1980s List Discussion and Suggestions (Lists Project Vol. 3)

An ongoing project to survey the best films of individual decades, genres, and filmmakers.
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domino harvey
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1076 Post by domino harvey » Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:14 pm

Two of the three films were orphans in the Horror List and will almost certainly repeat that feat again

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swo17
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1077 Post by swo17 » Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:49 pm

domino, this list of yours that you keep describing bears little resemblance to what you actually sent me. You may want to go back and check whatever records you still have:
domino's listShow
01 Friday the 13th
02 Friday the 13th Part 2
03 Friday the 13th Part 3
04 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
05 Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
06 Friday the 13th Part 6
07 Friday the 13th: The Bodycount Continues
08 Friday the 13th Part 7
09 Friday the 13th: A Day for Terror
10 Friday the 13th Part 8
11 A Room with a View
12 A Nightmare on Elm Street
13 A Nightmare on Elm Street 2
14 A Nightmare on Elm Street 3
15 A Nightmare on Elm Street 4
16 The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4
17 A Nightmare on Elm Street 5
18 "At the Movies" Season 3, Episode 12 - "Oh God, You Devil!" "Paris, Texas" "Silent Night, Deadly Night" "A Nightmare on Elm Street"
19 The Little Mermaid
20 Snorks: The Littlest Mermaid
21 Splash!
...
50 Grease 2
51 Woody Allen
52 Deadwood: Season 1
53 They All Laughed
54 Do the Right Thing

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domino harvey
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1078 Post by domino harvey » Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:53 pm

I'm not sure what's funnier, that post or that five of those films actually appear on my real list
18 "At the Movies" Season 3, Episode 12 - "Oh God, You Devil!" "Paris, Texas" "Silent Night, Deadly Night" "A Nightmare on Elm Street"
A+

ohtani's jacket
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1079 Post by ohtani's jacket » Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:08 am

On the Run (Alfred Cheung) -- one of the most brutal, nihilistic crime thrillers I've seen. I almost considered voting for it since it was so unflinching, but the ending was ridiculous and killed it for me. Still, Pat Ha has to be one of the coolest and sexist assassins in the history of cinema.

Prison on Fire (Ringo Lam) -- some people consider this to be the greatest prison film of all-time, but I found it terribly disappointing. It wouldn't be anywhere near a list of the best prison flicks I've seen. A surprisingly lack of action that wasn't made up for by the buddy flick qualities.

The Catch (Shinji Somai) -- who would have thought that tuna fishing could be so interesting? This wasn't as great as The Typhoon Club, but it was another fascinating film from Somai. The central theme of the fisherman treating people the way he treats tuna was a little on the nose, but worked for me and so does Somai's detached filming style (after complaining about it with other directors like Yang and Hou.)

Drugstore Cowboy (Gus Van Sant) -- fairly entertaining film with a bit of a road trip feel to it. The topic wasn't all that compelling for me and GVS hadn't really matured as an artist at this point, but it was reasonably well told and quite well acted. It had a very 1990s feel to it, which is unsurprising given it was made late in the decade, but I thought it was noticeable that it was trying to be cool in that 90s independent cinema sort of way ala Pulp Fiction and all its clones.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Steven Soderbergh) -- this was much better than I thought it would be. I grew up in the 80s so I didn't really experience the yuppie culture other than how it was portrayed on TV, but this felt like a condemnation of the yuppie culture and a stinging critique of the decade that had been. Just a solid film all round. I'm guessing the sexual element drew a lot of attention at the time, but the "lies" part remains the more compelling piece.

The Surrogate Woman (Im Kwon-taek) -- Im Kwon-taek's international breakthrough. I've never been a huge fan of his, but this was a significant look at the treatment of surrogate mothers during Korea's Joseon Dynasty period. I wouldn't call it the most brutal expose of the culture, which means it wasn't as powerful as it could have been, but Im's intent was in the right place.

