Animal House and Pax Ottomana: Difference between pages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
m →‎Critical reception: added critical rating
 
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{citations}}
{{redirect|Animal House|the Angie Martinez album|Animal House (album)}}
'''Pax Ottomana''' (literally "the Ottoman Peace") is a term used to describe the stability attained on lands taken over by the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The Ottoman Empire, at the height of its power during the 16th and 17th centuries, covered the [[Balkans]] and [[Anatolia]], the [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]] as well as [[Caucasia]].{{who}}
{{Infobox Film
| name = [[National Lampoon Inc|National Lampoon]]'s Animal House.
| image = Animalhouseposter.jpg
| image_size = 225px
| caption = Theatrical poster
| director = [[John Landis]]
| producer = [[Ivan Reitman]]<BR />[[Matty Simmons]]
| writer = [[Harold Ramis]]<BR \>[[Douglas Kenney]]<BR />[[Chris Miller (writer)|Chris Miller]]
| narrator =
| starring = [[John Belushi]]<br>[[Tim Matheson]]<br>[[John Vernon]]<br>[[Thomas Hulce|Tom Hulce]]<br>[[Peter Riegert]]<br>[[Stephen Furst]]<br>[[Mary Louise Weller]]
| music = [[Elmer Bernstein]]
| cinematography = Charles Correll
| editing = George Folsey Jr.
| distributor = [[Universal Studios|Universal Pictures]]
| released = [[July 28]] {{fy|1978}} ''(premiere)''
| runtime = 109 minutes
| country = [[Cinema of the United States|United States]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| budget = [[United States dollar|$]]2,700,000
| gross = [[United States dollar|$]]141,600,000 ''(U.S.)''
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| website = http://www.animalhouse.com/
| amg_id = 1:60324
| imdb_id = 0077975
}}
'''''National Lampoon's Animal House''''' is a [[1978 in film|1978]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[John Landis]] and adapted by [[Douglas Kenney]], [[Chris Miller (writer)|Chris Miller]] and [[Harold Ramis]] from stories written by Miller and published in [[National Lampoon magazine]] based on his experiences in the [[Alpha Delta Phi]] fraternity at [[Dartmouth College]], as well as Ramis's experiences in the [[Zeta Beta Tau]] fraternity at [[Washington University in St. Louis]]. The film is about a misfit group of [[fraternities and sororities|fraternity]] boys that takes on the system at their college.


It is preferred by Turkish historians and writers who hold a favorable view of Ottoman rule to underline the positive impact of Ottoman rule on the conquered regions. They compare it favourably with instability experienced before the Ottoman conquest and with the period after [[World War I]], when only [[Anatolia]] and Eastern [[Thrace]] remained under Turkish rule. The wide spread use of the term is an outcome of the end of the [[Cold War]] that caused a new wave of instability, especially in the Balkans.
It is considered to be the movie that launched the [[gross-out film|gross-out genre]], although it was predated by [[Gross-out film#Examples of the Gross-out Movie Genre|several films]] now also included in the genre. Produced on a small [[United States dollar|$]]2.7 million budget, the film has turned out to be one of the most profitable movies of all time. Since its initial release, ''Animal House'' has garnered an estimated return of more than $141 million in the form of video and DVDs, not including merchandising. In 2001, the United States [[Library of Congress]] deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]]. This film is first on [[Bravo (television network)|Bravo's]] "100 Funniest Movies." It was #36 on [[American Film Institute|AFI]]'s "[[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs|100 Years, 100 Laughs]]" list of the 100 best American comedies.


The term is derived from the more common [[Pax Romana]], "the Roman Peace".
==Plot summary==
Two freshmen, Larry Kroger ([[Thomas Hulce]]) and Kent Dorfman ([[Stephen Furst]]) are trying to get accepted to a good fraternity at fictional Faber College in 1962. They first try their luck at the Omega House invitational party — the most prestigious and elitist [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]]. Larry and Kent are out of their league as they are repeatedly steered to an area with other "undesirables". Larry and Kent try the Delta Tau Chi House next door, a repository for campus misfits, since Kent's brother was once a member of Delta Tau Chi. They meet [[John "Bluto" Blutarsky]] ([[John Belushi]]), urinating outside. Another member, "D-Day" ([[Bruce McGill]]), rides his motorcycle through the front door and up the stairs, where he gives a rendition of the [[William Tell Overture]] using his throat as a [[percussion instrument]]. The Deltas "need the dues" so Larry and Kent are allowed to [[Oath|pledge]] Delta. They are sworn in as pledges and given the fraternity names "Pinto" (Larry) and "Flounder" (Kent).

Meanwhile, Dean Vernon Wormer ([[John Vernon]]) is trying to remove the Deltas off campus. Since they are already on probation, he puts the Deltas on "Double Secret Probation" and orders the clean-cut Omega president Gregg Marmalard ([[James Daughton]]) to assign Doug Neidermeyer ([[Mark Metcalf]]) the job of finding a way to get rid of the Deltas once and for all. As the campus [[Reserve Officer Training Corps|ROTC]] detachment drills, Neidermeyer, the pompous cadet commander, spots Flounder wearing a pledge pin on his uniform and begins berating him. Two Deltas, "Otter" ([[Tim Matheson]]) and "Boon" ([[Peter Riegert]]), witness this and object to the mistreatment. They take turns hitting golf balls, aiming for the horse Neidermeyer is riding. A ball eventually strikes the horse, causing it to rear up. Then, a second ball hits Neidermeyer on the head, knocking him out of the saddle. The already spooked animal bolts, dragging a screaming Neidermeyer behind, entangled in the stirrups. Later, he orders Flounder to clean his horse's filthy stable stall. Bluto and D-Day talk Flounder into sneaking the hated animal into Dean Wormer's office. They give him a gun and tell him to shoot it. Unbeknownst to Flounder, the gun is loaded with [[Blank (cartridge)|blanks]]. He cannot bring himself to kill the horse and fires into the ceiling, but the noise causes the horse to have a heart attack and die.

