What makes the ALIEN franchise so terrifying? A look at the influence of H.P. Lovecraft and a comparison to 2001: A Space Odyssey will help in finding out why.
You're brilliant! Simple, concise and understandable. Subbed.
@obstgarteninnot9340
5 жыл бұрын
I agree, his analyses are very entertaining.
@morrighanwermarn-arnburg7333
5 жыл бұрын
Good and Evil are products of our egos and not relevant when facing the realities in the universe. The aliens wiping out others with no conscience is pure and uninhibited by their egos and sense of morals. This is reality, what the universe is all about. ...but Nazis are still bad even though evil doesn't exist. It's only good if aliens do it, bad if white guys do it. Good and bad aren't real though.
@veilofreality
5 жыл бұрын
@@morrighanwermarn-arnburg7333 "Good and Evil are products of our egos and not relevant when facing the realities in the universe", said who?
@tonyquigley6543
5 жыл бұрын
Cosmic Horror. it's a term he invented. And its. A horror movie set in fake space. 17 f8cking minutes. Whats wrong ewith you?
@Tonzoffun0420
5 жыл бұрын
@@morrighanwermarn-arnburg7333 good and evil are real we made them real whe we defined them. Good is defined as to be desired or approves of and evil is defined as profoundly immoral. So good and evil exist, but whether or not something is good or evil is extremely subjective. Something without a concept of human morality could not be evil though.
@deathislife3545
4 жыл бұрын
John Carpenter's "The Thing" is a perfect prime example of cosmic horror as well.
@superstarultra28
4 жыл бұрын
One of the best sci-fi horror films of all time!
@3amDayDreamer
4 жыл бұрын
@The Raccoonatic I agree!!
@thereplication2567
3 жыл бұрын
and the Birdbox. Although, more of a sense of how a creature cannot be described by means of words.
@jothishprabu8
3 жыл бұрын
The Thing > Alien
@SethHixie
3 жыл бұрын
If not the best example
@gordondavis6168
4 жыл бұрын
From the Alien’s perspective, the movie is “Die Hard” - the creature tries to survive by using air ducts to ambush antagonists.
@TheMetahedron
4 жыл бұрын
Absolutely.
@YeeLeeHaw
4 жыл бұрын
Yippe ki-alien mother!
@DramaticGnat
4 жыл бұрын
FFS, it's a whole new movie now.
@anubusx
3 жыл бұрын
Ho Ho Ho now i have a cattle prode.
@martinharris5017
2 жыл бұрын
Err no, The alien is a reproductive machine stalking sources of nourishment for its offfspring.
@TheLisa-Al-Gaib
4 жыл бұрын
The characters in alien weren’t stupid at all. They were untrained blue collar workers forced into an impossible situation. They did their absolute best against a violent intrusion-not knowing that Ash was covertly working against them. It’s amazing that they did as well as they did , for as long as they did. I believe you got your assessment wrong.
@moregasmthepowerful2959
6 жыл бұрын
I don't know if the Alien, or Hal or any creation of Lovecraft can fairly be described as 'evil'. The Alien simply reproduces and eats, as does any lifeform. Hal acts not out of cruelty but for the mission directive. And Lovecraft's creations are alien in the purest sense, without any desire we can comprehend. For me, this is where the true horror of Cosmicism lies, in that, in most horror genres we can say that we doing the right thing by defeating the psychopath or the rapist or the demon because we can fool ourselves into our own self righteousness by labelling them as evil. But we cannot do this for the Unknown entities. And so we are left to realise, brutally, how we are not any more 'right' than they are. And it is that dissolving of our preconceived convenient notions of morality that leaves us feeling the empty horror.
@adgato75
5 жыл бұрын
But we would not be in the wrong for doing so. We would be acting in self preservation, just like the Alien or any other being would.
@WickedWicka
5 жыл бұрын
Moregasm the Powerful This is a much more accurate definition of cosmic horror than what the video gives (which kind of got confused toward the end).