The Long Good Friday (John Mackenzie) -- Powerhouse performance from Bob Hoskins aside, this hit all the right notes in the final half an hour. The third act was brilliantly crafted and the ending is deservedly famous. Really great film on the balance of that third act.

Dust in the Wind (Hou Hsiao-Hsien) -- this was more like it from Hou. Beautiful contemplative film. Gorgeous scenery. This was more like the Hou I know. I'm not sure the ending clicked, but his style is to stay away from the big endings and provide something more meditative and he certainly accomplished that. Will make my ballot.

Atlantic City (Louis Malle) -- this didn't do much for me. I love Burt Lancaster as a rule, but in the 80s he seemed like a caricature of himself. I liked the general image of the aged and decaying Atlantic City, but didn't much character for the characters.

Mandala (Im Kwon-taek) -- this 1981 film is considered Im Kwon-taek's breakthrough film as a cinematic artist and it's without a doubt the best Im film I've seen. Usually, I would tire of monks walking around debating the meaning of Buddhism and enlightenment, but not only was the film never boring, it was stunningly beautiful. Some of the best photography of the decade. I suspect Im was working a great crew here as I've never seen him replicate it.

Project A (Jackie Chan) -- early 80s Jackie Chan comedy that was part wuxia film, part slapstick comedy, part tribute to silent comedians like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. There's even a set piece homage to Safety Last. The fight scenes being sped up was cheesy, but it was at least interesting to see what Chan was doing at the time.

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1080 Post by Michael Kerpan » Tue Sep 16, 2014 8:26 am

Hou in the 80s -- my top picks

Dust in the Wind
A City of Sadness
Daughter of the Nile
The Boys From Fengkuei
A Time to Live, A Time to Die
A Summer at Grandpa's

I haven't seen Mandala (not a big Im fan), but I would be surprised if this can top Bae's "Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?" in terms of 1980s Buddhist films. ;~}

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Gropius
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1081 Post by Gropius » Tue Sep 16, 2014 11:21 am

ohtani's jacket wrote:Mandala (Im Kwon-taek) -- this 1981 film is considered Im Kwon-taek's breakthrough film as a cinematic artist and it's without a doubt the best Im film I've seen. Usually, I would tire of monks walking around debating the meaning of Buddhism and enlightenment, but not only was the film never boring, it was stunningly beautiful. Some of the best photography of the decade. I suspect Im was working a great crew here as I've never seen him replicate it.
Yes, this was one of this round's discoveries for me - will definitely be on my list. Agree that it surpasses the few later Ims I've seen - less melodramatic, with more philosophical depth.
Michael Kerpan wrote:I haven't seen Mandala (not a big Im fan), but I would be surprised if this can top Bae's "Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?" in terms of 1980s Buddhist films. ;~}
Hmm... I haven't yet seen that one, but, having a taste for Buddhist ruminations, will try to seek it out before the deadline. However it compares to Mandala, I'm betting that it's still preferable by far to Kim Ki-duk's much cruder Spring, Summer... etc.

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knives
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1082 Post by knives » Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:25 pm

As we come to a close I really want to recommend a last minute film which I know will be orphaned if I don't bring it up now. Firstly (and it is available on DVD and here) I hope everyone can see Tezuka Osamu's amazing Legend of the Forest which is possibly the most impressive technical feat of the decade. An animated short set to Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony it explores the entire history of animation from wood carvings to the then present day while telling the story of an orphaned squirrel fighting against industrialists (who oddly look like Hitler). The technique and story tie together well in preventing Tezuka from going too far into either direction. I also highly recommend his Broken Down Film which is a homage to silent cinema played like Sherlock Jr.

