title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: In Malta, a replica of about one-third of Rome's Colosseum was built to a height of 52 feet (15.8 meters), mostly from plaster and plywood (the other two-thirds and remaining height were added digitally). The replica took several months to build and cost an estimated $1 million. The reverse side of the complex supplied a rich assortment of Ancient Roman street furniture, colonnades, gates, statuary, and marketplaces for other filming requirements. The complex was serviced by tented "costume villages" that had changing rooms, storage, armorers, and other facilities. The rest of the Colosseum was created in computer-generated imagery using set-design blueprints and textures referenced from live action, and rendered in three layers to provide lighting flexibility for compositing in Flame and Inferno software.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: While Crowe and Harris became good friends during filming, the actor did not get along with Reed. In a 2010 interview with "GQ", Crowe stated that he "never got on with Ollie. He has visited me in dreams and asked me to talk kindly of him. So I should... but we never had a pleasant conversation." Crowe was uncomfortable with Reed's excessive drinking during filming. Phoenix was initially anxious about filming and requested Scott he dropped out early, but to help calm a then 25-year-old Phoenix's nerves, Crowe and Harris decided to get him drunk. "It was actually Richard Harris' idea," Crowe later recalled, "because Joaquin was very nervous on the set and I went to Richard and said, 'Mate, what are we gonna do with this kid, he's asking me to abuse him before takes.'"


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Throughout filmmaking, the actors complained about the problems with the script. William Nicholson was brought to Shepperton Studios to make Maximus a more sensitive character. Nicholson reworked Maximus' friendship with Juba and developed the afterlife thread in the film, saying, "he did not want to see a film about a man who wanted to kill somebody." The screenplay faced many rewrites and revisions, with several actors providing changes. Crowe questioned every aspect of the evolving script and strode off the set when he did not get answers. According to Nicholson, Crowe reportedly told him that his "lines are garbage, but I'm the greatest actor in the world and I can make even garbage sound good."


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: According to a DreamWorks executive, Crowe "tried to rewrite the entire script on the spot. You know the big line in the trailer, 'In this life or the next, I will have my vengeance'? At first he absolutely refused to say it." Crowe described the script situation: "I read the script and it was substantially underdone. Even the character didn't exist on the pages. And that set about a long process, that's probably the first time that I've been in a situation where the script wasn't a complete done deal. We actually started shooting with about 32 pages and went through them in the first couple of weeks." Of the writing and filming process, Crowe added, "Possibly, a lot of the stuff that I have to deal with now in terms of my 'volatility' has to do with that experience. Here was a situation where we got to Morocco with a crew of 200 and a cast of a 100 or whatever, and I didn't have anything to learn. I actually didn't know what the scenes were gonna be. We had, I think, one American writer working on it, one English writer working on it, and of course a group of producers who were also adding their ideas, and then Ridley himself; and then, on the occasion where Ridley would say, 'Look, this is the structure for it– what are you gonna say in that?' So then I'd be doing my own stuff, as well. And this is how things like, 'Strength and honor,' came up. This is how things like, 'At my signal, unleash hell,' came up. The name Maximus Decimus Meridius, it just flowed well."


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Maximus' habit of rubbing soil before each fight references the attachment and affection to his former life as a farmer. In a conversation with Marcus Aurelius, Maximus says the fecund soil of his farm is "black like my wife's hair". Crowe wrote the speech himself, drawing on his feelings of homesickness for his own farm.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Crowe reportedly sustained injuries during principal photography. Detailing the impact filming had on his body during his appearance on "Inside the Actor's Studio," Crowe described that there was a "lot of blood, lot of blood, lot of grazes, you know, I mean, I've still got, a lot of little scar[s] here and one under here on this elbow, a discoloration of the skin that is directly to Gladiator". During filming on the sequence where Maximus fights Tigris of Gaul in the arena with tigers, Crowe narrowly escaped from being clawed by a tiger.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: British post-production company The Mill was responsible for much of the computer-generated imagery effects that were added after filming. The company was responsible for such tricks as compositing real tigers filmed on bluescreen into the fight sequences, and adding smoke trails and extending the flight paths of the opening scene's salvo of flaming arrows to get around regulations on how far they could be shot during filming. They also used 2,000 live actors to create a computer-generated crowd of 35,000 virtual actors that had to look believable and react to fight scenes. The Mill accomplished this by shooting live actors at different angles giving various performances, and then mapping them onto cards, with motion-capture tools used to track their movements for three-dimensional compositing. The Mill created over 90 visual effects shots, comprising approximately nine minutes of the film's running time.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: An unexpected post-production job was caused by the death of Oliver Reed of a heart attack during the filming in Malta before all his scenes had been shot. The Mill created a digital body double for the remaining scenes involving his character Proximo by photographing a live-action body double in the shadows and by mapping a three-dimensional computer-generated imagery mask of Reed's face to the remaining scenes during production at an estimated cost of $3.2 million for two minutes of additional footage. Visual effects supervisor John Nelson reflected on the decision to include the additional footage: "What we did was small compared to our other tasks on the film. What Oliver did was much greater. He gave an inspiring, moving performance. All we did was help him finish it." The film is dedicated to Reed's memory.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The film is loosely based on real events that occurred within the Roman Empire in the latter half of the 2nd century AD. As Ridley Scott wanted to portray Roman culture more accurately than in any previous film, he hired several historians as advisors. Nevertheless, some deviations from historical facts were made to increase interest, maintain narrative continuity, and for practical or safety reasons. Scott also stated that due to the influence of previous films affecting the public perception of what ancient Rome was like, some historical facts were "too unbelievable" to include. For instance, in an early version of the script, gladiators would have been carrying out product endorsements in the arena; while this would have been historically accurate, it was not filmed for fear that audiences would think it anachronistic.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: At least one historical advisor resigned due to these changes. Another asked not to be mentioned in the credits (though it was stated in the director's commentary that he constantly asked, "where is the proof that certain things were exactly like they say?"). Historian Allen Ward of the University of Connecticut believed that historical accuracy would not have made "Gladiator" less interesting or exciting, stating, "creative artists need to be granted some poetic license, but that should not be a permit for the wholesale disregard of facts in historical fiction".


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Costumes in the film are rarely historically correct. Some of the soldiers wear fantasy helmets. The bands wrapped around their lower arms were rarely worn. Their appearance is the product of a filmic stereotype whereby historical films depict peoples of antiquity wearing such bands. Although the film is set within the 2nd century AD, the Imperial Gallic armor and the helmets worn by the legionaries are from AD 75, a century earlier. This was superseded by new designs in AD 100. The legions' standard bearers (aquiliferi), centurions, mounted forces, and auxiliaries would have worn scale armour, lorica squamata. The Germanic tribes are dressed in clothes from the Stone Age period.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The Roman cavalry are shown using stirrups. This is anachronistic in that the horse-mounted forces of the Roman army used a two-horned saddle, without stirrups. Stirrups were only employed in filming for safety reasons because of the additional training and skill required to ride with a Roman saddle. Catapults and ballistae would not have been used in a forest. They were reserved primarily for sieges and were rarely used in open battles. Fire arrows and canisters fired from catapults were not used at any point in ancient history.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The Praetorian Guards seen in the film are all wearing purple uniforms. No historical evidence supports this. On campaign, they usually wore standard legionary equipment with some unique decorative elements.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The Oscar-nominated score was composed by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, and conducted by Gavin Greenaway. Zimmer was originally planning to use Israeli vocalist Ofra Haza for the score, after his work with her in "The Prince of Egypt". However, Haza died in late February 2000, before she was able to record, and so Gerrard was chosen instead. Lisa Gerrard's vocals are similar to her own work on "The Insider" score. The music for many of the battle scenes has been noted as similar to Gustav Holst's "Mars: The Bringer of War", and in June 2006, the Holst Foundation sued Hans Zimmer for allegedly copying the late Holst's work. Another close musical resemblance occurs in the scene of Commodus's triumphal entry into Rome, accompanied by music clearly evocative of two sections – the Prelude to "Das Rheingold" and Siegfried's Funeral March from "Götterdämmerung" – from Richard Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung". On February 27, 2001, nearly a year after the first soundtrack's release, Decca produced "Gladiator: More Music From the Motion Picture". Then, on September 5, 2005, Decca produced "Gladiator: Special Anniversary Edition", a two-CD pack containing both the above-mentioned releases. Some of the music from the film was featured in the NFL playoffs in January 2003 before commercial breaks and before and after half-time. In 2003, Luciano Pavarotti released a recording of himself singing a song from the film and said he regretted turning down an offer to perform on the soundtrack.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Whereas 1999 saw the domestic box office soar to a record $7.3 billion, 2000 was expected to have lower revenues due to a slate of pictures that lacked the commercial appeal to 1999's slate and a lack of femme-driven pictures that were seen strong alternatives to action-oriented blockbusters, as well as the 2000 Summer Olympics. Rises in production costs and a lack of merchandising forced studios to concentrate their marketing on the star power of established A-list male actors to help boost ticket sales and draw in potential female audiences for their slates. The Tom Cruise-starting action sequel "", Walt Disney Pictures' "Dinosaur" (the company's first non-Pixar computer-animated film), "Gladiator", and the superhero film "X-Men" were expected to dominate theaters. Films such as Warner Bros.' "Battlefield Earth", "The Perfect Storm", "What Lies Beneath", "The Patriot", "Gone in 60 Seconds", "", "The Kid", and "Me, Myself & Irene" were heavily marketed and promoted with the appeal of their leading actors that already had a built-in audience, including Mel Gibson, Eddie Murphy, Harrison Ford, Jim Carrey, and Bruce Willis"."