@Spartan300001
5 жыл бұрын
This is a point I wish the video had touched on. It kind of went in a more grandiose way, ironically, but still very salient. The problem is exactly what you said; these things aren't evil. They're incomprehensible. As the video said, to them, we are but ants. We mis-attribute the incomprehension of Lovecraft's creatures in adaption as going insane, as losing it, when people fail to realize that's practically sort of metaphorical. The Alien acts on instinct, on survival. C'thulhu is a priest of some unholy space clergy, and we'll never understand or comprehend his role in it or his motivations. These things are unknowable, and our fear is driven by the fact that we found something we can't experiment on, we can't observe, we can't worm around and defeat. We've finally found something that beats us. We're the apex predators of Earth, and our evolutionary advantage is technology, adaption. It's horrifying to think we've finally found something we can't adapt to, both in our personal lives and our darkest, largest nightmares.
@StarlasAiko
5 жыл бұрын
Further to the already mentioned points, a lot of human effort is spent on finding or creating a purpose for our existence as individuals, as communities and as species as a whole. Being confronted with the concept that we are no more important or mighty than an ant, disrupts the need for purpose and grandeur. That is the essence of Lovecraftian horror, looking into the abyss of nihilistic insignificance.
@robzilla730
5 жыл бұрын
@@Spartan300001 not quite; the ALIEN is easily defeatable providing sufficient firepower is on hand. See Aliens.
@orgywithpigs6
6 жыл бұрын
The room that the crew of Alien awake from hyper sleep in was referred to as the “womb room”
@artturnerjr
4 жыл бұрын
The room where Dallas and Ripley communicate with Mother is very womb-like as well.
@broaddusmarines
5 жыл бұрын
I respectfully disagree about everyone on the Nostromo being dumb except Ripley. Parker at least had the common sense that the rest of the crew didn’t have or refused to use.
@MrUndersolo
4 жыл бұрын
I always said they should have listened to both him and Ripley.
@nataliejarosz9360
Жыл бұрын
They generally struck me as not being stupid as much as completely out of their depth.
@HarryBalzak
6 жыл бұрын
8:18 That is not stupidity. It is panic. You can witness it in real life tragedies. People will lose rational thought and fall back on instinct in time of great peril. Her brain told her to "run away" so she did, unable to think rationally to know which way was best to "run away". She was a victim of her own desire for self preservation which overrode her logic/reason.
@perfectframe1
5 жыл бұрын
Couldn't agree more
@PresidentialWinner
5 жыл бұрын
Good point, i changed my mind on that particular scene thanks to you
@aleatoriac7356
5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, but people who think there's such a thing as "deserves to be punished, contra-causal free will" - and who either don't pay attention or have never been in one of these situations; these are the first people to "cast a stone" so to speak. Sure, the threshold at which point a person flips into fight or flight can be modulated somewhat (Navy SEAL training, say) - but it's still there. The few times I've experienced it, it's terrifying. It's almost like I black out and it's easy to see why people say they've "been possessed." Sense of free will vanishes.
@milanjudak7574
5 жыл бұрын
the problem with that is how much of its actual panic and whats just film stupidity ? for instance 8:20 is just film stupidity heck 80% of prometheus is stupidity and the 8:20 one is just stupidity i know i was there if a fucking truck is heading my way i GET OUT OF THE WAY not run away from it there was no split secend action, she had more then enough time to get away and then some
@Ponlets
5 жыл бұрын
she could move left or right instead of forward but shes stupid so she moves forward
@FolkBoyify
5 жыл бұрын
Hell, the consequence of arrogance. I like that, not just from a Christian perspective, but from a philosophical perspective.
@rhondahoward8025
4 жыл бұрын
"Humans must pay a steep price for their arrogance" Damn, Father said that in Fullmetal Alchemist.
@robertfliss2584
4 жыл бұрын
DrPoetry1 I suspect hell is pure will.Case in point.I want to do something,I know it is wrong and offends the Devine will but, I want to knowing it’s a sinful act but,I want to!
@stanstanstan2597
2 жыл бұрын
@@robertfliss2584 I think, rather, that Hell is the result of the absence of self-control. As you said, you know it is wrong, but you chose to focus your will towards doing it anyways. You failed to control yourself. You valued immediate satisfaction over ultimate good.
@robertfliss2584
2 жыл бұрын
@@stanstanstan2597 no doubt.
@Henry258654
5 жыл бұрын
If I'm not wrong, the context of "Nyarlathotep" is that during the time the story was written, many scientific discoveries that shattered everything people thought was an undeniable fact were being made. Nyarly himself is based on Nikola Tesla.