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1083 Post by Michael Kerpan » Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:40 pm

Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? belongs to an entirely different plane of existence from anything made by KKD. ;~}

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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1084 Post by Red Screamer » Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:00 am

knives wrote:As we come to a close I really want to recommend a last minute film which I know will be orphaned if I don't bring it up now. Firstly (and it is available on DVD and here) I hope everyone can see Tezuka Osamu's amazing Legend of the Forest which is possibly the most impressive technical feat of the decade. An animated short set to Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony it explores the entire history of animation from wood carvings to the then present day while telling the story of an orphaned squirrel fighting against industrialists (who oddly look like Hitler). The technique and story tie together well in preventing Tezuka from going too far into either direction. I also highly recommend his Broken Down Film which is a homage to silent cinema played like Sherlock Jr.
Thanks for the recommendation, these films (along with the wonderful Muramasa and Push), made for a very magical evening. I will certainly be voting for one of these films, if I ever decide which is my favorite

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swo17
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1085 Post by swo17 » Fri Sep 19, 2014 1:21 am

Friendly reminder that lists are due 10 days from now at the latest...

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barryconvex
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1086 Post by barryconvex » Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:57 pm

there's an Israeli film called Blues Lahofesh Hagadol or "Late Summer Blues" that i've been trying to track down for awhile now. I know there are bootlegs out there that i assume are ripped from the old VHS but i haven't had the nerve to take the plunge. My question to the forum isn't about the quality of the back channel release but of the film itself. is it any good? it's got a solid reputation from what i've been reading on imdb...but that's imdb. Any opinions either way are appreciated. thanks in advance...

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Tommaso
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1087 Post by Tommaso » Sat Sep 20, 2014 4:53 pm

Before I hand in my list, let me finally at least mention some of the works by a filmmaker whose work hasn't really been discussed so far, as far as I can see, and who I nevertheless regard as one of the most original artists of the 1980s.

The Angelic Conversation (Derek Jarman, 1985): this was apparently Jarman's own favourite of all his films, and it's not hard to see why. Made on basically no budget apart from some backing by the BFI, this is a very personal and unusually gentle film, setting twelve of Shakespeare's sonnets (spoken by Judi Dench) to an essentially non-narrative succession of images concerning the yearning for a loved one, eventual fulfillment of that love, and - it seems - finally separation in the end. One shouldn't look for too much of a 'message' here, but the way Jarman manipulates his Super8 and VHS images makes for a deeply immersive, dreamlike film which combined with the outstanding soundtrack by Coil creates a true 'Gesamtkunstwerk' of images, words and sounds. Some reviewer compared this to the works of Kenneth Anger (justly so) but found the film's length of about 80 mins somewhat of an endurance test. I can't agree; as soon as you adapt yourself to the slow pace of the film, this becomes a pretty engaging filmic experience.

But while that film is certainly on my list, Jarman's real masterpiece for me is The Last of England (Derek Jarman, 1987). This was the first of his films I saw - way back in the late 1980s, when German TV not only showed stuff like this, but actually even co-produced it - and since then, it has lost nothing of its admittedly rather devastating impact. The film is basically a portrayal of the Thatcher era, non-narrative again, and perfectly expresses a desolate reality - by no means limited to England! - which at the time I felt one could only come to terms with by using the most radical means of art available. And Jarman certainly delivered by his Super8 and 16mm images about decaying industrial sites, homophobia and a general feeling of doom contrasted with elements of alchemy. While this may sound like something terribly time-specific, in actual fact the contrary is the case. There are scenes which I find as haunting today as I found them 25 years ago: the group of innocent people held hostage by - I still can't decide - either a group of right-wing terrorists or some state security force, or that breathtaking final sequence in which Tilda Swinton does some sort of auto-da-fé at a wedding scene set to the music of Diamanda Galas (and the music in general, as in most of Jarman's films, is exceptional, composed by luminaries ranging from Simon Fisher-Turner and Barry Adamson to Martyn Bates). I can't think of any film which expresses a certain attitude towards life in the 80s, at least among the younger generation in Europe, better than this one. Totally essential.