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Two trailers were produced for the film. The first teaser, released in late 1999, featured music from "Conan the Barbarian" (1982), while the second trailer that was released in the spring of 2000 had music from the film's soundtrack. During Super Bowl XXXIV, DreamWorks broadcast a televised advertisement that mixed clips of the film with various football footage and featured the Kid Rock single "Bawitdaba" (1999). "Aint It Cool News" reported that DreamWorks conducted several test screenings between October 1999 and February 2000 that were overwhelmingly positive. Following the test-screenings, DreamWorks become confident in marketing "Gladiator" with Russell Crowe, despite the actor not having a large built-in audience at the time. "Ain't It Cool News"' Harry Knowles, who was one of the few critics participating in the film's test screenings, gave the film a highly positive review following the test-screening.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: "Gladiator" was released in North America on May 5, 2000, on 2,938 screens. On its opening weekend, the film opened to number one when it earned $34.8 million, ending "U-571"'s two weeks at the top spot. The film not only crossed over "Scream 3" to have the year's highest opening weekend, but also achieved the third-highest opening weekend for any R-rated film, trailing only behind "Air Force One" (1997) and "Interview with the Vampire" (1994). The film's positive word of mouth and the sex appeal of Crowe brought in a female audience during its opening weekend, with a percentage of women buying tickets increasing from 35% on its opening day to 45% the following day.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: "Gladiator" remained number one in its second weekend grossing $24.6 million, holding off the soft $11.5 million debut of "Battlefield Earth". The film was dethroned from the top spot by "Dinosaur" during its third weekend and fell to third place with $19.7 million. By Memorial Day, it had already earned a total of $127.2 million, surpassing "Erin Brockovich" to become the highest-grossing film of the year. "Gladiator" did not regain its number one spot, but was in the top ten at the box office for the following six weeks before dropping to twelfth in its tenth week. Due to strong world of mouth, "Gladiator" had one of the leggiest performances during the theatrical summer of 2000 before it finished its initial run in theaters on the weekend of October 13 with a gross of $186.6 million. When the film was rereleased on February 16, 2001, the film finished eleventh with a gross of $58,948. After its success at the 73rd Academy Awards, "Gladiator" grossed $456,732 on the weekend of April 1. It held the record for the largest post-Oscar Best Picture bump until "Parasite" (2019) surpassed the record with a $5.5 million draw following the 92nd Academy Awards. By the time the film had officially left theaters on May 10, 2001, "Gladiator" grossed $187.7 million in the United States and Canada. The film finished fourth in the domestic box office for the year 2000, finishing behind "Mission: Impossible 2" ($215.4 million), "Cast Away" ($233.6 million), and "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" ($260 million).


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Outside of North America, "Gladiator" grossed over $47.8 million in the United Kingdom and saw the fifth largest opening in Australia with a record $5 million. The film went on the gross over $460.6 million worldwide against a budget of $103 million, finishing as the second highest-grossing film of 2000 behind "Mission: Impossible 2" ($546.4 million). At the time of its release, "Gladiator" was the fifth highest-grossing R-rated film, behind "" (1991), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), "The Matrix" (1999), and "Pretty Woman" (1990).


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Upon its initial release, "Gladiator" opened to generally positive reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The performances and the cast were praised by critics, with Crowe and Phoenix being considered by critics as the main highlights. Kirk Honeycutt of "The Hollywood Reporter" said Crowe "solidly anchors this epic-scale gladiator movie - the first in nearly four decades - by using his burly frame and expressive face to give dimension to what might otherwise have been comic book heroics." In his positive review for "The Wall Street Journal", Joe Morgensten said that Crowe "doesn't use tricks in this role to court our approval. He earns it the old-fashioned way, by daring to be quiet, if not silent, and intensely, implacably strong," and that the film "rests on Mr. Crowe's armor-clad shoulders, and he carries it remarkably well." "Empire"'s Ian Nathan, giving the film four stars, wrote that Phoenix displayed "gleeful hamminess" in his performance. Writing for the film, Nathan expressed that "while it's all grand opera, and driven by sweeping gestures and pompous, overwritten dialogue, it is prone to plain silliness - especially in granting us the big showdown at the close. But the sheer dynamism of the action, coupled with Hans Zimmer's lavish score and the forcefield of Crowe, still makes this a fiercesome competitor in the summer movie stakes." Geoff Andrew of "Time Out" praised the film, saying that "the cast is strong (notably Nielsen as Commodus's vacillating sister, and the late Oliver Reed, unusually endearing as a gladiator owner), the pacing lively, and the sets, swordplay and Scud catapults impressive. On the other hand, Camille Paglia, who called the film "boring, badly shot and suffused with sentimental p.c. rubbish," criticized Crowe and Phoenix's performances


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Scott's directing was generally praised by critics, whom called it a return to form for the director. In her A- review for "Entertainment Weekly", Lisa Schwarzbaum praised Scott's directing, particularly during the opening battle sequence. Schwarzbaum writes that with the battle sequence, "Scott lets loose his own extraordinary assault. It’s a bravura sequence of flaming arrows, falling horses, and mortal combat that doesn’t copy "Private Ryan"‘s famous opening tour de force of carnage so much as raise a banner in admiration. It's Scott the visual artist at his most deluxe." Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" wrote that "Scott really scores in his big Rome set-pieces, especially Crowe's combat with men and tigers in a computer-enhanced Colosseum much bigger and more monumental than the original," and that "for all of its implausible silliness and towering high camp, Scott's movie tells an engaging story, and the central arena fight-sequence in which Maximus and his gladiators playing the doomed Carthaginians end up defeating the Romans and reversing history "to the emperor's horror" is wittily and adroitly done: a sly demonstration of the confluence of politics and mass entertainment." Michael Wilmington of "The Chicago Tribune" gave praise to Scott's direction, comparing the visual style of the film to that of Scott's 1982 film "Blade Runner".


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Critics generally praised the production values of the film, with the costumes, production design, and visual effects. Todd McCarthy, praising the film for "Variety", said "Gladiator" "revels in both the glory and the horror that were Rome," with "details in Arthur Max's brilliant production design and Janty Yates’ highly diversified costume design that offered up in wonderfully offhand fashion," while also commanding the "CGI effects that have allowed numerous sets, notably the Colosseum, to be enhanced in size and spectacle value; the stunts, fights and battles are as forceful and realistic as anyone could want, John Mathieson’s widescreen cinematography is magnificent, and the pacing across 2½ hours is well modulated." Roger Ebert, on the other hand, criticized the film for looking "muddy, fuzzy and indistinct." In his two-star review, Ebert also derided the writing, saying it "employs depression as a substitute for personality, and believes that if characters are bitter and morose enough, we won't notice how dull they are."


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Despite the critical and commercial success it received during its theatrical run, "Gladiator" was not initially considered a major contender for the Academy Awards. When award season talk came around towards the end of 2000, critic and journalists simply viewed the film as an enjoyable summer film, but not a major Oscar contender. "Gladiator" and "Erin Bronckovich" were singled out for their releases during the first half of the year, while awards contenders such as "Almost Famous", "Billy Elliot", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Traffic" were release during the fall and winter of 2000 and received awards from numerous critics groups and guild organizations. When the film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama at the 58th Golden Globes, media outlets began viewing "Gladiator" as the front runner for the Academy Awards. Its subsequent wins for the BAFTA Award for Best Film and Produces Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture solidfied "Gladiator"'s front runner status for the Oscars.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: When nominations for the 73rd Academy Awards were announced on February 13, 2001, "Gladiator" received the most nominations with twelve, while "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had ten nominations. On March 25, 2001, the film won five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor for Russell Crowe, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design. It was nominated for an additional seven: Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor for Joaquin Phoenix and Best Director for Ridley Scott, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Film Editing. It was the first movie to win Best Picture without winning either a directing or screenwriting award since "All the King's Men" at the 22nd Academy Awards in 1950. This was also the second consecutive DreamWorks film to achieve an Oscar for Best Picture after "American Beauty" the previous year. Due to Academy rules, only Hans Zimmer was officially nominated for Best Original Score, and not Lisa Gerrard. However, the pair did win the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score as co-composers. Of its one-hundred and nineteen award nominations, "Gladiator" won a total of forty-eight prizes.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The box office in North America during the theatrical summer of 2000 underperformed, with a 4% decrease in grosses and 7% decrease in admissions from the corresponding frame in 1999's theatrical summer. Industry executives blamed the underwhelming performance on "studios not offering films that excited consumers the way that 1999's did, particularly the lack of quality female-skewing movies." Even as a strong fall and winter box office performance helped 2000 surpass 1999's $7.31 billion with a 2% increase of $7.41 billion, attendance for the year was estimated at 1.43 billion, a 2.5% decrease from last year. Backed by the strong performances of "Gladiator", "Road Trip", "Small Time Crooks", "Chicken Run", and "What Lies Beneath," DreamWorks finished fifth for the top performing domestic studios for 2000 with $769.5 million, ahead of major studios 20th Century Fox ($728.7 million) and Sony Pictures ($667.1 million). DreamWorks distribution chief Jim Tharp placed much of the performance on "the talented filmmakers behind the movies and the company's overall strategy."