In the cafeteria the next day, Bluto provokes Gregg and Omega pledge Chip ([[Kevin Bacon]]) with his impression of a popping [[Acne vulgaris|zit]]. This starts food fight that engulfs the cafeteria. Later that day, Bluto and D-Day rummage through a trash bin to steal the answers to an upcoming psychology test. Unfortunately, the exam [[stencil]] had been planted by the Omegas, and the Deltas get every answer wrong. Their [[Academic grading in North America#Grade point average|grade point averages]] drop so low that Wormer only needs one more incident to revoke their charter which allows them to reside on campus. Undaunted, the Deltas organize a [[toga party]]. Pinto invites Clorette ([[Sarah Holcomb]]), the cashier at the local supermarket. She turns out to be the underage daughter of shady Mayor Carmine DePasto ([[Cesare Danova]]). When she gets drunk and passes out, Pinto is tempted to take advantage of her. In the end, he takes her home in a [[shopping cart]]. A drunken Mrs. Wormer ([[Verna Bloom]]) crashes the party and spends the night with Otter. That turns out to be the last straw. Wormer gets the fraternity's charter revoked, and all of their belongings are confiscated.

To take their minds off their troubles, Otter, Boon, Flounder, and Pinto go on a [[road trip]]. Otter picks up some girls from Emily Dickinson College, a local [[liberal arts]] college, by pretending to be the boyfriend of a girl recently killed on campus in a kiln explosion and go to a roadhouse called the Dexter Lake Club, which has an all-black clientèle. [[Otis Day and the Knights]] happen to be playing there that night. Some of the hulking regulars are not amused and intimidate the guys into fleeing without their dates. In their haste to leave, they damage several cars in the parking lot.

Things go from bad to worse. "Babs" ([[Martha Smith]]) lies to Gregg Marmalard, telling him that his girlfriend, Mandy ([[Mary Louise Weller]]), and Otter are having an affair. Marmalard and some of his fellow Omegas lure Otter to a motel and beat him up. The Deltas' midterm grades are so bad that they are all expelled from school by Wormer and their [[Conscription in the United States|draft board]]s notified of their eligibility. For revenge, the Deltas decide to wreak havoc on the annual [[Homecoming]] parade, inspired by Bluto's impassioned speech. In the ensuing chaos, he steals a car, abducts Mandy and drives off into the sunset, or rather to [[Washington, D.C.]], as the futures of many of the main characters are "revealed". Bluto and Mandy become [[United States Senate|Senator]] and Mrs. John Blutarsky.

==Characters==
[[Image:Animal House Deltas.jpg|thumb|right|The Deltas in front of their house]]
===Deltas===
*'''[[Tim Matheson]]''' as '''Eric "Otter" Stratton''': a smooth playboy whose room is an uncannily pristine seduction den amid the sheer filth of the rest of the Delta house. Otter is essentially the fraternity's unofficial leader. He goes on to become a [[gynecologist]] in [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]].
*'''[[Peter Riegert]]''' as '''Donald "Boon" Schoenstein''': Otter's best friend, who is forever having to decide between his Delta pals and his girlfriend Katy. They get married in 1964 and divorced in 1969. In the book adaption, Boon goes on to be a cab driver in [[New York City]] and a part time writer.
*'''[[John Belushi]]''' as '''John "Bluto" Blutarsky''': an abject, drunken degenerate with a style all his own, in his seventh year of college, sporting a GPA of 0.0. He goes on to become a United States Senator.
*'''[[James Widdoes]]''' as '''Robert Hoover''': the affable, reasonably clean-cut president of the fraternity, who desperately struggles to maintain a façade of normalcy to placate the Dean. He becomes a [[public defender]] in [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]].
*'''[[Bruce McGill]]''' as '''Daniel Simpson Day, "D-Day"''': a tough [[motorcycle|biker]] with no grade point average: all classes incomplete. His later whereabouts are unknown.
*'''[[Douglas Kenney]]''' as '''"Stork"''' (real name not mentioned, but in the book adaptation is listed as "Dwayne Storkman"). During his first year, everyone thought the Stork was [[brain damaged]].
*'''[[Thomas Hulce]]''' as '''Lawrence "Pinto" Kroger''': a shy but normal fellow, who becomes the editor of ''National Lampoon'' magazine.
*'''[[Stephen Furst]]''' as '''Kent "Flounder" Dorfman''': an overweight, clumsy [[legacy preferences|legacy]] pledge, later a [[Encounter group|sensitivity trainer]] in [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]].