Right, and apart from these, The Tempest and Caravaggio should certainly also merit everyone's attention. You have eight days left ;)

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swo17
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1088 Post by swo17 » Mon Sep 22, 2014 3:19 pm

I don't know if this affects anyone, but I just noticed that Bashu the Little Stranger has recently been reclassified as an '80s film. Since we're in the final week of the '80s project, I'm inclined to officially call it ineligible for this list and eligible for the next one, unless anyone has strong feelings the other way.

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Gropius
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1089 Post by Gropius » Mon Sep 22, 2014 4:02 pm

Just watched what will probably be the last addition to my list - Lawrence Jordan's feature length cut-out animation Sophie's Place (1986), which I'd had lying around for several years on the Facets DVD set. (I see Gregory praised it in the animation list thread.) If you've seen one of Jordan's shorts you know roughly what to expect (pulsing symbolist assemblages of arcane Victoriana), but the length of this one creates some strange spatiotemporal effects: the various scenes just sort of sit there, like tableaux in an occult children's book, indifferent as to whether they are being watched or not. The minimal thumb piano (?) soundtrack enhances this ambient quality. The transfer is unfortunately quite mediocre - I'd like to see how it looks on 16mm. Fans of the animations of Borowczyk and Lenica (or Gilliam) should check out Jordan, although his work has a consistently serene New Age/mystical vibe that irritates some, and he's essentially been remaking the same film for c. 50 years (but then don't all the greats?).

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Gregory
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1090 Post by Gregory » Mon Sep 22, 2014 4:23 pm

Hear hear, though I do think there's considerable variation in his work. And I'd disagree strongly with anyone who's ever put him in a "New Age" box, though "mystical" may fit, depending on how it's meant or understood—I guess descending into the unknown using a very personal process in which recognizable images are removed of their usual pictorial meaning. Jordan's influences seem to have come mostly out of the surrealist tradition by way of strong Ernst, Cocteau, and Cornell influences.

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Gropius
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1091 Post by Gropius » Mon Sep 22, 2014 5:50 pm

Gregory wrote:And I'd disagree strongly with anyone who's ever put him in a "New Age" box
That may be an inaccurate stereotype based on his connections to hippie/Beat-era San Francisco - to be honest I don't know much about his biography - but many of his favourite images (notably the Sun with a face) look as if they might come from tarot decks or other occult sources, and there does seem to be an emphasis on 'the cosmic' that one also finds in other West Coast experimental filmmakers (e.g. Jordan Belson).

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swo17
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1092 Post by swo17 » Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:52 pm

One of the privileges of you guys who submit lists early/tortures of me being the list tabulator is that I am inundated with last minute recommendations, some of which sound interesting enough for me to fit into my viewing schedule. So given how much I've liked the few other films that I've seen from Krzysztof Zanussi, I had to bite when I saw one of you vote for his The Constant Factor. This proved to be a sound decision. It's a great film, beautifully scored and mired in mathematics, particularly focused on how disconcerting it can be to realize that life doesn't follow simple formulas, and capturing that uneasy feeling of always waiting for the other shoe to drop. If anything, its greatest flaw might be that it feels almost too much like The Illumination, featuring as it does a young academic who's obsessed with his own mortality and with measuring himself. At times, the film almost feels like a lost episode of The Decalogue, intended to accompany the commandment "Thou Shalt Not Die."

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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1093 Post by swo17 » Wed Sep 24, 2014 11:57 am

OK, time for a few clues:

- With 12 lists in now, one film placed on none of the first six lists submitted and on all of the last six. It's currently ranked #5 for the decade.

- There's a bit of a shakeup so far in the higher ranks. Two films in the top 4 weren't even in the last list's top 10, including the current #1. And one of the films in the top 10 right now is a short!

- Tied for 12th place right now are two films that have been spotlighted.

