Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Series 4 - Complete (DVD)
Horror - Director: Joss Whedon, Michael E. Gershman, James A. Cotner - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Amber Benson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Seth Green, James Marsters, Anthony Head, Nicholas Brendon, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield more
The macabre adventures of Buffy and her Sunnydale comrades continue. The fourth season features budding romance between Xander and the ex-demon Anya as well as Willow and the new... more
comes face-to-face with the leader of a gang of vampire thieves named Sunday. If that wasn't bad enough we learn that Buffy's roommate (who naturally has a Celin...
comes face-to-face with the leader of a gang of vampire thieves named Sunday. If that wasn't bad enough we learn that Buffy's roommate (who naturally has a Celin...
college and finds not only new academic crises, but ghost-ridden ones as well. Buffy's boyfriend, Angel the vampire, is now dead to the real world as well, leaving her plenty of opportunities for romance, as well as facing the harpies of hell, who continue to haunt her. College is infinitely more difficult and dangerous than high school. To help her cope, Buffy takes on a tutor in her Grand-Guiginol studies, former friend Rupert Giles, the resident expert on darkness, devils and all things evil. Giles can certainly help, but when it comes to fighting darkness, Buffy is all on her own.
major characters--the vampire-with-a-soul Angel and Cordelia, the queen bitch of Sunnydale High--had gone off to be in their own show,Angel, and soon after the start of the season Willow's werewolf boyfriend Oz left when Seth Green needed to concentrate on his film career. Buffy and Willow started college, where they met new characters like Riley, the All-American Boy with a double life, and Tara, the sweet stuttering witch; but Xander and Giles found themselves at something of a loose end. Several characters were subjected to the radical re-envisioning possible in a show that deals with the supernatural: the blond vampire Spike came back and soon found himself with an inhibitor chip in his head, forced into reluctant alliance with Buffy; the former vengeance demon Anya became passionately smitten with Xander.Not all fans were happy with the central story arc about the sinister Dr Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) and her Frankensteinian creation Adam, though Crouse's performance was memorable. The strength of Season Four was perhaps most in impressive stand-alone episodes like the silent "Hush", the multiple dream sequence "Restless" and the passionate, moving "New Moon Rising", in which Oz returns, apparently cured, only to find that Willow is no longer waiting for him. This was one of the high points of the show as a vehicle for intense acting, perhaps only equalled by "Who Are You?", in which the evil slayer Faith takes over Buffy's body and Sarah Michelle Gellar gets to play bad girl for once. --Roz KaveneyOn the DVD:BuffySeason 4 was a hit and so is this sublime box set. The commentaries for "The Initiative", "This Year'sGirl", "Superstar" and "Primaveral" are all well above average, but are nothing compared to "Hush" and "Restless" where Joss Whedon gives out all the information and insights any fan would dream of. The four featurettes included are a pleasure to watch, especially the evolution of the sets for the show. The scripts, trailers and cast biographies complete the set and make for a decent addition to your Buffy archive. The soundtrack is in 2.0 Dolby surround, but the image is as grainy and dark as the previous seasons on DVD. --Celine Martig
major characters--the vampire-with-a-soul Angel and Cordelia, the queen bitch of Sunnydale High--had gone off to be in their own show,Angel, and soon after the start of the season Willow's werewolf boyfriend Oz left when Seth Green needed to concentrate on his film career. Buffy and Willow started college, where they met new characters like Riley, the All-American Boy with a double life, and Tara, the sweet stuttering witch; but Xander and Giles found themselves at something of a loose end. Several characters were subjected to the radical re-envisioning possible in a show that deals with the supernatural: the blond vampire Spike came back and soon found himself with an inhibitor chip in his head, forced into reluctant alliance with Buffy; the former vengeance demon Anya became passionately smitten with Xander.Not all fans were happy with the central story arc about the sinister Dr Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) and her Frankensteinian creation Adam, though Crouse's performance was memorable. The strength of Season Four was perhaps most in impressive stand-alone episodes like the silent "Hush", the multiple dream sequence "Restless" and the passionate, moving "New Moon Rising", in which Oz returns, apparently cured, only to find that Willow is no longer waiting for him. This was one of the high points of the show as a vehicle for intense acting, perhaps only equalled by "Who Are You?", in which the evil slayer Faith takes over Buffy's body and Sarah Michelle Gellar gets to play bad girl for once. --Roz KaveneyOn the DVD:BuffySeason 4 was a hit and so is this sublime box set. The commentaries for "The Initiative", "This Year'sGirl", "Superstar" and "Primaveral" are all well above average, but are nothing compared to "Hush" and "Restless" where Joss Whedon gives out all the information and insights any fan would dream of. The four featurettes included are a pleasure to watch, especially the evolution of the sets for the show. The scripts, trailers and cast biographies complete the set and make for a decent addition to your Buffy archive. The soundtrack is in 2.0 Dolby surround, but the image is as grainy and dark as the previous seasons on DVD. --Celine Martig