===Omegas===
*'''[[James Daughton]]''' as '''Gregory Marmalard''': the president of Omega House and boyfriend of Mandy Pepperidge. He goes on to become a [[Richard M. Nixon|Nixon]] [[White House]] aide and is subsequently raped in prison in 1974.
*'''[[Mark Metcalf]]''' as '''Douglas C. Niedermeyer''': an ROTC cadet officer and scion of a military family who hates the Deltas with unbridled passion. He is [[Fragging|killed by his own troops]] in [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]].
*'''[[Kevin Bacon]]''' as '''Chip Diller''': an Omega pledge that is trampled by the panicking crowd at the end of the movie.

===Other significant characters===
*'''[[John Vernon]]''' as '''Dean Vernon Wormer''': who wants to revoke the Deltas' charter and kick them off-campus. In the book adaption, he suffers a stroke during the '69 campus riots.
*'''[[Verna Bloom]]''' as '''Marion Wormer''': the Dean's [[dipsomaniac]] wife.
*'''[[Karen Allen]]''' as '''Katy''': Boon's frustrated girlfriend who has a dalliance with a professor but subsequently goes on to marry and divorce Boon.
*'''[[Donald Sutherland]]''' as '''Professor Dave Jennings''': a bored English professor who tries to turn his students on to [[left-wing politics]].
*'''[[Sarah Holcomb]]''' as '''Clorette DePasto''': the mayor's 13-year-old daughter, who sleeps with Larry.
*'''[[DeWayne Jessie]]''' as '''Otis Day''': the leader of the band ([[Otis Day and the Knights]]) that plays at the toga party. In the book adaption, Otis Day and the Knights go on to be a house band for a club in upstate New York.
*'''[[Mary Louise Weller]]''' as '''Mandy Pepperidge''': a cheerleader and sorority girl who dates Gregg, but is not entirely "satisfied" with the relationship. She goes on to marry Bluto.
*'''[[Martha Smith]]''' as '''Barbara Sue "Babs" Jansen''': a [[Southern belle]] who wants Gregg for herself and is turned off by the crude Deltas. She ends up a [[tour guide]] at [[Universal Studios]] in [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]].
*'''[[Cesare Danova]]''' as '''Mayor Carmine DePasto''': the shady local mayor with suggested mafia ties. In the book adaption, he ends up missing a few years later and is rumored to be part of the recently built Faber Freeway.

==Production==
===Origins===
''Animal House'' was the first movie produced by ''National Lampoon'', the most popular humor magazine on college campuses in the mid-1970s.<ref name= "Peterson">{{cite news | last = Peterson | first = Molly | coauthors = | title = ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' | work = [[NPR]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[July 29]], [[2002]] | url = http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/animalhouse/ | accessdate = 2008-08-13 }}</ref> The periodical specialized in humor and satirized politics and popular culture. Many of the magazine’s writers were recent college graduates, hence their appeal to students all over the country. Doug Kenney was the magazine’s first editor-in-chief and also wrote for the ''Lampoon''. He had graduated from Harvard College in 1969 and had a college experience closer to the Omegas in the film. For example, he was elected president of the elite Spee Club.<ref name= "Peterson"/> He was responsible for the first appearances of two characters that would appear in ''Animal House'' – Larry Kroger and Mandy Pepperidge. They made their debut in ''National Lampoon’s High School Yearbook,'' a satire published in 1975.

However, Kenney felt that fellow ''Lampoon'' writer [[Chris Miller (writer)|Chris Miller]] was their expert on the college experience.<ref name= "Peterson"/> Faced with an impending deadline, Miller submitted a chapter from his then-abandoned memoirs (later published in 2006 as ''The Real Animal House'') entitled, "The Night of the Seven Fires" that recalled his fraternity days ([[Alpha Delta Phi]]) at the [[Ivy League]]'s [[Dartmouth College]], in [[Hanover, New Hampshire]]. The antics of the Alphas became the inspiration for the Delta Tau Chis of ''Animal House''.<ref name= "Peterson"/> Filmmaker [[Ivan Reitman]] had just finished producing [[David Cronenberg]]'s first film, ''[[Shivers (film)|Shivers]]'' and called the magazine’s publisher Matty Simmons about making movies under the ''Lampoon'' banner.<ref name= "Nashawaty">{{cite news | last = Nashawaty | first = Chris | coauthors = | title = Building ''Animal House'' | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[July 29]], [[2002]] | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,285149,00.html | accessdate = 2007-01-31 }}</ref> Reitman had put together ''The National Lampoon Show'' in [[New York City]] that featured several future ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members, including John Belushi. When most of them moved to that show except for Ramis, Reitman approached him with an idea to make a film together using some of the skits from the ''Lampoon Show''.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

===Screenplay===
Kenney met with another ''Lampoon'' writer, Harold Ramis, over brunch at the suggestion of Simmons. Ramis drew from his own fraternity experiences as a member of [[Zeta Beta Tau]] fraternity at [[Washington University in St. Louis]] and was working on a [[Film treatment|treatment]] about college entitled, "Freshman Year" but the magazine’s editors were not happy with it.<ref name= "Peterson"/> Kenney and Ramis started working on a treatment together and created the premise of [[Charles Manson]] in high school and called it ''Laser Orgy Girls''.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> Simmons was not crazy about this idea so they changed the setting to college. Kenney was a fan of Miller’s frat stories and suggested using them as a basis for a movie. Kenney, Miller and Ramis met for brunch and began brainstorming ideas.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> One thing they agreed on was that Belushi should star in it and Ramis wrote the part of Bluto specifically for the comedian, having met him at Chicago's [[The Second City]].<ref name= "Schwartz">{{cite news | last = Schwartz | first = Tony | coauthors = | title = College Humor Comes Back | work = [[Newsweek]] | pages = 88 | language = | publisher = | date = [[October 23]], [[1978]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> At the time, he was committed to ''Saturday Night Live'' and spent Monday through Wednesday making the film and then flying back to New York City to do the show on Thursday through Saturday.<ref name= "Schwartz"/>