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: After "Thelma & Louise" (1991), Scott faced a string of critical and commercial flops during the 1990s including "" (1992), "White Squall" (1996), and "G.I. Jane" (1997). "Gladiator" became a reversal of fortune for Scott, earning him his best acclaim and interest since "Thelma and Louise". In the wake of "Gladiator"s success, producer Dino De Laurentiis hired Scott to direct "Hannibal" (2001), the highly anticipated sequel to "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991). "Gladiator", along with "The Insider", helped elevate Russell Crowe into an established A-lister and worldwide fame. His performance in "Gladiator" resulted him landing top-billing roles in Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) and Peter Weir's "" (2003). Scott and Crowe would collaborate again for "A Good Year" (2006), "American Gangster" (2007), "Body of Lies" (2008), and "Robin Hood" (2010). "Gladiator" also brought fame for Phoenix, who would go on to be cast by M. Night Shyamalan for the films "Signs" (2002) and "The Village" (2004) and win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as the Joker in "Joker" (2019). Harris' performance in "Gladiator" resulted in his casting as Albus Dumbledore in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (2001).


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: "Gladiator" was first released on DVD and VHS on November 21, 2000. Along with "X-Men", both films generated $60 million in home video sales each in their first week. By this point, "Gladiator" had already sold 1.8 million DVD units, making it the fastest-selling DVD release. By January 2001, it would go on to break "The Matrix"s record for becoming the top-selling DVD release, selling 3.5 million copies. With over 5 million copies sold, the film would hold the record for being the best-selling DVD title of all time until "Shrek" surpassed it later that year.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The DVD has since been released in several different extended and special edition versions. Special features for the Blu-ray Disc and DVDs include deleted scenes, trailers, documentaries, commentaries, storyboards, image galleries, Easter eggs, and cast auditions. The film was released on Blu-ray in September 2009, in a 2-disc edition containing both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film, as part of Paramount's "Sapphire Series". Initial reviews of the Blu-ray Disc release criticized poor image quality, leading many to call for it to be remastered, as Sony did with "The Fifth Element" in 2007. A remastered version was later released in 2010.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The DVD editions that have been released since the original two-disc version, include a film-only single-disc edition as well as a three-disc "extended edition" DVD which was released in August 2005. The extended edition DVD features approximately fifteen minutes of additional scenes, most of which appear in the previous release as deleted scenes. The original cut, which Scott still calls his director's cut, is also selectable via seamless branching (which is not included on the UK edition). The DVD is also notable for having a new commentary track featuring director Scott and star Crowe. The film is on the first disc, the second one has a three-hour documentary into the making of the film by DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika, and the third disc contains supplements. Discs one and two of the three-disc extended edition were also repackaged and sold as a two-disc "special edition" in the EU in 2005. The film was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray by Paramount Home Media Distribution on May 15, 2018.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: A common theme found in "Gladiator" is that of revenge. Throughout the film, Maximus' character arc revolves around the theme of revenge toward Commodus for betraying him and arranging the deaths of his wife, his son, and the emperor. Writing in the chapter ""Gladiator" and Contemporary American Society" of her book "Big Screen Rome", Monica S. Cyrino argues that Maximus' revenge arc is driven by the alienation of Roman politics. Cyrino opines that Maximus is introduced as being patriotic and one who "fights for an ideal Rome because, never having been to the city. he has remained undefiled by the reality that Rome is rightful conqueror and civilizing force over the world. Maximus is soon betrayed by Commodus and "when he finds his wife and son murdered, it marked the moment of his alienation from everything he once valued." The loss of his family and emperor mentally breaks Maximus, who initially refuses to fight with the other gladiators and eventually cuts out the legion tattoo on his arm. This further solidifies Maximus’ alienation from Rome. Cyrino, who noted that "Maximus' alienation from a degenerate Rome and his deep-seated ambivalence about his role in restoring Roman government to the people suggests a parallel to post-Cold War America,” notes that even as there was a "temporary boost in the rhetoric of national unity and superficial displays of patriotism after September 11, 2001, current political and social commentators remark on the apathy of the American electorate, such as low voter turnout and a persistent lack of interest in political debate." When Maximus returns to Rome as a slave, "he eventually realizes what he has already begun to understand: "The mob is Rome."" Driven by his anger and isolation, Maximus’ resolution is to re-enact his ideal of Rome from within the arena. After he kills Commodus before he succumbs to his wounds, Maximus asks Quintus to reinstate Senator Gracchus in the hope that Gracchus will help to reinstate Marcus Aurelius' ideals.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: "Gladiator" comments on the theme of violence in sports and as a spectacle for entertainment. Cyrino writes that ""Gladiator" evokes the influence of the superstar athlete in a child's wide-eyed worship of celebrity when young Lucius approaches Maximus, his new idol. as he waits in his cell to enter the arena." Franzoni himself was inspired by various sports agents and professional sports such as the NFL and WWE when writing the script. Cyrino blieves that the film's "gladiatorial fights are reminiscent of the way in which contemporary sports competitions, especially professional football and wrestling, are filmed for television," and that Logan employed a similar tactic for the screenplay for Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday" (1999), in which "the camera watches from a series of vantage points that are easily recognizable to any viewers of Monday Night Football." Cyrino argues that the film deconstructs the spectacle of violence through the lens of Maximus. After a victory in Zucchabar, Maximus throws his sword at the local viewing box and spits at the sand after displaying his contempt for the crowd. Cyrino argues that "the depiction of the Roman mob in Gladiator offers the American audience an unnerving mirror-image of themselves, eager to be entertained at all costs and demanding ever more intricate, dangerous, and realistic spectacles."


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Themes of masculinity and stoicism are commentated throughout the film's plot. During the course of the film, Maximus is represented as a strong, fearless figure who is brave, loyal, and honest to those around him. Cyrino writes that Maximus' masculinity is defined through his upbringing as a farmer and a working-class hero. A signature trait from Maximus before he fights is that he gets dirt from the ground and wipe his hands dirty with them, signaling his personality as a man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Cyrino states that Maximus' portrayal as "a simple man of the soil responds to modern society's idealization of the countryside and its supposed virtue and purity, in stark contrast to the crime-ridden metropolis." Maximus gains the support of his fellow gladiators and some of the senate over the course of the film through the way he behaves and acts.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Some philosophers have noted the role stoicism plays in the Maximus' masculinity. The real life Marcus Aurelius writes in "Meditations" that stoics must "concentrate on [their responsibilities] ... without getting stirred up or meeting anger with angers." Maximus' drive for vengeance has made him turn away from his responsibilities of a role model to his son until Lucilla confronts him in his cell that he realizes that his emotions are getting the better of him. When Commodus taunts Maximus about how his son "squealed like a girl when they nailed him to the cross," stoicism shines a light on Maximus by refusing to give into his anger and kill Commodus in front of the arena and resorts to telling Commodus that his "time for honoring himself will soon be at a end.” Instead of giving into his anger, Maximus slightly bows and refers to Commodus as “highness” instead of “emperor,” which latter becomes a psychological and emotional blow to Commodus’ ego. Krysta Larson, writing in "Mother Knows Best? Evaluating the Roles of Stoic Parents in "Gladiator"," believed that "if it were stoically proper to continue in one’s role as a parent to a dead son, then Maximus would fulfill his role as a good Stoic father by pursuing virtuous goals and properly performing the deeds dictated by his roles rather than seeking revenge."


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Commodus, on the other hand, is presented as the antithesis of Maximus. The film portrays Commodus as an immature, cowardly, and unreasonable man who is not fit for the demands of governing the Roman Empire. He openly complains, sobs, has trouble sleeping at night, and struggles to gain respect from the characters. The film characterizes Commodus with his sister as his only friend, with even his father openly admitting that his son is not moral. Driven by the lack of love obtained from his father, Commodus is "keen to acquire the love and respect of the Roman people that his father had enjoyed but criticizes Marcus Aurelius for his intellectualism." Cyrino compared Commodus to the presidency of George W. Bush, stating that like Commodus, "Bush employed rhetoric imbued with overly emotional and sometimes childish tones." Both Commodus and Bush, according to Cyrino, are "contemptuous of guidance from advisory councils and express their scorn by means of anti-intellectual bluster." As it becomes clear Maximus is winning the respect of the crowd, Commodus becomes irritated and frustrated. When he purposefully taunts at Maximus about the deaths of his family in an effort to kill him after defying his order to kill Tigris of Gaul, Maximus rebukes him by calling him “highness” and that his time of honoring his narcissism will come to a end. This leads to him openly complaining and sobbing to Senator Falco later that night. Commodus’ amoral personality intensifies when he begins to lust after his own sister Lucilia and forces her to become his sex slave as punishment for her betrayal. "Gladiator" highlights the distinct personalities of Maximus and Commodus in the final battle. Prior to their dual, Commodus stabs Maximus in an effort to gain a hand, but this shows his cowardly demeanor as Quintus refuses to give him a second sword. Maximus' honor, determination, and discipline eventually overcomes Commodus' vanity, cruelty, and ambition when he stabs him in the neck.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The film's depiction of Commodus's entry into Rome borrows imagery from Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi propaganda film "Triumph of the Will" (1935), although Scott has pointed out that the iconography of Nazi rallies was itself inspired by the Roman Empire. "Gladiator" reflects back on the film by duplicating similar events that occurred in Adolf Hitler's procession. The Nazi film opens with an aerial view of Hitler arriving in a plane, while Scott shows an aerial view of Rome, quickly followed by a shot of the large crowd of people watching Commodus pass them in a procession with his chariot. The first thing to appear in "Triumph of the Will" is a Nazi eagle, which is alluded to when a statue of an eagle sits atop one of the arches (and then is shortly followed by several more decorative eagles throughout the rest of the scene), leading up to the procession of Commodus. At one point in the Nazi film, a little girl gives flowers to Hitler, while Commodus is met by several girls who all give him bundles of flowers.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Prior to the release of "Gladiator", the swords and sandal genre had fallen out of public popularity by the mid-1960s following a string of expensive box office flops such as "Cleopatra" (1963) and "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964). In the 1990s, the historical epic genre saw a revival in popularity following the success of films such as "Dances With Wolves" (1990), "Schindler's List" (1993), "Braveheart" (1995), "Titanic" (1997), and "Saving Private Ryan" (1998). "Gladiator" continued these films' realism with more of a focus on the Ancient History, which had not been explored extensively since the 1960s.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Retrospective reviews and film critics have noted that "Gladiator"'s success spurred a revival of the historical epic genre with films during the 2000s such as "The Last Samurai" (2003), "Troy" (2004), "The Alamo" (2004), "King Arthur" (2004), "Alexander" (2004), "300" (2007), and its sequel "" (2014), "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005), and "Robin Hood" (2010) (the last two were also directed by Scott). The gladiator arena set piece from the "" (2002), which entered production shortly after the release of "Gladiator", has been compared to the arena setting in the film. While a majority of these films were critically and commercially successful in their own rights, "The Guardian"'s Steve Rose argued that the historical epic revival devolved back into parody by 2007, as none of the films recaptures the impact of "Gladiator". Rose also argued that after twenty years, the film's story was more relevant now than it was then with its themes of populism and fascism. "Cineramble"'s James Humphreys wrote on the film's twentieth anniversary that the swords and sandal epic revival was short-lived because studios and producers focused more on "Gladiato"r's visuals rather than the quality of its storytelling and characters. Humphreys, however, argued that the film influenced several films in the fantasy and superhero film genres more than the historical epic genre itself, with the film's aesthetics helping influence Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001-2003), the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008–present), and the DC Extended Unvierse (2013–present).