@vexaris1890
4 жыл бұрын
Tesla _might_ have been an influence on Nyarlathotep; that isn't clear. It seems like it, but we don't know for sure. The context also isn't only scientific discoveries but a dream HPL had.
@chrishalliday8371
5 жыл бұрын
Nicely put, though I do think you missed out on Lovecraft’s main point with cosmicism; futility. In cosmic horror, mankind is ultimately doomed because nothing we do matters against the vast scale of a universe that knows and cares little about us. In cosmicism, it is only our ignorance that provides what little comfort we have, and frequently it is glimpsing a fraction the truth behind reality that destroys us. “We live on a placid island of ignorance amidst black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”
@ferretappreciator
2 жыл бұрын
I love that alien is considered cosmic horror despite not having some ancient and omniscient beast. There's a monster, sure, but that's not just why the film is horrifying. Cosmic horror, for me, leaves me feeling a sort of emptiness or numbness that I completely adore. It's sad that there isn't more great cosmic horror media than there currently is, but I think that's apart of what makes it special.
@airborne_arachnid
5 жыл бұрын
I always thought that Cosmic Horror was realizing that the beings beyond comprehension that destroy humanity also do not matter at all in the grand scheme of things - the Martians from the War of The Worlds are killed by disease, because much like humans they are not anything special but rather more powerful in relation to that which they oppressing. In a sense I find the concept of Cosmic Horror to be quite liberating, because as it means that no individual or collective action on the part of a human or humanity has any significance in the grander cosmic sense, it remains that the only imperative in the universe must be to reduce suffering in your personal life/relationships rather than build grand things.
@larva5606
5 жыл бұрын
Great video. For the impatient: In a nut shell “if you don’t know your place, you’re crusin for a bruisin....”
@frikifilia2431
4 жыл бұрын
This was briliant! I never really drew a comparision between Alien and 2001 (two of my favorite movies) but you really hit it out of the park. First video I've seen from this channel, but I'm already subbed. Keep up the awesome work!
@3ggh3ad
5 жыл бұрын
True Detective Season 1 also was good cosmic horror with the mythos of the Yellow King and underlying theme of decay
@asphalt-cowboy9479
5 жыл бұрын
this is the third video I've watched of yours and they're all absolutely impeccable.. keep up the good work man
@remygrunge3223
5 жыл бұрын
Just discovered this chanel...love it, love it, love it! Insightful, articulate, and really eye opening. A sure way to enjoy film at a more comprehensive level. Kudos!
@jajr4838
6 жыл бұрын
I never thought that Alien could be so phylosofical until you came. Great video
@markw.loughton6786
4 жыл бұрын
Dan O Bannon said ALIEN was influenced by At the mountains of madness By Lovecraft.
@MrParishD
4 жыл бұрын
Late to this particular video, but you definitely have my sub. Content Creators like yourself are what give me hope in this day and age. I hope your keeping it up, going to binge your videos now. :D
@warggrim5391
5 жыл бұрын
Excellent! Almost made me late for work because I didn't want to pause it halfway. Thanks for posting.
@santosbarrera1801
5 жыл бұрын
Great conclusion, you’re channel is heavily underrated. Keep up the great work.
@blackosprey2219
4 жыл бұрын
I discovered this channel yesterday, and your videos are fantastic! Definitely subscribing.
@movedmindpoRUSZonyUMYS
2 жыл бұрын
Really solid work. That's so refreshing to find a great video essayist. Good luck!
@PheePeaAnimation
5 жыл бұрын
I love your video essays, probably the best I've seen. Well done dude
@SlasherFlick
4 жыл бұрын
Great video! Thanks for pointing out symbolism in movies that I've seen a dozen times and am still learning new things about, keep it up!
@Orestes202
5 жыл бұрын
Veeery well done. I'm surprised your channel doesn't have more views!
@michaelcoffey1991
6 жыл бұрын
Some very good concepts here and some very good thoughts and ideas. Looking forward to seeing more.
@RajivSinha108
6 жыл бұрын
really great video. The moment you mentioned Lovecraft, it revealed your hard work and research in making this video. This video deserves more like.
@MuffinEnjoyer
Жыл бұрын
Bro Lovecraft is the face of cosmic horror...