The result was a 110 page treatment (the average was 15 pages) that Reitman and Simmons pitched to various Hollywood studios. Simmons met with Ned Tanen, an executive at Universal Studios who was encouraged by younger executives [[Sean Daniel]] and [[Thom Mount]] that were more receptive to the Lampoon type of humor.<ref name= "Peterson"/> Tanen hated the idea. Ramis remembers, "We went further than I think Universal expected or wanted. I think they were shocked and appalled. Chris’ fraternity had virtually been a vomiting cult. And we had a lot of scenes that were almost orgies of vomit . . . We didn’t back off anything".<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> As the writers created more drafts of the screenplay (nine in total), the studio gradually became more excited about the project, especially Mount, who was responsible for championing it.<ref name= "Medjuck">{{cite news
| last = Medjuck
| first = Joe
| coauthors =
| title = The Further Adventures of Ivan Reitman
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Take One
| date = July 1978
| url = http://moviejunkarchive.blogspot.com/2007/05/further-adventures-of-ivan-reitman.html
| accessdate = 2007-11-09}}</ref> Surprisingly, the studio green-lighted the film and set the budget at a modest $3 million.<ref name= "Peterson"/> Simmons remembers, "They just figured, ‘Screw it, it’s a silly little movie, and we’ll make a couple of bucks if we’re lucky – let them do whatever they want.’"<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

===Casting===
Initially, Reitman had wanted to direct but had only made one film, ''[[Cannibal Girls]]'', for $5,000.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> The film's producers approached [[Richard Lester]] and [[Bob Rafelson]] before considering John Landis who got the job directing ''Animal House'' based on his work on the ''[[Kentucky Fried Movie]]''.<ref name= "Medjuck"/> That film’s script and continuity supervisor was the girlfriend of Sean Daniel, an assistant to Mount. Daniel saw Landis’ movie and recommended him to direct ''Animal House''. Landis then met with Mount, Reitman and Simmons and got the job.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> Ramis originally wrote the role of Boon for himself but Landis felt that he looked too old for the part and Peter Riegert was cast instead. Landis did offer Ramis a smaller part, but Ramis declined. Landis remembers, "When I was given the script, it was the funniest thing I had ever read up to that time. But it was really offensive. There was a great deal of projectile vomiting and rape and all these things".<ref name= "Olson">{{cite news | last = Olson | first = Eric | coauthors = | title = Director, John Landis: The Dean Speaks | work = Digital Movie Talk | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[October 23]], [[1978]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> There was also a certain amount of friction between Landis and the writers early on because he was a high school dropout from Hollywood and they were college graduates. Ramis remembers, "He sort of referred immediately to ''Animal House'' as ‘my movie.’ We’d been living with it for two years and we hated that".<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

The initial cast was to feature [[Chevy Chase]] as Otter, [[Bill Murray]] as Boon, [[Brian Doyle-Murray]] as Hoover, [[Dan Aykroyd]] as D-Day and John Belushi as Bluto, but only Belushi wanted to do it. Chase turned them down to do ''[[Foul Play]]''.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> The character of D-Day was based on Aykroyd, who was a motorcycle aficionado. Aykroyd was offered the part, but he was already committed to ''Saturday Night Live''.<ref name= "Medjuck"/> Landis met with [[Jack Webb]] to play Dean Wormer and [[Kim Novak]] to play his wife. Webb ultimately backed out due to concerns over his clean-cut image, and was replaced by [[John Vernon]].<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

Belushi received only $35,000 for ''Animal House'' with a bonus after it became a hit.<ref name= "Schwartz"/> Landis also met with [[Meat Loaf]] to play Bluto in case Belushi did not want to do it. Landis worked with Belushi on his character and they decided that Bluto was a cross between [[Harpo Marx]] and the [[Cookie Monster]]. Much of the cast, including Karen Allen, Tom Hulce, Mark Metcalf, Bruce McGill and Kevin Bacon, were struggling actors just starting out. The studio hated Landis' choices and wanted to cast dramatic actors as well as comedians.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> Despite the presence of Belushi, Universal wanted another movie star because they said that the whole movie did not have a star; just a lot of [[sub-plots]]. Landis had been a crew member on ''[[Kelly's Heroes]]'' and had become friends with actor Donald Sutherland (he even used to babysit his son, [[Kiefer Sutherland|Kiefer]]).<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> Landis called up Sutherland and asked him to be in the film. He ended up becoming the highest-paid member of the cast. Sutherland's casting was essential for the movie being picked up by Universal as they were reluctant to produce a picture with no stars, and the veteran actor was one of the biggest stars of the 1970s. For two days work on the picture, Sutherland was offered either a $40,000 flat fee or a percentage of the film's [[income|gross]]; assuming that the movie would be quickly forgotten, he opted for the sure money, a decision which (by his own admission) has cost him millions.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