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: The film's mainstream success was also responsible for an increased interest in Roman and classical history in the United States. The Cicero biography "Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician" and Gregory Hays's translation of Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" received large spikes in sales after the release of the film. According to "The New York Times", this has been dubbed the "Gladiator Effect".


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: "Gladiator" had a cultural impact through various forms of media beyond cinema. The film influenced numerous television series such as "Rome" (2005-2007) and "Game of Thrones" (2011-2019). Jack Gleeson based his performance of Joffrey Baratheon in "Game of Thrones" on Phoenix's performance as Commodus. British-American underground hip-hop artist MF Doom's signature mask was inspired by the mask worn by Maximus in the film, having picked up one of the replicas that were sold following the film's success Dialogue such as "Are You Not Entertained," "Am I Not Merciful," "I Will Have My Vengeance," and "Strength and Honor" are among the most recognizable quotes and have become the subject of numerous internet memes. In 2009, Maximus was featured on 55c "Australian Legends" postage stamp series, with Crowe attending a ceremony to mark the creation of the stamps.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Several members of the cast and crew have commented on the impact the film has had on their careers and its cultural legacy. In a 2020 interview with "Yahoo!", Möller remarked that many people have come up to him and recognized him for his performance as Hagen. Scott considers the film one of the top three favorite films he has directed. Crowe noted that the quality of the film has helped find new fans twenty years on television after its release. When being interviewed by "Den of Geek" in 2020, Wick said this about the film's impact. I think if you’ve been around for a while, one of the things you’ll learn is that if you look at a hundred years of movies, every cycle repeats, and it’s all about someone who will be able to reinvent it. Every 20 years there’ll be a vampire movie, and the 20-year-old versions usually start to look kitsch. Luckily with "Gladiator" that’s not the case.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Today, "Gladiator" is considered to be one of the greatest action films ever made, one of the greatest historical epic films ever made, and one of the greatest films of both the 2000s decade and 21st Century.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: On their """100 Best Movies Of All Time list"", Empire" ranked the film as the thirty-ninth best film ever made, and would also rank the film as the twenty-second best film of the 21st Century. "Gladiator" was also named one of the best films of the 21st Century by "The Guardian", and was also included in "Rotten Tomatoes"' "The 140 Essential 2000 Movies." "Den of Geek" and "Collider" both named the film as the best historical epic ever made, and one of "The Guardian"'s twenty-five best action and war films. Numerous websites including "Vulture" and /Film named "Gladiator" in the top ten films from Scott. The film is also included in the book "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". The "American Film Institute" included "Gladiator" as one of the four-hundred films nominated for their "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)" list, while ranking Maximus as the fiftieth greatest hero in film. The character of Maximus was placed 12th in the "Total Film" list of 50 best movie heroes and villains and 35th in the "Empire"'s 100 Greatest Movie Characters. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Gladiator" has an approval rating of 79% based on 251 reviews, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "While not everyone will be entertained by "Gladiator"s glum revenge story, Russell Crowe thunderously wins the crowd with a star-making turn that provides Ridley Scott's opulent resurrection of Rome a bruised heart." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: In June 2001, developments for a "Gladiator" follow-up began in the form of potential for either a prequel or a sequel, with David Franzoni in early negotiations to once again serve as screenwriter. The following year, a sequel was announced to be moving forward with John Logan serving as screenwriter. The plot, set fifteen years later, included the Praetorian Guards rule Rome and an older-aged Lucius searching for the truth about his biological father. Franzoni signed on as producer, alongside Douglas Wick, and Walter Parkes. In December 2002, the film's plot was announced to include prequel events regarding the parentage of Lucius, as well as sequel events depicting the resurrection of Maximus. Producers and Russell Crowe collaboratively researched extensively, ancient Roman beliefs regarding the afterlife. By September 2003, Scott announced that the script was completed, while confirming that the story would primarily center around the secret son of Maximus, being Lucius.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: In May 2006, Scott stated that while development on the project continues, the exact story to the film has yet to be figured out. The filmmaker stated that all creative minds that were involved with "Gladiator", are working on how to continue from where the story left off. Scott stated that Crowe had favored a fantasy element with bringing Maximus back to life, while saying that he believed a grounded historical-fiction approach was the better option. While he believes the film will not be made, he confirmed the plan to reveal that Lucius is the son of Maximus and Lucilla while comparing the necessity of a more complex script with the corruption of Rome in the potential sequel. During this time, Nick Cave was commissioned to write a new draft of the script. It was later revealed to be written under the working title of "Christ Killer". Cave described the plot as a "deities vs. deity vs. humanity" story. The premise involved Maximus in purgatory, who is resurrected as an immortal eternal warrior for the Roman gods. In the draft, Maximus is sent to Earth and tasked with stopping the momentum of Christianity by killing Jesus Christ and His disciples, as their movement was gradually siphoning off the power and vitality of the ancient Pagan gods. During his tasked mission, Maximus is tricked into murdering his own son. Cursed to live forever, Cave's script included Maximus fighting amongst the Crusades, WWII, and the Vietnam War; with the ending revealing that in the modern-day time period, the character now works at The Pentagon. The script was ultimately rejected and scrapped.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: After experiencing financial difficulties in the 2000s, DreamWorks Pictures - including the rights to "Gladiator" and the rest of the pre-2006 film library - was sold to Paramount Pictures in 2006 and development on the sequel was halted. In March 2017, Scott revealed that the difficulties of reintroducing Maximus, when the character is deceased, had been resolved. The filmmaker expressed enthusiasm for the future of the project, while discussions with Russell Crowe to reprise his role were ongoing. In November 2018, it was announced that Paramount was officially green-lighting the development of a sequel. Scott was in early-negotiations to once again serve as director, with a script written by Peter Craig. Scott will additionally serve as producer alongside Doug Wick, Lucy Fisher, Walter Parkes, and Laurie MacDonald. The project will be a joint-venture production between Paramount, Scott Free Productions, and Parkes/MacDonald Productions with Universal as a co-financing partner. By June 2019, producers stated: "...we wouldn't touch unless we felt in a way to do it was legitimate." In their interview, they also revealed that the current script takes place 25–30 years after the first film. The plot will center around Lucius.


title: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: In April 2021, Chris Hemsworth approached Crowe with a proposal to become involved with the project, with intention to co-produce the film. While working together on "", the two actors shared additional ideas for the film. By September 2021, Scott stated that the script was once again being worked on with his intention being to direct the sequel upon the completion of production on his current project, "Napoleon".


title: Karen Gillan

text: Karen Sheila Gillan (; born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction series "Doctor Who" (2010–2013), for which she received several awards and nominations. Her early film roles include Ally in the thriller film "Outcast" (2010) and Jane Lockhart in the romantic comedy film "Not Another Happy Ending" (2013). She also worked on the stage while in Britain, appearing in John Osborne's play "Inadmissible Evidence" (2011) before making her Broadway debut in the play "Time to Act" (2013).


title: Karen Gillan

text: Gillan made her transition to Hollywood starring as Kaylie Russell in the horror film "Oculus" (2013), her first commercial success in the United States, and thereafter played the lead in the ABC sitcom "Selfie" (2014). She achieved international stardom for portraying Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014), "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017), "" (2018), "" (2019), and "" (2022); she will reprise the role in the upcoming film "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" (2023). She additionally was praised for her portrayals of Ruby Roundhouse in the action films "" (2017) and "" (2019), Sam in the comedy film "Gunpowder Milkshake" (2021) and her double role in the sci-fi thriller film "Dual" (2022).


title: Karen Gillan

text: Gillan's accolades include an Empire Award, a National Television Award, a Teen Choice Award and nominations for a British Academy Scotland Film Award, a Critics' Choice Award and a Saturn Award. Aside from acting, she garnered critical acclaim for her involvement as writer and director in the drama film "The Party's Just Beginning" (2018), which she also headlined. She has been noted for her public image and activism, particularly towards suicide prevention.


title: Karen Gillan

text: Karen Sheila Gillan was born in Inverness on 28 November 1987, the daughter of Marie and Raymond John Gillan. Her father is from Sunderland in North East England. Although she comes from a Catholic background, she says that she was not baptised and does not practise a religion.