@lisatwigg6057
5 жыл бұрын
Absolutely magnificent. I am currently reading through H.P. Lovecrafts essay on Supernatural Horror and low and behold, your video popped up. (I've been subbed for a bit but finally got a chance to watch this.) Love your work!
@anubusx
2 жыл бұрын
In The Mouth Of Madness is the best Lovecraft film.
@masamune2984
3 жыл бұрын
This was, quite honestly, a brilliant video, and possibly the greatest explanation of the unexplainable that is “cosmic horror.” I love to ponder cosmic horror and existentialism, but found myself pausing your video multiple times simply to reflect on some of the insightful points you made, in multiple areas, that I’d never heard or considered before. Thank you very much. Subscribed, obviously 🙂
@fridakahlo4225
2 жыл бұрын
Annihilation deserves a deep dive video I believe. It combines pure cosmic horror with many other things like human psychology, body horror, philosophy... etc.
@warggrim5391
5 жыл бұрын
"Soulless Corporate Mindset" is hardly unique to capitalist economic systems. It occurs anytime an elite or a bureaucracy tries to get the masses to buy into the idea that the corporation/state is more important than the individual.
@salvitoripopadillo4539
5 жыл бұрын
So True!!! Well said! Bravo!
@cantonic_1774
4 жыл бұрын
shut up liberal
@KevinJohnson-cv2no
4 жыл бұрын
You'll hardly find Capitalist thought propagating that the corporation is more important than the individual though, adherence to self-interest and individuality is one of the bedrock tenants of Capitalism. Capitalism is less likely to say "The Corporation is more important than you" and force you down a certain path, and more likely to say "The Corporation is good for your self-interest" and leave the choice up to you.
@fuzzydunlop7928
4 жыл бұрын
Oh no no, let's not give in to the false equivalency that easily. Corporation =/= State - it's just that corporatism may exist (these days probably exists) in large authoritarian power structures. I'm a Communalist, so I'm all about that small government and local agency but there are too many successful precedents to conclude that such an outcome is inevitable in a large state or bureaucratic system, even if the "needs of the many" mindset pervades.
@mphylo2296
2 жыл бұрын
A corporation is a collection of companies or a single large company. A company is a commercial business. A corporation or company exists to accumulate capital. Corporations and companies do not exist outside of a capitalist system. Corporatism cannot exist without capitalism. The "soulless corporate mindset" is, by definition, intrinsically capitalist. Your neoliberal is showing.
@dashenbasha2645
5 жыл бұрын
great editing, great content, keep it up!
@clammysammy2823
5 жыл бұрын
Just found your account, amazing work!
@cosmiccastor7171
4 жыл бұрын
This was a very thought-provoking video. When I first saw it, I didn't quite get it but after re-watching it a couple more times and reflecting on it, this really made me admire the ALIEN franchise and inspired me to get more into it. Excellent work!
@morphi9983
6 жыл бұрын
I loved this video Alot, I've subscribed.. thank you for these 17 minutes of greatness.
@ALacunae
5 жыл бұрын
The beginning of this video gave me twilight zone vibes. Nice channel btw. High quality content. And you appear to be a Radiohead and Massive Attack fan. I'm in. Subbed.
@JonathanCamposReyes
5 жыл бұрын
LOVE the Alien: Covenant soundtrack in the background 😍 Great video also
@isalhollander2733
3 жыл бұрын
ill be binging ur videos tn thx
@TerrorReels
5 жыл бұрын
Great video! Subbed up for sure
@bluestatered6699
6 жыл бұрын
Next time I try to explain why alien is a masterpiece of horror I'll direct to this video.
@anubusx
2 жыл бұрын
I agree. Prometheus and Covenant ruined it.
@EmyN
Жыл бұрын
Great video! Subscribed
@wmcnabb
Жыл бұрын
Awesome study. Thanks for sharing.
@ArcaneCowboy
5 жыл бұрын
Humans drove HAL insane. He's not inhuman and uncaring on his own.
@orpheus9037
4 жыл бұрын
I'm not sure it was humans that drove HAL insane - if anything, I suspect it was the knowledge HAL possessed, unlike the rest of the crew, of an alien intelligence. After Bowman disconnects HAL, he views the film and the purpose of the mission is revealed. Undoubtedly HAL knew about this all along.