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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1094 Post by scotty2 » Wed Sep 24, 2014 12:19 pm

Speaking of shorts, I just want to put in a plug for music videos as an important form in the decade and for Stephen Johnson's 1986 video for the Peter Gabriel single Sledgehammer, which made my list. Besides being a visual phantasmagoria, it marks important contributions from both Nick Park and the Quay Brothers. The video has been restored in HD and can be seen here.

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Gregory
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1095 Post by Gregory » Wed Sep 24, 2014 1:52 pm

For me, the quintessential '80s music video director was probably Russell Mulcahy, who directed "Video Killed the Radio Star" (the first video ever aired on MTV, in '81), a slew of Duran Duran and Elton John videos, and many more. The most outlandish, overwrought one I can remember seeing of his was Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which took a cheesy power ballad with generic '80s lyrics of the "I really need you tonight" variety and visualized it in just about the most over-the-top, bizarre way possible, turning the song into a fever dream of a woman in charge at a neo-gothic boarding school, who has elaborately choreographed sexual fantasies about her male students. Mulcahy throws in virtually every possible flourish of '80s cheese: soft-focus, billowing fabric, doves being released in slow motion, glowing eyes, smoke machines, etc. and then takes it in almost unbelievable directions, with dancing ninjas (ninjas were something of a fad in the '80s), and various groupings of fetishized young men and boys. The aesthetic excesses and sheer strangeness make the video really stand out to me, and epitomize the experience of music videos that wanted you to keep watching even if you hated the song, as I often did in the years we had cable before Comedy Central era, because there was nothing else on at the moment and because so many of those videos were such artistic train wrecks condensed into a concentrated little bundle that I could hardly turn away at times.

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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1096 Post by Feego » Wed Sep 24, 2014 2:28 pm

scotty2 wrote:Speaking of shorts, I just want to put in a plug for music videos as an important form in the decade and for Stephen Johnson's 1986 video for the Peter Gabriel single Sledgehammer, which made my list. Besides being a visual phantasmagoria, it marks important contributions from both Nick Park and the Quay Brothers. The video has been restored in HD and can be seen here.
I had no idea the Quay Brothers were involved in that video. One of their inspirations, Jan Svankmajer, also tried his hand at a music video, directing Hugh Cornwell's Another Kind of Love. Unfortunately, I think it's his weakest film of the era (possibly of his career). While it features an animated clay head in the style of his Dimensions of Dialogue, the most interesting thing about it is how he animates Cornwell's body. You can watch it here.

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Tommaso
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1097 Post by Tommaso » Wed Sep 24, 2014 3:37 pm

All right, it certainly won't make my list, but my favourite music video of all time is Kate Bush's Cloudbusting, available on youtube here. Directed by Julian Doyle and conceived by Kate Bush and Terry Gilliam, it features Donald Sutherland in the role of maverick scientist Wilhelm Reich doing some of his rainmaking experiments and being pursued by the American secret service for it. The whole thing is a very well-made short film of sorts, unusually ambitious and far-out thematically for a music video I'd say, and well, the song itself is among the greatest things Kate has ever done. And a great tribute to one of the visionary thinkers of the 20th century on top of it.

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domino harvey
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1098 Post by domino harvey » Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:02 pm

I'll be voting for "Let Forever Be" next decade but I can't think of any 80s videos I like enough to vote for

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The Narrator Returns
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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1099 Post by The Narrator Returns » Wed Sep 24, 2014 8:48 pm

The music video that's getting my vote is probably Anton Corbijn's one for Joy Division's "Atmosphere", which never fails to give me chills.

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Re: 1980s List Discussion and Suggestions

#1100 Post by life_boy » Wed Sep 24, 2014 10:59 pm

I nearly voted for Art of Noise's "Close (to the Edit)" (Zbigniew Rybczynski) and "She Blinded Me with Science" (Thomas Dolby), although I did consider "Sledgehammer". In the end, all these fell off my final 50 into personal also-rans. I anticipate at least one music video making my 90's list and Domino named a very likely candidate.

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