===Locations===
[[Image:AnimalHsePlaque.JPG|thumb|right|Plaque at the site where the house used to portray the Delta House formerly stood]]
The filmmakers' next problem was finding a college that would let them shoot the film on their campus.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> They had submitted the script to a number of colleges and universities, and the movie was set to be filmed at the [[University of Missouri]] until the president of the school read the script and refused permission. The [[University of Oregon]] agreed because after consulting with student government leaders and officers of Pan Hellenic Council, the Director of University Relations advised the president that the script, although raunchy and often tasteless, was a very funny spoof of college life.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

The president of University of Oregon had been a senior administrator of a major California university years before. Back in the late 1960s his campus was considered for being the location for the film ''[[The Graduate]]''.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> After he consulted with other senior administrative colleagues who advised him to turn it down, production moved to the [[University of California, Berkeley]] and the [[University of Southern California]]. The reason given by the president was that the board believed the film script to be without artistic merit. ''The Graduate'' went on to become a classic. He was determined not to make the same mistake twice, even allowing the filmmakers to use his office as Dean Wormer's.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

[[Image:AnimalHousefilmset.jpg|thumb|right|The front of the house set used for exterior shots, located in [[Universal Studios Hollywood]] in June 1985.]]
The actual house that was depicted as the Delta House was originally a residence in Eugene, the Dr. A.W. Patterson House. Around 1959, it was acquired by the Psi Deuteron chapter of [[Phi Sigma Kappa]] fraternity and was their chapter house until 1967, when the chapter was closed due to low membership and the house was sold and slid into disrepair, with the spacious porch removed and the lawn graveled over. The interior of the Sigma Nu house was used for nearly all of the interior scenes. The individual rooms were filmed on a soundstage. At the time of the shooting, the [[Phi Kappa Psi]] and [[Sigma Nu]] fraternity houses sat next to the old Phi Sigma Kappa house. The Omega House was actually the Phi Kappa Psi House, it is now the [[Alpha Epsilon Pi]] house.<ref name= "AEPi">{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = AEPi Oregon | work = [[University of Oregon]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = | url = http://www.uoregon.edu/~aepi/house.html | accessdate = 2008-08-20 }}</ref> The Patterson house was demolished in 1986.<ref name= "OnFilm">{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = On Film | work = [[University of Oregon]] Archives | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[October 23]], [[1978]] | url = http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/archives/ | accessdate = 2007-08-16 }}</ref> A suite of physicians' offices now occupies the site. A large boulder placed to the west of the entrance to the parking lot displays a bronze plaque commemorating the Delta House location.

===Principal photography===
Landis brought the actors who played the Deltas up five days early in order to bond. Actor James Widdoes remembers, "It was like freshman orientation. There was a lot of getting to know each other and calling each other by our character names".<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> This tactic encouraged the actors playing the Deltas to separate themselves from the actors playing the Omegas, helping generate authentic animosity between them on camera.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

One night, some girls invited several of the cast members to a fraternity party.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> They arrived assuming they had been invited and were greeted with open hostility. As they were leaving, Widdoes threw a cup of beer at a group of drunk football players and a fight broke out. Tim Matheson, Bruce McGill, Peter Riegert, and Widdoes narrowly escaped with McGill suffering a black eye and Widdoes had several teeth knocked out.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

The actors playing the Deltas stayed at the Rodeway Inn where they moved an old piano from the lobby into McGill's room which became known as "party central".<ref name= "Nashawaty"/> Belushi and his wife, Judy, had a house in the suburbs in order to keep him away from alcohol and drugs.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

While shooting the film, Landis and Bruce McGill staged a scene for reporters visiting the set where the director pretended to be angry at the actor for being difficult on the set.<ref name= "Arnold2">{{cite news | last = Arnold | first = Gary | coauthors = | title = The Madcap World of John Landis | work = [[Washington Post]] | pages = H1 | language = | publisher = | date = [[August 13]], [[1978]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> Landis grabbed a breakaway pitcher and smashed it over McGill's head who fell to the ground and pretended to be unconscious. The reporters really believed the incident and when Landis asked McGill to get up, he refused to move.<ref name= "Arnold2"/>

The studio became more enthusiastic about the film when Reitman showed executives and sales managers of various regions in the country a 10-minute production reel that was put together in two days.<ref name= "Medjuck"/> The reaction was very positive and the studio ordered 20 copies and sent them out to exhibitors.<ref name= "Medjuck"/> The first preview screening for ''Animal House'' was held in [[Denver]] four months before it opened nationwide. The crowd loved it and the filmmakers realized they had a potential hit on their hands.<ref name= "Nashawaty"/>

==Soundtrack and score==
{{Infobox Album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
| Name = Animal House: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| Type = Soundtrack
| Artist = various artists
| Cover = Animalhousesoundtrack.jpg
| Background = soundtrack
| Released = 1978
| Recorded =
| Genre = [[Rock and roll]], [[R&B]], [[film score]]
| Length = 36:23
| Label = [[MCA Records|MCA]]
| Producer =
| Reviews = * [[Allmusic]] {{rating|3.5|5}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ejuj6jo771u0 Link]
| Last album =
| This album =
| Next album =
}}
The soundtrack is a mix of [[rock and roll]] and [[rhythm and blues]] with the original score created by film composer [[Elmer Bernstein]], who had been a Landis family friend since John Landis was a child.<ref name= "Kenny">{{cite news | last = Kenny | first = J.M | coauthors = | title = The Yearbook: An ''Animal House'' Reunion | work = Animal House: Collector's Edition DVD | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Universal Studios]] | date = 1998 | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> Bernstein was easily persuaded to score the film, but was not sure what to make of it. Landis asked him to score it as though it were serious.<ref name= "Kenny"/> Bernstein said that his work on this film opened yet another door in his diverse career, to scoring comedies (he would write the so-called "God music" segment in the Landis picture ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'', for example).<ref name= "Goldwasser">{{cite news | last = Goldwasser | first = Dan | coauthors = | title = Trading Memories | work = SoundtrackNet | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[July 12]], [[2005]] | url = http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=156 | accessdate = 2008-10-10 }}</ref>