@RCAvhstape
3 жыл бұрын
@@orpheus9037 HAL was given conflicting instructions by humans. His builders told him to always be truthful with the crew, but government officials in charge of the mission told him to keep the real mission objective a secret. Humans can handle conflicting instructions without going nuts, but HAL couldn't.
@vootamu1
5 жыл бұрын
👍Liked and subbed halfway through the video. An exceptional film analysis and commentary on humanity in general.
@almightytallestred
6 жыл бұрын
Excellent work. Maybe you expanded a little bit on the general interpretation of the term "cosmic horror" but who cares because this is an absolutely brilliant video essay.
@MrUndersolo
6 жыл бұрын
New sub! Well done, sir!
@johnmascola3403
Жыл бұрын
BRAVO ! A truly enlightening video essay.
@reacting_to_stuff_
4 жыл бұрын
Bro you are right now my favorite KZitemr
@alisterfolson
5 жыл бұрын
Expertly put together... you have new sub here
@wangson
4 жыл бұрын
Really well done, man!
@adamplentl5588
5 жыл бұрын
What a great channel. You need more subs.
@spider1200
5 жыл бұрын
As a lifelong devotee of the science-fiction and fantasy genres, I found this dissertation intriguing and tantalizing. A brilliant set of insights offered here, fascinating. Thank you.
@maybelikealittlebit
4 жыл бұрын
I just wanted to add a line to your ending, “...our inability to learn from the past, causing our inability to properly adapt to the present, and our inability to strategically prepare for the future.” Love your videos and I’m a new subscriber ❤️👏❤️
@ummmwhatnow
5 жыл бұрын
Brilliant breakdown of such a fascinating topic. Please do more! Even if it's only to tickle our egotistical, ignorant, and arrogant curiosities :P
@BH-pk6ng
5 жыл бұрын
I have to disagree with the connection between cosmic horror and the ego. Lovecarft and later authors like junji ito push the notion that cosmic horror is the kind of horror that surpasses the boundaries of the human mind. But in aliens it is the ego and the actions of the humans that leads to their demise. The alien is not an entity that destroys the humans simple because they are in its path. the alien is specifically designed to hunt humans.
@adgato75
5 жыл бұрын
Junji Ito is such an interesting writer. Uzumaki is the tits
@yewwowduck
5 жыл бұрын
I think that only comes into play if you're including Covenant. Before that, they're just a gene-stealer of sorts, and seem to be very animalistic, not doing much beyond forming and sustaining a hive.
@vexaris1890
4 жыл бұрын
It also doesn't leave to moral consequence like damnation - you get destroyed, physically or mentally, but it doesn't care of the moral implications or thoughts of humans.
@abisspassenger
5 жыл бұрын
Nice video, man. Interesting comparison between two master pieces of cinema. And Keir Dullea was such a handsome fella back then.
@tjarkm.463
6 жыл бұрын
Deserves more attention ! good job
@tonywords6713
5 жыл бұрын
great analysis! great videos!
@problematic_canik
4 жыл бұрын
I came to this channel for hereditary. Stayed for the amazing content pumped thru this channel.
@davestar4718
5 жыл бұрын
Just been to the cinema to watch this classic again. Even better on the big screen. The audio is class
@alexanderludvig5662
5 жыл бұрын
Marvelous study, two thumbs up!
@GENECARP
5 жыл бұрын
Perfectly done, TY
@nayyarrashid4661
5 жыл бұрын
Subbed this is my second video i watched... Also Speaking about Cosmic Horror and Lovecroft what is a good Chuthulu movie and did you dissect it?
@MrWil9
6 жыл бұрын
Awesome analysis.
@worstxb1playertylerteehc635
5 жыл бұрын
Great work. Nice to know there are others who KNOW what they're talking about.
@marcuscristy5371
6 жыл бұрын
this was really good
@pjspleeze
7 жыл бұрын
you really understand cosmic horror! one of the best vids ive seen on it
@brianward6291
6 жыл бұрын
GREAT video essay
@Fandango541
5 жыл бұрын
Absolutely brilliant! You are quite intelligent with a rare ability to project yourself to reality; a reality that so many humans work so hard trying to ignore. Very well done!
