commune of Dakar was created by the French colonial administration on June 17, 1887, by detaching it from the commune of Gorée. The commune of Gorée, created in 1872, was itself one of the oldest Western-style municipalities in Africa (along with the municipalities of Algeria and South Africa).


title: Dakar

text: The commune of Dakar has been in continuous existence since 1887, being preserved by the new state of Senegal after independence in 1960, although its limits have varied considerably over time. The limits of the commune of Dakar have been unchanged since 1983. The commune of Dakar is ruled by a democratically elected municipal council ("conseil municipal") serving five years, and a mayor elected by the municipal council. There have been 20 mayors in Dakar since 1887. The first black mayor was Blaise Diagne, mayor of Dakar from 1924 to 1934. The longest-serving mayor was Mamadou Diop, mayor for 18 years between 1984 and 2002.


title: Dakar

text: The commune of Dakar is also a "department", one of the 45 departments of Senegal. This situation is quite similar to Paris, which is both a commune and a department. However, contrary to French departments, departments in Senegal have no political power (no departmental assembly), and are merely local administrative structures of the central state, in charge of carrying out some administrative services as well as controlling the activities of the communes within the department.


title: Dakar

text: The department of Dakar is divided into four arrondissements: Almadies, Grand Dakar, Parcelles Assainies (which literally means "drained lots"; this is the most populous arrondissement of Dakar), and Plateau/Gorée (downtown Dakar). These arrondissements are quite different from the arrondissements of Paris, being merely local administrative structures of the central state, like the Senegalese "departments", and are thus more comparable to French departmental arrondissements.


title: Dakar

text: In 1996 a massive reform of the administrative and political divisions of Senegal was voted by the Parliament of Senegal. The commune of Dakar, whose population approached 1 million inhabitants, was deemed too large and too populated to be properly managed by a central municipality, and thus on August 30, 1996, Dakar was divided into 19 "communes d'arrondissement". These "communes d'arrondissement" were given extensive powers, and are very much like regular communes. They have more powers than the arrondissements of Paris, and are more akin to the London boroughs. The commune of Dakar was maintained above these 19 "communes d'arrondissement", and it coordinates the activities of the "communes d'arrondissement", much as Greater London coordinates the activities of the London boroughs. The 19 "communes d'arrondissement" belong to either of the four arrondissements of Dakar, and the "sous-préfet" of each arrondissement is in charge of controlling the activities of the "communes d'arrondissement" in his arrondissement.


title: Dakar

text: The "commune d'arrondissement" of Dakar-Plateau (34,626 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée, is the historical heart of the city, and most ministries and public administrations are located there. The densest and most populous "commune d'arrondissement" is Médina (136,697 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée. The "commune d'arrondissement" of Yoff (55,995 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Almadies, is the largest one, while the smallest one is the "commune d'arrondissement" of Île de Gorée (1,034 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar is one of the 14 "régions of Senegal". The Dakar "région" encompasses the city of Dakar and all its suburbs along the Cape Verde Peninsula. Its territory is thus roughly the same as the territory of the metropolitan area of Dakar. Since the administrative reforms of 1996, the "régions" of Senegal, which until then were merely local administrative structures of the central state, have been turned into full-fledged political units, with democratically elected regional councils, and regional presidents. They were given extensive powers, and manage economic development, transportation, or environmental protection issues at the regional level, thus coordinating the actions of the communes below them.


title: Dakar

text: The city of Dakar is a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities, and contains several landmarks. One of the most notable is Deux Mamelles, twin hills located in Ouakam commune. The hills are the only high ground in the city, providing views of the entire area and sweeping views of the city. The first hill is topped with Mamelles Lighthouse built in 1864. The second hill has the newly completed African Renaissance Monument built on top, which is considered the tallest statue in Africa.