In the film, the R&B band Otis Day and the Knights is depicted performing '[[Shout (Isley Brothers song)|Shout]]' at the Delta house toga party and later, at an all-black club, doing "Shama Lama Ding Dong". On the soundtrack album, the tracks are credited to a singer named Lloyd Williams. In the film, Otis Day is portrayed by actor [[DeWayne Jessie]].<ref name= "Olsen2">{{cite news | last = Olsen | first = Eric | coauthors = | title = ''Animal House'' Soundtrack | work = Blogcritics Magazine | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[August 25]], [[2003]] | url = http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/08/25/181107.php | accessdate = 2008-08-13 }}</ref>

===Soundtrack album listing===
# "Faber College Theme", composed by Elmer Bernstein
# "[[Louie Louie]]", written by [[Richard Berry]]; performed by [[John Belushi]]
# "[[Twistin' the Night Away]]", written and performed by [[Sam Cooke]]
# "Tossin' and Turnin' ", written and performed by [[Bobby Lewis]]
# "Shama Lama Ding Dong", written by Mark Davis; performed by [[Lloyd Williams (singer)|Lloyd Williams]]
# "[[Hey Paula (song)|Hey Paula]]", written by [[Paul & Paula|Ray Hildenbrand]] and performed by [[Paul & Paula]]
# "Animal House", written and performed by [[Stephen Bishop (musician)|Stephen Bishop]]
# Intro
# "[[Money (That's What I Want)]]", written by [[Berry Gordy]] and Janie Bradford; performed by John Belushi
# "Let's Dance", written by Jim Lee; performed by [[Chris Montez]]
# "Dream Girl", written and performed by Stephen Bishop
# "[[Wonderful World (song)|Wonderful World]]", written and performed by Sam Cooke
# "[[Shout (Isley Brothers song)|Shout]]", written by [[Rudolph Isley]], [[O'Kelly Isley, Jr.]] and [[Ronald Isley]]; performed by Lloyd Williams
# "Faber College Theme", composed by [[Elmer Bernstein]]

===Other songs in the film===
* "Theme from a Summer Place", composed by [[Max Steiner]]; performed by [[Percy Faith]] and his Orchestra
* "[[Who's Sorry Now]]", written by [[Ted Snyder]], [[Bert Kalmar]] and [[Harry Ruby]]; performed by [[Connie Francis]]
* "[[Washington Post March]]", composed by [[John Philip Sousa]]
* "[[Tammy (song)|Tammy]]", by [[Debbie Reynolds]]

==Reaction==
On its opening weekend, ''Animal House'' grossed [[USD]] $276,538, in 12 theaters.<ref name= "boxoffice">{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' | work = Box Office Mojo | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=animalhouse.htm | accessdate = 2007-10-10 }}</ref> The film grossed over one million dollars a week to become the third most popular film in the United States that year.<ref name= "Zito">{{cite news | last = Zito | first = Tom | coauthors = | title = The Sleaze is Pleased | work = [[Washington Post]] | pages = D1 | language = | publisher = | date = [[September 8]], [[1978]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> It made $120.1 million in [[North America]] and went on to have a domestic lifetime gross of $141.6 million.<ref name= "boxoffice"/>

===Critical reception===
[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "It's anarchic, messy, and filled with energy. It assaults us. Part of the movie's impact comes from its sheer level of manic energy . . . But the movie's better made (and better acted) than we might at first realize. It takes skill to create this sort of comic pitch, and the movie's filled with characters that are sketched a little more absorbingly than they had to be, and acted with perception".<ref name= "Ebert">{{cite news | last = Ebert | first = Roger | coauthors = | title = ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' | work = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[January 1]], [[1978]] | url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19780101/REVIEWS/801010308/1023 | accessdate = 2008-07-24 }}</ref> In his review for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', Frank Rich wrote, "At its best it perfectly expresses the fears and loathings of kids who came of age in the late '60's; at its worst ''Animal House'' revels in abject silliness. The hilarious highs easily compensate for the puerile lows".<ref name= "Rich">{{cite news | last = Rich | first = Frank | coauthors = | title = School Days | work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[August 14]], [[1978]] | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946996,00.html | accessdate = 2008-08-20 }}</ref> In his review for the ''[[Washington Post]]'', Gary Arnold praised Belushi's performance: "Belushi also controls a wicked array of conspiratorial expressions with the audience . . . He can seem irresistibly funny in repose or invest minor slapstick opportunities with a streak of genius".<ref name= "Arnold">{{cite news | last = Arnold | first = Gary | coauthors = | title = ''National Lampoon's Animal House'': Bringing the Beast Out of the Fraternity | work = [[Washington Post]] | pages = B1 | language = | publisher = | date = [[August 11]], [[1978]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> [[David Ansen]] wrote in ''[[Newsweek]]'', "But if ''Animal House'' lacks the inspired tastelessness of the Lampoon's ''High School Yearbook Parody'', this is still low humor of a high order".<ref name= "Ansen">{{cite news | last = Ansen | first = David | coauthors = | title = Gross Out | work = [[Newsweek]] | pages = 85 | language = | publisher = | date = [[August 7]], [[1978]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> In his review for the ''[[Globe and Mail]]'', Robert Martin wrote, "It is so gross and tasteless you feel you should be disgusted but it's hard to be offended by something that is so sidesplittingly funny".<ref name= "Martin">{{cite news | last = Martin | first = Robert | coauthors = | title = ''Animal House'' - A Lampoon Zoo | work = [[Globe and Mail]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[August 5]], [[1978]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> ''Time'' magazine proclaimed ''Animal House'' one of the year's best.<ref name= "Top10">{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = Year's Best | work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[January 1]], [[1979]] | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,916590,00.html | accessdate = 2008-08-20 }}</ref> ''Animal House'' has an 89% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] and an 82 metascore on [[Metacritic]].