title: Karen Gillan

text: When she turned 16, she moved to Edinburgh and completed a HNC Acting and Performance course at Telford College. She moved to London at age 18 to study at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. While there, she was scouted by a modelling agency. Prior to her acting career, she worked as a model, premiering at London Fashion Week in 2007. Gillan has said she would not give up her acting career to return to modelling, stating that while she enjoyed modelling, acting had always been her main interest and goal.


title: Karen Gillan

text: Gillan's early television acting career included guest appearances on several television shows, with her first role being in an episode of ITV crime drama "Rebus", a role for which she had to drop out of school.


title: Karen Gillan

text: Gillan undertook a 2-year stint as a member of the ensemble cast of the sketch comedy series "The Kevin Bishop Show", in which she played multiple characters including celebrities such as Katy Perry and Angelina Jolie. Gillan also appeared on TV in a leading role in a horror project entitled "The Well", which was broadcast as a series of episodic short films on BBC Two and later as a web series on BBC.co.uk. Part of the BBC's multimedia "switch" programming, the short episodes interconnect with online games that further explore the environments presented in the series. In 2008, she starred in the Channel 4 television film "Stacked".


title: Karen Gillan

text: Gillan went on to portray Amy Pond, companion to the Eleventh Doctor (portrayed by Matt Smith), on the British sci-fi series "Doctor Who". Before being cast in the role in May 2009, she had previously appeared on "Doctor Who" in Series 4 episode "The Fires of Pompeii" in the role of a soothsayer. She made her first on-screen appearance as Amy in "The Eleventh Hour" with her cousin Caitlin Blackwood portraying a younger version of the same character. In 2010, she won in the Entertainment category at the Young Scot Awards. She appeared in the sixth series in 2011 and the first five episodes of the seventh series in 2012, after which her character and Rory Williams (portrayed by Arthur Darvill) left the series. Gillan reprised her role in the 2013 Christmas special "The Time of the Doctor", to coincide with Smith's departure as the Doctor.


title: Karen Gillan

text: In 2011, Gillan made her first theatre appearance playing the role of Shirley in John Osborne's play "Inadmissible Evidence" along with Douglas Hodge. The play debuted at the Donmar Warehouse on 16 October 2011. After making an appearance in "Outcast", it was announced that Gillan would star in an indie Scottish romantic comedy called "Not Another Happy Ending" alongside Emun Elliott in August 2011. She was selected by director John McKay because he came to know her during the production of "We'll Take Manhattan", which he also directed, as "a very bubbly, vibrant, energetic, funny, slightly clumsy person" who was a perfect fit for the character. Filming took place in July 2012, though Elliott was replaced by Stanley Weber. Gillan told journalists that she was happy to be involved in a Scottish production that "isn't about drug use or fighting the English". The film premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2013.


title: Karen Gillan

text: In 2012, Gillan appeared in the television film "We'll Take Manhattan" playing the part of supermodel Jean Shrimpton, which told the story of Shrimpton's relationship with the photographer David Bailey.


title: Karen Gillan

text: In November 2013, Gillan appeared on Broadway in a play called "Time to Act", one of the plays included in "The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway" to benefit the non-profit Urban Arts Partnership. She was also cast in the third season of "A Touch of Cloth," which was co-created by Charlie Brooker. Gillan joined the regular cast of Adult Swim's "" for the show's third season in 2013. Gillan starred in the lead role in the supernatural horror movie "Oculus", which was filmed in Alabama and premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Her performance received praise, and she earned a Fright Meter Award nomination for Best Actress.In February 2014, Gillan was cast as the lead in "Selfie", an American single-camera sitcom for ABC produced by Warner Bros. Television which was greenlit for the 2014–15 US television season. Gillan played a socialite named Eliza Dooley, a modern-day take on Eliza Doolittle, who is obsessed with social media. This was Gillan's first time in the lead role of an American television series. The series was cancelled by ABC on 7 November 2014 after seven episodes; the remaining six episodes were made available on Hulu starting 25 November 2014. "Selfie" still has a dedicated following of fans years after its broadcast especially in China. In May 2013, Gillan was cast as Nebula in the Marvel superhero science fiction film "Guardians of the Galaxy", which was released in August 2014. Gillan had her head shaved bald for the role, which Marvel turned into the wig that Gillan wore during the production of "Selfie". In May 2014, Gillan was cast in the Western film "In a Valley of Violence" directed by Ti West, opposite John Travolta, Ethan Hawke and Taissa Farmiga. Gillan portrayed Ellen, the older sister to Farmiga's character.


title: Karen Gillan

text: In 2015, Gillan had a bit part in the drama film "The Big Short" directed by Adam McKay, alongside Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell and Melissa Leo. She wrote and directed her first short film, "Coward", which screened at the 2015 Edinburgh Film Festival, and was nominated for several awards. Later in the year she wrote, directed, and starred in another short film called "Conventional". She won in the Best Female Newcomer category at the 20th Empire Awards for "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Oculus". In the same year, she was cast in an HBO pilot titled, "The Devil You Know".


title: Karen Gillan

text: On 2 November 2016, it was announced that Gillan would write, direct and star in her directorial feature film debut with Burbank-based development and production company Mt. Hollywood Films' indie drama project titled "Tupperware Party". Set in her home city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, filming began in January 2017 and wrapped in the following month. The title of the film was later changed to "The Party's Just Beginning". The film was nominated for Best Feature Film at the British Academy Scotland Awards.


title: Karen Gillan

text: In 2017, Gillan reprised her role as Nebula in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", this time becoming a member of the film's eponymous team, and co-starred in "The Circle", alongside Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, and John Boyega. The latter film, released in April, was directed and written by James Ponsoldt, and was based on the novel by Dave Eggers. Also in that year, Gillan played the lead female role, Ruby Roundhouse, in "", the third instalment of the "Jumanji" franchise, starring alongside Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Nick Jonas. She reprised her role as Nebula in "" (2018) and "" (2019), which were filmed back-to-back. began in January 2017 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia and ended in January 2018.


title: Karen Gillan

text: In 2019, aside from her leading role in "Avengers: Endgame", she co-starred in the films "Stuber" and "Spies in Disguise", and starred in "All Creatures Here Below". Also in 2019, she reprised her role as Ruby Roundhouse in "" and appeared in a short film titled, "Neurotica". In 2020, she appeared in the adventure drama "The Call of the Wild", based on the Jack London novel. In 2021, Gillan starred in the action film "Gunpowder Milkshake" alongside Lena Headey, Angela Bassett, Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh and Paul Giamatti. For the role, she was nominated for the Best Actress in an Action Movie at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards.


title: Karen Gillan

text: In 2022, she starred in the sci-fi thriller "Dual" alongside Aaron Paul, which is filmed entirely in Tampere, Finland. She played a double role, and earned acclaim for her performance. Critic consensus from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes described the movie as "well-led", and John DeFore for The Hollywood Reporter said that "Gillan, who has spent much of her post-"Doctor Who" decade playing cyborgs, computer avatars and a thinly imagined assassin, has a barely more human role to play here; to the extent that she makes either Sarah worth rooting for, it's an achievement."


title: Karen Gillan

text: In 2011, Gillan helped promote Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) and the opening of Squirrel Ward at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Gillan has also voiced advertisements for eHarmony and The Royal Bank of Scotland. She also appeared in TV on the Radio's "Happy Idiot" music video, released on 3 October 2014.


title: Karen Gillan

text: In 2018, she visited the Mikeysline crisis support centre in Inverness after presenting her film "The Party's Just Beginning". The film is about the high suicide rate in the Scottish Highlands, and Gillan made a public pledge to support the mental health charity. In September 2020, the "Inverness Courier" reported that a student from Inverness was selected in a competition inspired by "The Party's Just Beginning" to go to New York Fashion Week, held by Mikeysline and Fashion Week Online, in a contest meant to create awareness for World Suicide Prevention Day.


title: Karen Gillan

text: During a 2012 interview on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson", Gillan stated that she had permanently relocated to the U.S. around the time she was shooting the film "Oculus" (2013).


title: Karen Gillan

text: In May 2022, Gillan married Nick Kocher, an American comedian of the sketch duo BriTANicK, in a ceremony at Castle Toward, in Dunoon, Scotland.


title: John Williams

text: John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer, conductor and pianist. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular, recognizable and critically acclaimed film scores in cinematic history. Williams has won 25 Grammy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. With 52 Academy Award nominations, he is the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney. His compositions are considered the epitome of film music and he is considered among the greatest composers in the history of cinema.


title: John Williams

text: Williams has composed for many critically acclaimed and popular movies, including the "Star Wars" saga, "Jaws", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Superman", "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", the first two "Home Alone" films, the "Indiana Jones" films, the first two "Jurassic Park" films, "Schindler's List", "Saving Private Ryan", "Catch Me If You Can", "Seven Years In Tibet", and the first three "Harry Potter" films. Williams has also composed numerous classical concertos and other works for orchestral ensembles and solo instruments. He served as the Boston Pops' principal conductor from 1980 to 1993 and is its laureate conductor. He has been associated with director Steven Spielberg since 1974, composing music for all but five of his feature films, and George Lucas, with whom he has worked on both of his main franchises. Other works by Williams include theme music for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, "NBC Sunday Night Football", "The Mission" theme used by NBC News and Seven News in Australia, the television series "Lost in Space" and "Land of the Giants", and the incidental music for the first season of "Gilligan's Island". Williams announced his intention to retire from film score composing after the release of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" in 2023 to focus more on composing independent orchestral and symphonic pieces.