@Adicus
5 жыл бұрын
Excellent video! Pointing out the infantilisation of the characters makes me appreciate both films in a way that I previously wouldn’t have 👍🏻
@kafelkan1482
6 жыл бұрын
This video gave me a change of heart honestly good job
@eli_r_q
5 жыл бұрын
I really like the idea you brought up about how we are treated in society can lead to unfortunate consequences for the person themselves.
@wangson
4 жыл бұрын
At 0:41 , we are shown a scene of the ship Prometheus, from the movie with the same name, travelling through empty space. I've always loved this very quick scene...the ship is so small, travelling SO fast through the vast emptiness....I just think it's beautiful.
@glass4breakfast
5 жыл бұрын
holy shit your channel is so goddamn good! i just watched the hereditary video earlier which was amazing n i subscribed! this video is so good. I've been a Lovecraft fan for a cpl years now, he is one of my most favorite authors. so i have to ask... is that his actual voice in those clips? i didn't know there was any recording of him... I've always been curious of what he sounded like.
@xtremenortherner
4 жыл бұрын
Some very good points are made;& utilizing the comparisons/commonality among different classic sci-fi movies was spot on! Question: is it really H.P. whose speaking? Sounds like it could be an old recording or a created one!?
@Amanda-tomyi
5 жыл бұрын
This video is so well done. I keep coming back to it, even though I've watched it well over 5 times.
@TheMihaeli
5 жыл бұрын
My goal si to make videos in which I analyze things similar to this one. You are an inspiration for that goal.
@ipons-jv9ll
3 жыл бұрын
You have some of the best videos on this site. I'm hoping enough people have told you that you're aware.
@SallyTheDon
4 жыл бұрын
Your videos are so good. Hope to see more content soon. Subbed
@lexbc4751
3 жыл бұрын
I love all these perspectives. My favorite is "The Mouth of Madness". I hope you get back in the game and introduce a perspective on "The Exorcist". \m/
@anubusx
2 жыл бұрын
Love In The Mouth Of Madness. I read Sutter Cane.
@laura-hr2rj
4 жыл бұрын
Excellent soundtrack choice
@salvitoripopadillo4539
5 жыл бұрын
The Tyrant67 took my word....Brilliant!! Keep it going brother!
@iamthezoid1643
6 жыл бұрын
Interesting ideas
@francisneron9968
5 жыл бұрын
You are wiser then the wise man. Thank you for putting words on our mortal feelings that we do not comprehend..but that you enlighten.
@iamasad2432
5 жыл бұрын
Great Video, love the genre. I also laugh at the way people pronounce Nyarlathotep.
@MrSeth1984
5 жыл бұрын
Dude, who are you? These essays are amazing? I'd like to see your resume.
@royriley6282
5 жыл бұрын
holy hell you do good analyses.
@shealupkes
Жыл бұрын
I'm glad someone made a video on it, john carpenter's the thing and the recent annihilation adaptation are the more commonly recognized examples but this film is also a perfect example of cosmic horror in its own way.
@reco2186
5 жыл бұрын
Thank you. Please continue to make your mark.
@laseraw
6 жыл бұрын
Bravo! I love this films and never tier of debating in their defense.
@jacobjohnston3983
6 жыл бұрын
Wow, the theme of infantilization is really interesting! I haven't watched either movie in a few years, but that idea makes a ton of sense.
@mikkelis77
5 жыл бұрын
Your voice is hypnotic.* That´s good thing.
@artblack01
5 жыл бұрын
Such a good video.
@TRak598
4 жыл бұрын
Cosmic horror is part of one of the two possible answers for the legendary question: "Are we alone in the universe?" Better to say: We are not alone. The real deal is: "Won't we meet the "others" before we vanish from the space?". If we don't, we live in ignorance, but sane and with meaning. If we do meet what lies beyond our current comprehension, our curious, inquisitive nature will most likely guide mankind to madness.
@PyroNexus22
5 жыл бұрын
I love this video. Could you please share, what music is used here?
@Nilonimir
5 жыл бұрын
I saw the company in alien as authoritarian.
@I.____.....__...__
Жыл бұрын
14:48 I think the poster for _Alien: Covenant_ looks more like the door from _The Haunting_ (1999) which had the Inferno quote than the Gustav Doré etching for Inferno. It's also reminiscent of the mural in _Devil's Advocate_ (1997).
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