When the film was released, John Landis and cast members James Widdoes and Karen Allen went on a national promotional tour.<ref name= "Arnold2"/> Universal Pictures spent $4.7 million dollars promoting the film at selected college campuses and helped students organize their own toga parties.<ref name= "TimeMag">{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = Bed Sheets Bonanza | work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[October 23]], [[1978]] | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946118,00.html | accessdate = 2008-08-20 }}</ref><ref name= "Darling">{{cite news | last = Darling | first = Lynn | coauthors = Joe Calderone | title = TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!: The Toga Party, Popping Up on Campuses Across the Country | work = [[Washington Post]] | pages = C1 | language = | publisher = | date = [[September 26]], [[1978]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> One such party at the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]] attracted approximately 2,000 people, while students at the [[University of Wisconsin-Madison]] tried for a crowd of 10,000 people and a place in the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]''.<ref name= "Darling"/> Thanks to the film, toga parties were the model for the fall of 1978's favorite college campus happening.<ref name= "Schwartz"/>

==TV series, sequel==
{{main|Delta House}}
The film inspired a short-lived half-hour [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television [[sitcom]], ''Delta House'', in which [[John Vernon]] reprised his role as the long-suffering, malevolent Dean Wormer. The series also included Steven Furst as Flounder, Bruce McGill as D-Day and James Widdoes as Hoover.<ref name= "Waters">{{cite news | last = Waters | first = Harry F | coauthors = | title = Send in the Clones | work = [[Newsweek]] | pages = 85 | language = | publisher = | date = [[January 29]], [[1979]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> The pilot episode was written by the film's screenwriters: Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller, and Harold Ramis.<ref name= "Shales">{{cite news | last = Shales | first = Tom | coauthors = | title = Bluto's Gone but His Brother's Carrying On | work = [[Washington Post]] | pages = B15 | language = | publisher = | date = [[January 18]], [[1979]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> [[Michelle Pfeiffer]] made her acting debut in the series and Peter Fox was cast as Otter. John Belushi's character from the film, John "Bluto" Blutarsky, is in the army, but his brother, Blotto, played [[Josh Mostel]], transfers to Faber College to carry on in his sibling's tradition.<ref name= "Shales"/>

''Animal House'' also inspired ''[[Co-Ed Fever (TV series)|Co-Ed Fever]]'', another sitcom but with none of the involvement of the film's producers or cast.<ref name= "Waters"/> Set in a dorm of the formerly all-female Baxter College, the [[pilot episode|pilot]] of ''Co-Ed Fever'' was aired by [[CBS]] on [[February 4]], [[1979]], but the network canceled the series before airing any more episodes.<ref>[http://www.tv.com/co-ed-fever/show/6343/episode_listings.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabssh&tag=tabs;episodes ''Co-Ed Fever'' episode list from TV.com]</ref> [[NBC]] also had its ''Animal House''-inspired sitcom, ''[[Brothers and Sisters (1979 TV series)|Brothers and Sisters]]'', in which three members of Crandall College's Pi Nu fraternity "interact" with members of the Gamma Iota sorority.<ref name= "Waters"/> Like ABC's ''Delta House'', ''Brothers and Sisters'' lasted only three months.<ref>[http://www.tv.com/brothers-and-sisters-1979/show/7997/episode_listings.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabssh&tag=tabs;episodes ''Brothers and Sisters'' episode list from TV.com]</ref>

The film's writers planned a movie sequel set in 1967 (the "[[Summer of Love]]"), in which the Deltas have a reunion for Pinto's marriage in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco.<ref name= "Quindlen">{{cite news | last = Quindlen | first = Anna | coauthors = | title = Young Actor Weary of Lying About Age | work = [[New York Times]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[September 5]], [[1980]] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> The only Delta to have become a hippie is Flounder, who is now called Pisces. Later, Chris Miller and John Weidman, another Lampoon writer, created a treatment for this screenplay, but Universal rejected it because the sequel to ''American Graffiti'' (''[[More American Graffiti]]''), which had a few hippie-1967 sequences, had not done well. When John Belushi died, the idea shelved indefinitely.<ref name= "Quindlen"/>