title: John Williams

text: In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams's score to 1977's "Star Wars" as the greatest film score of all time. The Library of Congress also entered the "Star Wars" soundtrack into the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Williams was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame in 2000, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2004. His AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016 was the first to be awarded outside of the acting and directing fields. He has composed the score for nine of the top 25 highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office (adjusted for inflation). His work has influenced other composers of film, popular, and contemporary classical music; Norwegian composer Marcus Paus argues that Williams's "satisfying way of embodying dissonance and avant-garde techniques within a larger tonal framework" makes him "one of the great composers of any century".


title: John Williams

text: John Towner Williams was born in Flushing, Queens, New York City, to Esther (née Towner) and Johnny Williams, a jazz drummer and percussionist who played with the Raymond Scott Quintet. He is the eldest of four children and has three younger siblings: Jerry, Joan, and Donald. Williams said of his lineage: "My father was a Maine man—we were very close. My mother was from Boston. My father's parents ran a department store in Bangor, Maine, and my mother's father was a cabinetmaker."


title: John Williams

text: In 1948, the Williams family moved to Los Angeles where John attended North Hollywood High School, graduating in 1950. He later attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and studied composition privately with the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Williams also attended Los Angeles City College for one semester, as the school had a Studio Jazz Band.


title: John Williams

text: In 1951, Williams joined the U.S. Air Force, where he played the piano and brass and conducted and arranged music for the U.S. Air Force Band as part of his assignments. In a 2016 interview with the U.S. Air Force Band, he recounted having attended basic Air Force training at Lackland Air Force Base, after which he served as a pianist and brass player, with secondary duties of making arrangements for three years. He also attended music courses at the University of Arizona as part of his service.


title: John Williams

text: In 1955, following his Air Force service, Williams moved to New York City and entered the Juilliard School, where he studied piano with Rosina Lhévinne. He was originally set on becoming a concert pianist but after hearing contemporary pianists like John Browning and Van Cliburn perform, switched his focus to composition. During this time Williams worked as a jazz pianist in the city's many jazz clubs.


title: John Williams

text: After his studies at Juilliard and the Eastman School of Music, Williams returned to Los Angeles, where he began working as an orchestrator at film studios. Among other composers, Williams worked with Franz Waxman, Bernard Herrmann, and Alfred Newman, and also with his fellow orchestrators Conrad Salinger and Bob Franklyn.


title: John Williams

text: Williams was also a studio pianist and session musician, performing on film scores by composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein, and Henry Mancini. With Mancini he recorded the scores of 1959's "Peter Gunn", 1962's "Days of Wine and Roses", and 1963's "Charade". With Elmer Bernstein, he performed on the score of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' "Sweet Smell of Success". Williams plays the piano part of the guitar-piano ostinato in the famous Mancini "Peter Gunn" title theme. On the "Peter Gunn" soundtrack, he collaborated with guitarist Bob Bain, bassist Rolly Bundock, and drummer Jack Sperling, many of whom were also featured on the "Mr. Lucky" television series. Williams was the pianist for the soundtrack for the adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's musical, the 1961 "West Side Story", and the 1960 film, "The Apartment".


title: John Williams

text: Williams during this time period was known as Johnny Williams, and under this name, released several jazz albums, including "World on a String" and "The John Towner Touch".


title: John Williams

text: Williams also served as music arranger and bandleader for a series of popular music albums with the singers Ray Vasquez and Frankie Laine.


title: John Williams

text: Although skilled in a variety of 20th-century compositional idioms, Williams's most familiar style may be described as a form of neoromanticism, which was inspired by the late 19th century's large-scale orchestral music—in the style of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky or Richard Wagner and their concept of leitmotif—that inspired his film music predecessors.


title: John Williams

text: Williams's first film composition was for "You Are Welcome"—a promotional film for the tourist information office of Newfoundland, created in 1954 when Williams was stationed at Pepperrell Air Force Base. Williams's first feature film composition was in 1958 for the B movie "Daddy-O", and his first screen credit came two years later in "Because They're Young".


title: John Williams

text: Williams also composed music for various television programs in the same time period including the pilot episode of "Gilligan's Island", "Bachelor Father" (1959–60), the "Kraft Suspense Theatre", "Lost in Space" (1965–68), "The Time Tunnel" (1966–67), and "Land of the Giants" (the last three created by the prolific TV producer Irwin Allen). He also worked on several episodes of "M Squad".


title: John Williams

text: He soon gained notice in Hollywood for his versatility in composing jazz, piano, and symphonic music. Williams received his first Academy Award nomination for his score for 1967's "Valley of the Dolls", and was nominated again for his score for 1969's "Goodbye, Mr. Chips". He won his first Academy Award for his score adaptation for the 1971 film "Fiddler on the Roof". In 1972, he composed the score for the Robert Altman-directed psychological thriller "Images" (recorded in collaboration with noted percussionist Stomu Yamashta), which earned him another nomination in the category Best Music, Original Dramatic Score at the 1973 Academy Awards.


title: John Williams

text: Williams's prominence grew in the early 1970s thanks to his work for now-film producer Irwin Allen's disaster films. He wrote the scores for 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure" and 1974's "The Towering Inferno". He also scored Universal's 1974 film "Earthquake" for director Mark Robson, completing a "trinity" of scores for the decade's highest-grossing "disaster films", and the 1972 film "The Cowboys", a western starring John Wayne and directed by Mark Rydell.


title: John Williams

text: In 1974, director Steven Spielberg approached Williams to compose the music for his feature directorial debut, "The Sugarland Express". They teamed up again a year later for Spielberg's second film, "Jaws". Widely considered a classic suspense film, its score's ominous, two-note ostinato has become synonymous with sharks and approaching danger. The score earned Williams his second Academy Award, his first for an original composition.


title: John Williams

text: Shortly thereafter, Spielberg and Williams began a long collaboration on their next feature film, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". During the two-year collaboration, they crafted its distinctive five-note figure that functions both in the background music and as the communications signal of the film's extraterrestrials. Williams also used a system of musical hand signals in the film that were based on hand signs created by John Curwen and refined by Zoltán Kodály. In 1975 Clint Eastwood chose Williams to score his classic climbing film "The Eiger Sanction".


title: John Williams

text: During the same period, Spielberg recommended Williams to his friend and fellow director George Lucas, who needed a composer to score his ambitious 1977 space epic film "Star Wars". Williams eventually delivered a grand symphonic score in the fashion of Gustav Holst's orchestral suite "The Planets," as well as Richard Strauss, Antonín Dvořák, and Golden Age Hollywood composers Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The Star Wars theme is among the most widely recognized in film history, and the "Force Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme" are well-known examples of leitmotif. Both the film and its score were immensely successful—it remains the highest grossing non-popular music recording of all time—and Williams won another Academy Award for Best Original Score.


title: John Williams

text: In 1980, Williams returned to score "The Empire Strikes Back", introducing "The Imperial March" as the theme for Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire, "Yoda's Theme", and "Han Solo and the Princess". The original "Star Wars" trilogy concluded with the 1983 film "Return of the Jedi", for which Williams's score provided most notably the "Emperor's Theme", "Parade of the Ewoks", and "Luke and Leia". Both scores earned him Academy Award nominations.


title: John Williams

text: Williams scored the 1976 Alfred Hitchcock film "Family Plot". Williams did not much like the film, but did not want to turn down the chance to work for Hitchcock. Hitchcock merely told him to remember one thing, "Murder can be fun." Hitchcock was very satisfied with the result.


title: John Williams

text: Williams worked with director Richard Donner to score the 1978 film "Superman". The score's heroic and romantic themes, particularly the main march, the Superman fanfare and the love theme, known as "Can You Read My Mind", appeared in the four sequel films. For the 1981 film "Raiders of the Lost Ark", created by Lucas and directed by Spielberg, Williams wrote a rousing main theme known as "The Raiders March" to accompany the film's hero, Indiana Jones. He composed separate themes to represent the Ark of the Covenant, the character Marion, and the story's Nazi villains. Additional themes were featured in his scores to the subsequent "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", a prequel (1984), "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008). Williams composed an emotional and sensitive score to Spielberg's 1982 fantasy film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", for which he was awarded a fourth Academy Award.


title: John Williams

text: In 1985, Williams was commissioned by NBC to compose a television news music package for various network news spots. The package, which Williams named "The Mission", consists of four movements, two of which are still used heavily by NBC today for "Today", "NBC Nightly News", and "Meet the Press".


title: John Williams

text: The Spielberg–Williams collaboration resumed with the 1987 film "Empire of the Sun", and still continues, spanning genres from science fiction thrillers (1993's "Jurassic Park)" to somber tragedies 2005's "Munich" to Eastern-tinged melodramas (2005's "Memoirs of a Geisha", directed by Rob Marshall) to dramatic war films (1998's "Saving Private Ryan)". Spielberg has said, "I call it an honorable privilege to regard John Williams as a friend."


title: John Williams

text: In his Academy Award-nominated score for "The Accidental Tourist" (1988), Williams developed the two main theme sections in different ways, turning the mood lighter or darker through orchestration and an unexpected use of synthesizers.


title: John Williams

text: 1993's "Schindler's List" proved to be a challenge for Williams, and after viewing the rough cut with Spielberg, was originally hesitant to score the film, being so overcome with emotion watching the cut. He told Spielberg, "I really think you need a better composer than I am for this film." Spielberg then replied, "I know, but they're all dead." Williams enlisted the help of classical violinist Itzhak Perlman to play the main theme for the film. Williams then garnered his fourth Oscar for Best Original Score, his fifth Academy Award overall.