title: Dakar

text: Other landmarks of the city include the medina quarter located in Médina commune. Médina is originally built as a township for local populace during the French colonial-era. Today it is a traditional commercial center packed with tailors' shops. The most notable street market is Soumbédioune, which is also a major tourist attraction. The quarter also houses Dakar Grand Mosque at the heart of the commune, which is built in 1964 and one of the prominent landmarks of the city.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar is flanked by two small islands, Île de N'Gor and Île de Gorée. The former is on the northern shore of N'Gor commune with beaches providing attractions such as surfing. N'Gor commune also has other popular beach resorts such as Plage de N'Gor. Île de Gorée, formerly a slave island, is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site which preserves the colonial era architectures and facilities. The notable places on the island is Gorée Memorial which is a memorial for the slaves, and the House of Slaves which is a museum dedicated to the Atlantic slave trade. Today, the island is also hosting the art scene of the hundreds of local artists who line up their works at the outdoor exhibitions.


title: Dakar

text: Some other notable places include Layen Mausoleum which entombs the founder of the Layene Sufi tariqa, Palais Présidentiel which is the seat of the government constructed in 1907, Place de l'Indépendance which is the central square of Dakar, Dakar Cathedral, and Cheikh Anta Diop University also known as the University of Dakar, which was established in 1957.


title: Dakar

text: Among the places of worship, there are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dakar (Catholic Church), Assemblies of God, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar was selected as the Capital of Islamic Culture for African Region for the year 2007 by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), honoring its Islamic heritage. ISESCO and its parent organization Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have held several regional and international conferences in the city, best known for adoption of Dakar Declaration in 1991 which aimed at fostering the cooperation between the member states. Dakar is also known as the birthplace of the Layene Brotherhood, a Sufi tariqa founded by Seydina Mouhammadou Limamou Laye in 1883 at the commune of Yoff. Seydina is buried in the Layen Mausoleum which is among the major landmarks of Dakar. Today, Layene Brotherhood is consisted mostly of the Lebou people, and based in the Cap-Vert area. It is also the third biggest Sufi order in Senegal.


title: Dakar

text: Prominent worshiping sites for Muslims in Dakar include the Grand Mosque of Dakar, built in 1964, which is situated at Allée Pape Gueye Fall of Medina, the Mosque of the Divinity, constructed in 1973, situated in Ouakam, with the characteristic triangular windows, and Omarienne Mosque with minarets topped by green orbs.


title: Dakar

text: In Senegal the traditional culture is very centred around the idea of family. This even includes the way that they eat. When it is time to eat a typical meal someone will say "kay lekk" which means 'come eat'. Everyone will come together and sit around the plate and eat with their hands. Some famous dishes include Cebbu Jën (Tiéboudienne) and Yassa. The etiquette of people in Dakar is very simple but very vital. To not greet someone upon sight is to portray rudeness and oftentimes ignorance. Due to French colonialism the children of Dakar have a unique school system. The school will get a break at about midday and return home to get some rest. Since the population is majority Muslim there are daily activities such as going to the mosque at noon prayer and attending the mosque on Fridays. Music has a big influence on the youth with famous artists like Daara J Family who use their voice to represent the problems in their communities.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar is home to multiple national and international festivals, like World Festival of Black Arts, Festival international du film de quartier de Dakar, Dakar Biennale. It was also the location of Taf Taf, an international artist residency program.


title: Dakar

text: Sports club AS Douanes are based in Sicap-Liberté; they play in the Senegal Premier League and previously won the 2014–15 Ligue 1 (Senegal) season.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar used to be the finishing point of the Dakar Rally until 2007, before the event was moved to South America for the security concerns in Mauritania.


title: Dakar

text: Dakar was set to host the 2022 edition of the Youth Summer Olympics, however, the games have been postponed to 2026, it will be the first of its kind Olympics ever held in Africa.


title: Dakar

text: The town is home to the Autonomous Port of Dakar and the terminus of the non-functioning Dakar-Niger railroad line.


title: Dakar

text: The Train Express Regional Dakar-AIBD (TER) will connect Dakar with Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD). An initial 36 km will link Dakar to Diamniadio and a second phase of 19 km would connect Dakar to the Blaise Diagne airport. A total of 14 train stations will be served and the fastest end-to-end journey will take 45 minutes. The railway is expected to carry 115 000 passengers per day. The TER's first test run launched on 14 January 2019 and the first passenger train ran in December 2021.


title: Dakar

text: Blaise Diagne International Airport is the city's international airport; it handles flights by several airlines, including Air France, Delta, Emirates and Emirates Sky Cargo, Iberia, TAP Air Portugal and Turkish, and is the hub of Senegal's flag carrier, Air Senegal.