==DVD editions==
A "Collector's Edition" DVD was released in 2002 and featured a 30-minute 1998 documentary entitled, "The Yearbook - An ''Animal House'' Reunion" by producer JM Kenny with new interviews with many of the cast and crew, including director Landis, stars Tim Matheson, Karen Allen, Peter Riegert, Mark Metcalf, and Kevin Bacon. Also included were production notes and the theatrical trailer.<ref name= "Wolk">{{cite news | last = Wolk | first = Josh | coauthors = | title = ''House'' Rules | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[September 4]], [[1998]] | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,83682,00.html | accessdate = 2008-07-21 }}</ref> The "Double Secret Probation Edition" DVD released in 2003 features the members of the cast reprising their respective roles in a "Where Are They Now" [[mockumentary]], which purported that the original film had been a [[Documentary film|documentary]]. This DVD also includes "Did You Know That? Universal Animated Anecdotes," a subtitle trivia track, the making of documentary from the "Collector's Edition," [[MXPX]] "Shout" music video, a theatrical trailer, production notes, and cast and filmmakers biographies.<ref name= "Kim">{{cite news | last = Kim | first = Wook | coauthors = | title = ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' Double Secret Probation Edition | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[September 5]], [[2003]] | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,479987,00.html | accessdate = 2008-07-21 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
It is considered to be the movie that launched the [[gross-out film|gross-out genre]] (although it was predated by [[Gross-out film#Examples of the Gross-out Movie Genre|several films]] now also included in the genre) inspiring countless other comedies such as ''[[Porky's]]'', the [[Police Academy (franchise)|''Police Academy'' films]], and ''[[Old School (film)|Old School]]'' among others.<ref name= "Peterson"/> Produced on a small ([[United States dollar|$]]2.7 million) budget, the film has turned out to be one of the most profitable movies of all time. Since its initial release, ''Animal House'' has garnered an estimated return of more than $141 million in the form of video and DVDs, not including merchandising. In 2001, the United States [[Library of Congress]] deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]].<ref name= "FilmRegistry">{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = Films Selected to The National Film Registry, Library of Congress 1989-2006 | work = [[National Film Registry]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = | url = http://www.loc.gov/film/nfrchron.html | accessdate = 2007-10-10 }}</ref> ''Animal House'' is first on [[Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo]]'s "100 Funniest Movies". The film was #36 on [[American Film Institute|AFI]]'s "[[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs|100 Years, 100 Laughs]]" list of the 100 best American comedies.<ref name= "AFI">{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs | work = [[American Film Institute]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = | url = http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/laughs.aspx | accessdate = 2007-10-10 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Rick Meyerowitz]], the illustrator who drew ''Animal House's'' poster.


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquotepar|Animal House}}
* {{imdb title|id=0077975|title=National Lampoon's Animal House}}
* {{amg movie|id=1:60324|title=National Lampoon's Animal House}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=national_lampoons_animal_house|title=National Lampoon's Animal House}}
* {{metacritic film|id=animalhouse|title=National Lampoon's Animal House}}
* {{mojo title|id=animalhouse|title=National Lampoon's Animal House}}
* [http://libsyn.com/media/tsoya/tsoya111905.mp3 Interview (MP3) with John Belushi biographer Tanner Colby and widow Judith Belushi Pisano] on the public radio program [[The Sound of Young America]] regarding their book, "Belushi." Includes clips from Belushi's work on ''[[National Lampoon Inc|The National Lampoon]] Radio Hour''.



*Kemal Cicek (ed.). 2001. ''Pax Ottomana: Studies in Memoriam Prof. Dr. Nejat Göyünç (1925-2001)''. Ankara: Haarlem.
{{John Landis Films}}
*[[İlber Ortaylı]]. 2004. ''Osmanlı Barışı''. İstanbul: Timaş.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottomana, Pax}}
[[Category:1978 films]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Landis]]
[[Category:Latin political phrases]]
[[Category:Teen comedy films]]
[[Category:Pax]]
[[Category:1970s comedy films]]
[[Category:National Lampoon films|Animal House]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Oregon]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1960s]]


[[ja:パクス・オトマニカ]]
[[de:Ich glaub’, mich tritt ein Pferd]]
[[fr:Animal House]]
[[tr:Pax Ottomana]]
[[it:Animal House (film)]]
[[ja:アニマル・ハウス]]
[[no:Deltagjengen]]
[[fi:Delta-jengi]]
[[sv:Deltagänget]]

Revision as of 17:39, 10 October 2008

Pax Ottomana (literally "the Ottoman Peace") is a term used to describe the stability attained on lands taken over by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire, at the height of its power during the 16th and 17th centuries, covered the Balkans and Anatolia, the Middle East and North Africa as well as Caucasia.[who?]

It is preferred by Turkish historians and writers who hold a favorable view of Ottoman rule to underline the positive impact of Ottoman rule on the conquered regions. They compare it favourably with instability experienced before the Ottoman conquest and with the period after World War I, when only Anatolia and Eastern Thrace remained under Turkish rule. The wide spread use of the term is an outcome of the end of the Cold War that caused a new wave of instability, especially in the Balkans.

The term is derived from the more common Pax Romana, "the Roman Peace".

References

  • Kemal Cicek (ed.). 2001. Pax Ottomana: Studies in Memoriam Prof. Dr. Nejat Göyünç (1925-2001). Ankara: Haarlem.
  • İlber Ortaylı. 2004. Osmanlı Barışı. İstanbul: Timaş.