title: John Williams

text: In 1999, Lucas launched the first of three prequels to the original "Star Wars" trilogy. Williams was asked to score all three, starting with "". Along with themes from the previous films, Williams created new themes to be used as leitmotifs in 2002's "" and 2005's "". Most notable of these was "Duel of the Fates", an aggressive choral composition in the style of Verdi's Requiem, utilizing harsh Sanskrit lyrics that broadened the style of music used in the "Star Wars" films. It used vocal melodies instead of his usual compositions using brass instruments. Also of note was "Anakin's Theme", which begins as an innocent childlike melody and morphs insidiously into a quote of the sinister "Imperial March". For "Episode II" Williams composed "Across the Stars", a love theme for Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker (mirroring the love theme composed for "The Empire Strikes Back"). The final installment combined many of the themes created for the series' previous films, including "The Emperor's Theme", "The Imperial March", "Across the Stars", "Duel of the Fates", "The Force Theme", "Rebel Fanfare", "Luke's Theme", and "Princess Leia's Theme", as well as new themes for General Grievous and the film's climax, titled "Battle of the Heroes".


title: John Williams

text: In the new millennium, Williams scored the first three film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's widely successful book series "Harry Potter". As with his "Superman" theme, the most important theme from Williams's scores for the "Harry Potter" films, "Hedwig's Theme", was used in the fourth through eighth films ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1", and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2"), scored by Patrick Doyle ("Goblet of Fire"), Nicholas Hooper ("Order of the Phoenix" and "Half-Blood Prince") and Alexandre Desplat ("Deathly Hallows"). Like the main themes from "Jaws", "Star Wars", "Superman", and "Indiana Jones", fans have come to identify the "Harry Potter" films with Williams's original compositions. Williams was asked to return to score the film franchise's final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2", but director David Yates said that "their schedules simply did not align", as he would have had to provide Williams with a rough cut of the film sooner than was possible.


title: John Williams

text: In 2002, for the 20th anniversary edition of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", Williams composed a reorchestrated score for the Universal Pictures logo segueing to music from the movie.


title: John Williams

text: In 2006, "Superman Returns" was directed by Bryan Singer, best known for directing the first two films in the "X-Men" series. Singer did not request Williams to compose a score for the intentionally Donner-esque film, but he employed the skills of "X2" composer John Ottman to incorporate Williams's original "Superman" theme as well as those for Lois Lane, Krypton and Smallville. In 2011, the "Main Title Theme" and elements of "Can You Read My Mind" were used in the final scene of "Finale", the series finale of The WB/CW television series "Smallville". Don Davis, recommended by Williams to the producers, performed a similar role for "Jurassic Park III".


title: John Williams

text: In 2008, Williams returned to the "Indiana Jones" series to score the fourth film, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". He received a Grammy nomination for his work on the film. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was also the only film score from the "Indiana Jones" film series not to be nominated for an Academy Award. Also in 2008 Williams composed music for two documentaries, "Warner at War" and "A Timeless Call", the latter directed by Spielberg.


title: John Williams

text: In 2011, after a three-year absence from film scoring, Williams composed the scores for Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" and "War Horse". Both scores received overwhelmingly positive reviews and earned Academy Award nominations, the latter also being nominated for a Golden Globe. The Oscar nominations were Williams's 46th and 47th, making him the most nominated musician in Academy Award history (having previously been tied with Alfred Newman's 45 nominations), and the second most nominated overall, behind Walt Disney. Williams won an Annie Award for his score for "The Adventures of Tintin". In 2012, he scored Spielberg's film "Lincoln" and subsequently received his 48th Academy Award nomination.


title: John Williams

text: In February 2013, Williams expressed interest in working on the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, saying: "Now we're hearing of a new set of movies coming in 2015, 2016... so I need to make sure I'm still ready to go in a few years for what I hope would be continued work with George." He also scored the 2013 film "The Book Thief", his first collaboration with a director other than Spielberg since 2005. The score earned him an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. It was his 44th nomination for Best Original Score (and 49th overall), setting a new record for the most nominations in that category (he tied Alfred Newman's record of 43 nominations in 2013).


title: John Williams

text: In 2015, Williams scored "", earning him his 50th Academy Award nomination. He was also set to write the score for "Bridge of Spies" that year, which would have been his 27th collaboration with Spielberg, but in March 2015 it was announced that Thomas Newman would score it instead, as Williams's schedule was interrupted by a minor health issue. This was the first Spielberg film since "The Color Purple" (1985) not scored by Williams.


title: John Williams

text: In 2017, Williams scored the animated short film "Dear Basketball", directed by Glen Keane and based on a poem by Kobe Bryant. He also wrote the music for "", the eighth episode of the saga, and Steven Spielberg's drama film "The Post", both of which opened in December 2017.


title: John Williams

text: Williams contributed "The Adventures of Han" and several additional demos for the 2018 standalone "Star Wars" film "", while John Powell wrote the film's original score and adapted Williams's music.


title: John Williams

text: A three-disc box set compilation of all of Williams's musical scores for Spielberg's films, "John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection", was released on March 17, 2017, and includes two previous score compilations from 1991 and 1995.


title: John Williams

text: Williams's body of work in film composing was featured in the 2017 film "SCORE: A Film Music Documentary". The documentary was written and directed by Matt Schrader, a former CBS News reporter. It was funded via Kickstarter, and also included appearances by 47 other composers.


title: John Williams

text: In March 2018, Williams announced that following "", which was released in December 2019, he would retire from composing music for the "Star Wars" franchise: "We know J. J. Abrams is preparing one "Star Wars" movie now that I will hopefully do next year for him. I look forward to it. It will round out a series of nine, that will be quite enough for me." Williams makes a cameo in the film as Oma Tres, a Kijimi bartender.


title: John Williams

text: In July 2018, Williams composed the main musical theme for Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park attraction "". William Ross, who conducted the symphonic recording of the theme with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) on Williams's behalf, additionally arranged Williams's original composition in different musical contexts for use, recording nearly an hour of musical material at Abbey Road Studios in November 2018. Williams won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for his "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite".


title: John Williams

text: In June 2019, "The New York Times Magazine" listed Williams as one of hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. That same year, he served as music consultant for Spielberg's 2021 film adaptation of "West Side Story".


title: John Williams

text: Williams is attached to score Spielberg's next film "The Fabelmans", scheduled to be released on November 23, 2022. He also composed the theme music for the "Star Wars" miniseries "Obi-Wan Kenobi".


title: John Williams

text: In June 2022, Williams announced that "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny", the fifth and final "Indiana Jones" film, scheduled for a 2023 release, would likely be his last film score as he plans to retire from film and focus on composing concert music.


title: John Williams

text: From 1980 to 1993, Williams served as the Boston Pops Orchestra's Principal Conductor, succeeding Arthur Fiedler. Williams never met Fiedler in person but spoke to him by telephone. His arrival as the Pops' new leader in the spring of 1980 allowed him to devote part of the Pops' first PBS broadcast of the season to presenting his new compositions for "The Empire Strikes Back".


title: John Williams

text: Williams almost ended his tenure with the Pops in 1984 when some players hissed while sight-reading a new Williams composition in rehearsal; Williams abruptly left the session and tendered his resignation. He initially cited mounting conflicts with his film composing schedule, but later admitted a perceived lack of discipline in, and respect from, the Pops' ranks, culminating in this latest instance. After entreaties by the management and personal apologies from the musicians, Williams withdrew his resignation and continued as principal conductor for nine more years. In 1995, he was succeeded by Keith Lockhart, the former associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.


title: John Williams

text: Williams is now the Pops' Laureate Conductor, thus maintaining his affiliation with its parent, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Williams leads the Pops on several occasions each year, particularly during their Holiday Pops season and typically for a week of concerts in May. He conducts an annual Film Night at both Boston Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, where he frequently enlists the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the BSO's official chorus.


title: John Williams

text: Williams has written many concert pieces, including a symphony; a concerto for horn written for Dale Clevenger, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's principal horn; a concerto for clarinet written for Michele Zukovsky, the Los Angeles Philharmonic's principal clarinetist, in 1991; a sinfonietta for wind ensemble; a cello concerto premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in 1994; concertos for the flute and violin recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra; and a trumpet concerto, which was premiered by The Cleveland Orchestra and their principal trumpet Michael Sachs in September 1996.


title: John Williams

text: His bassoon concerto, "The Five Sacred Trees", which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and principal bassoon player Judith LeClair in 1995, was recorded for Sony Classical by Williams with LeClair and the London Symphony Orchestra. Williams was the subject of an hour-long documentary for the BBC in 1980, and was featured in a report on "20/20" in 1983.


title: John Williams

text: He composed the "Liberty Fanfare" for the Statue of Liberty's rededication; "We're Lookin' Good!" for the Special Olympics in celebration of the 1987 International Summer Games; and themes for the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic Games. One of his concert works, "Seven for Luck", for soprano and orchestra, is a seven-piece song cycle based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. "Seven for Luck" had its world premiere by the Boston Symphony under Williams with soprano Cynthia Haymon.


title: John Williams

text: Williams makes annual appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and took part as conductor and composer in the orchestra's opening gala concerts for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. In 2004, he both served as the Grand Marshal for the Rose Parade, and directed "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Rose Bowl. In April 2005, Williams and the Boston Pops performed the "Throne Room Finale" from "Star Wars" at opening day in Fenway Park as the Boston Red Sox, having won their first World Series championship since 1918, received their championship rings. For Game 1 of the 2007 World Series, Williams conducted a brass-and-drum ensemble in a new dissonant arrangement of the "Star Spangled Banner".


title: John Williams

text: In February 2004, April 2006, and September 2007, Williams conducted the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. The initial program was intended to be a one-time special event, and featured Williams's medley of Oscar-winning film scores first performed at the previous year's Academy Awards. Its unprecedented popularity led to two concerts in 2006: fundraising gala events featuring personal recollections by film directors Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Continuing demand fueled three more concerts in 2007, which all sold out. These featured a tribute to the musicals of film director Stanley Donen, and had the distinction of serving as the New York Philharmonic season's opening event. After a three-season absence, Williams conducted the Philharmonic once again in October 2011.


title: John Williams

text: Maestro Williams also conducted the National Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the Joint Armed Forces Chorus, and the Choral Arts Society of Washington in his new arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the anthem's 200th anniversary. The performance was held at "A Capitol Fourth", an Independence Day celebration concert in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2014.


title: John Williams

text: On April 13, 2017, at Star Wars Celebration Orlando, Williams performed a surprise concert with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra featuring "Princess Leia's Theme" (a tribute to the recently deceased Carrie Fisher), "The Imperial March" and "Main Title", followed by George Lucas saying, "The secret sauce of Star Wars, the greatest composer-conductor in the universe, John Williams".


title: John Williams

text: German classical violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and Williams, introduced to each other by their mutual friend André Previn, collaborated on an album, "Across the Stars", on which Mutter played themes and pieces from Williams's film scores in his new arrangements for violin. It was released in August 2019.


title: John Williams

text: The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra invited Williams to lead concerts in January 2020, his first engagement with a European orchestra, for an all-Williams concert featuring Mutter as soloist. The concert included many pieces from the" Across the Stars" Album. The resulting concert album, "John Williams in Vienna", became the best-selling orchestral album of 2020, reaching the top 10 in many countries and topping the US and UK classical charts. The orchestra also commissioned a new procedural from Williams for their annual Philharmonikerball, replacing the 1924 fanfare by Richard Strauss.


title: John Williams

text: Williams conducted the Berlin Philharmonic from October 14-16th, 2021, marking his second engagement with a European orchestra and his first with the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2022, in celebration of his 90th birthday, Williams conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in March, and was honored on August 20 with a tribute at Tanglewood. The tribute at Tanglewood featured musicians James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma, and Branford Marsalis. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed some of Williams' most well-known music, with Williams himself conducting the "Raiders March" from the Indiana Jones movies at the end of the show.


title: John Williams

text: On December 12, 2022, John Williams, at the age of 90, conducted the Filarmonica della Scala in his first concert in Italy, at the historical Teatro La Scala, in Milan.


title: John Williams

text: John Williams is regarded as one of the most influential film composers. His work has influenced other film composers, as well as contemporary classical and popular music. The Norwegian classical composer Marcus Paus argues that Williams's "very satisfying way of embodying dissonance and avant-garde techniques within a larger tonal framework" makes him "one of the great composers of any century".


title: John Williams

text: Similarly, Williams's film music has clear influences from other classical and film composers, including Holst, Stravinsky, Korngold, and others. But while many have specifically referenced the similarities, these are generally attributed to the natural influence of one composer on another.


title: John Williams

text: In 1956, Williams married Barbara Ruick, an American actress and singer, and remained married until her death in 1974. They had three children: Jennifer (Jenny) Williams Gruska (b. 1956), Mark Towner Williams (b. 1958), and Joseph Williams (b. 1960); the latter is best known as the lead singer of Toto. In 1980, Williams married Samantha Winslow, a photographer.


title: John Williams

text: John Williams has been nominated for 52 Academy Awards, winning five; six Emmy Awards, winning three; 25 Golden Globe Awards, winning four; 71 Grammy Awards, winning 25; and has received seven British Academy Film Awards. With 52 Oscar nominations, Williams currently holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person, and is the second most nominated person in Academy Awards history behind Walt Disney's 59. Forty-six of Williams's Oscar nominations are for Best Original Score and five are for Best Original Song. He won four Oscars for Best Original Score and one for Best Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score "(Fiddler on the Roof)".


title: John Williams

text: He has received several academic honors. In 1980, Williams received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music. Williams received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Boston College in 1993, from Harvard University in 2017, and from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. Williams was made an honorary brother of Kappa Kappa Psi at Boston University in 1993, upon his impending retirement from the Boston Pops.


title: John Williams

text: Since 1988, Williams has been honored with 15 Sammy Film Music Awards, the longest-running awards for film music recordings.


title: John Williams

text: Williams has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. Williams was honored with the annual Richard Kirk award at the 1999 BMI Film and TV Awards, recognizing his contribution to film and television music. In 2004, he received a Kennedy Center Honor. He won a Classic Brit Award in 2005 for his soundtrack work of the previous year.


title: John Williams

text: Williams has won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for his scores for "Star Wars", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Superman", "The Empire Strikes Back", "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", "Angela's Ashes", "Munich", "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", and "The Book Thief". The competition includes not only composers of film scores, but also composers of instrumental music of any genre, including composers of classical fare such as symphonies and chamber music.


title: John Williams

text: In 2003, the International Olympic Committee accorded Williams its highest individual honor, the Olympic Order.


title: John Williams

text: In 2009, Williams received the National Medal of Arts in the White House in Washington, D.C., for his achievements in symphonic music for films, and "as a pre-eminent composer and conductor [whose] scores have defined and inspired modern movie-going for decades".


title: John Williams

text: In 2018, the performing rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc. established The John Williams Award, of which Williams became the first recipient. Also the same year, Williams received the Grammy Trustees Award which is a Special Merit Award presented to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance (and some performers through 1983), to the field of recording.


title: John Williams

text: In 2020, Williams won the Grammy Award for "Best Instrumental Composition" for composing "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite", and he received his 52nd Oscar nomination for "Best Original Score" at the 92nd Academy Awards for "."


title: John Williams

text: In 2020, Williams received the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society as well as the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts (jointly with Ennio Morricone).


title: John Williams

text: In 2022, Williams was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, "for services to film music", one of the final two knighthoods awarded during the Queen's seventy-year reign.


title: The Beach Boys

text: The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their vocal harmonies, adolescent-themed lyrics, and musical ingenuity, they are one of the most influential acts of the rock era. They drew on the music of older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create their unique sound. Under Brian's direction, they often incorporated classical or jazz elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways.


title: The Beach Boys

text: The Beach Boys began as a garage band, managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, with Brian serving as composer, arranger, producer, and "de facto" leader. In 1963, they enjoyed their first national hit with "Surfin' U.S.A.", beginning a string of top-ten singles that reflected a southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance, dubbed the "California sound". They were one of the few American rock bands to sustain their commercial standing during the British Invasion. Starting with 1965's "The Beach Boys Today!", they abandoned beachgoing themes for more personal lyrics and ambitious orchestrations. In 1966, the "Pet Sounds" album and "Good Vibrations" single raised the group's prestige as rock innovators. After scrapping the "Smile" album in 1967, Brian gradually ceded control of the group to his bandmates.


title: The Beach Boys

text: In the late 1960s, the group's commercial momentum faltered in the US, and despite efforts to maintain an experimental sound, they were widely dismissed by the early rock music press. After Carl took over as musical leader, the band made records that would later enjoy a cult following among fans. In the mid-1970s, as their concerts drew larger audiences, the band transitioned into an oldies act. Dennis drowned in 1983 and Brian soon became estranged from the group. Following Carl's death from lung cancer in 1998, the band granted Love legal rights to tour under the group's name. In the early 2010s, the surviving original members briefly reunited for the band's 50th anniversary. , Wilson and Jardine do not perform with Love's edition of the Beach Boys, but remain official members of the band.


title: The Beach Boys

text: The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide. They helped legitimize popular music as a recognized art form and influenced the development of music genres and movements such as psychedelia, power pop, progressive rock, punk, alternative, and lo-fi. Between the 1960s and 2010s, the group had 36 songs reach the US Top 40 (the most by an American band), with four topping the "Billboard" Hot 100. In 2004, they were ranked number 12 on "Rolling Stone"s list of the greatest artists of all time. The founding members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.


title: The Beach Boys

text: At the time of his 16th birthday on June 20, 1958, Brian Wilson shared a bedroom with his brothers, Dennis and Carlaged 13 and 11, respectivelyin their family home in Hawthorne. He had watched his father Murry Wilson play piano, and had listened intently to the harmonies of vocal groups such as the Four Freshmen. After dissecting songs such as "Ivory Tower" and "Good News", Brian would teach family members how to sing the background harmonies. For his birthday that year, Brian received a reel-to-reel tape recorder. He learned how to overdub, using his vocals and those of Carl and their mother. Brian played piano with Carl and David Marks, an eleven-year-old longtime neighbor, playing guitars they had each received as Christmas presents.


title: The Beach Boys

text: Soon Brian and Carl were avidly listening to Johnny Otis' KFOX radio show. Inspired by the simple structure and vocals of the rhythm and blues songs he heard, Brian changed his piano-playing style and started writing songs. Family gatherings brought the Wilsons in contact with cousin Mike Love. Brian taught Love's sister Maureen and a friend harmonies. Later, Brian, Love and two friends performed at Hawthorne High School. Brian also knew Al Jardine, a high school classmate. Brian suggested to Jardine that they team up with his cousin and brother Carl. Love gave the fledgling band its name: "The Pendletones", a pun on "Pendleton", a style of woolen shirt popular at the time. Dennis was the only avid surfer in the group, and he suggested that the group write songs that celebrated the sport and the lifestyle that it had inspired in Southern California. Brian finished the song, titled "Surfin", and with Mike Love, wrote "Surfin' Safari".