major characters--the vampire-with-a-soul Angel and Cordelia, the queen bitch of Sunnydale High--had gone off to be in their own show,Angel, and soon after the start of the year Willow's werewolf boyfriend Oz left when Seth Green needed to concentrate on his film career. Buffy and Willow started college, where they met new characters such as Riley, the All-American Boy with a double life, and Tara, the sweet stuttering witch; but Xander and Giles found themselves at something of a loose end. Several characters were subjected to the radical re-envisioning possible in a show that deals with the supernatural: the blond vampire Spike came back and soon found himself with an inhibitor chip in his head, forced into reluctant alliance with Buffy; the former vengeance demon Anya became passionately smitten with Xander.Not all fans were happy with the central story arc about the sinister Dr Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) and her Frankensteinian creation Adam, though Crouse's performance was memorable. The strength of Series 4 was perhaps most in impressive stand-alone episodes such as the silent "Hush", the multiple dream sequence "Restless" and the passionate, moving "New Moon Rising", in which Oz returns, apparently cured, only to find that Willow is no longer waiting for him. This was one of the high points of the show as a vehicle for intense acting, perhaps only equalled by "Who Are You?", in which the evil slayer Faith takes over Buffy's body and Sarah Michelle Gellar gets to play the bad girl for once. --Roz Kaveney
major characters--the vampire-with-a-soul Angel and Cordelia, the queen bitch of Sunnydale High--had gone off to be in their own show,Angel, and soon after the start of the year Willow's werewolf boyfriend Oz left when Seth Green needed to concentrate on his film career. Buffy and Willow started college, where they met new characters such as Riley, the All-American Boy with a double life, and Tara, the sweet stuttering witch; but Xander and Giles found themselves at something of a loose end. Several characters were subjected to the radical re-envisioning possible in a show that deals with the supernatural: the blond vampire Spike came back and soon found himself with an inhibitor chip in his head, forced into reluctant alliance with Buffy; the former vengeance demon Anya became passionately smitten with Xander.Not all fans were happy with the central story arc about the sinister Dr Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) and her Frankensteinian creation Adam, though Crouse's performance was memorable. The strength of Series 4 was perhaps most in impressive stand-alone episodes such as the silent "Hush", the multiple dream sequence "Restless" and the passionate, moving "New Moon Rising", in which Oz returns, apparently cured, only to find that Willow is no longer waiting for him. This was one of the high points of the show as a vehicle for intense acting, perhaps only equalled by "Who Are You?", in which the evil slayer Faith takes over Buffy's body and Sarah Michelle Gellar gets to play the bad girl for once. --Roz Kaveney
Production Year: 2005 - Horror - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Djimon Hounsou, Tilda Swinton, Rachel Weisz, Keanu Reeves, Shia LaBeouf, Peter Stormare, Tim Murdock
A review by amytheduck on Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Series 4 - Complete (DVD) June 18th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Outstanding
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Outstanding
Advantages:
Some amazing episodes, great seasonal arc and great performances
Disadvantages:
One or two bad episodes
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I've seen complaints on various message boards that season four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is where the show lost its way. I disagree - in my opinion the show only got bigger and better with each season.
In season four, Buffy and Willow head off to the local university, whilst Xander moves into his parents basement and tries to find a direction in life. Giles is feeling a little useless with no job and nothing to do.
I don't want to repeat the general information I put into my review of seasons one, two and three, so I'll just jump straight into reviewing the characters and episodes. Check my profile for my reviews of the first three seasons!
--Characters--
Once again, our favourites are back: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Oz and Giles all return for the fourth season. Also joining the main cast is Spike, played by James Marsters and Riley, played by Marc Blucas. Amber Benson as Tara comes along in the second half of the season for a recurring role, and Emma Caulfield returns as Anya - the ex-demon.
Adding Spike as a main character was a stroke of genius - James Marsters brings so much to the role that every scene with Spike is a pleasure to watch.
Buffy's love interest for this season is Riley, a teaching assistant at the university. At first, Riley seems to be an ordinary guy, but his true self is soon revealed...
Tara is introduced at first as a fellow witch and friend for Willow, but soon their relationship becomes more complicated.
Finally, Anya - the vengeance demon who had a couple of cameos in season three returns and finds herself infatuated with Xander. The introduction of Anya is fantastic - she's a great character and Emma Caulfield has amazing comedic timing.
--Episodes--
Episode One: The Freshman Buffy, Willow and Oz start college at the local UC Sunnydale, but Buffy soon finds herself in over her head. A vampire gang who kill students and steal their belongings soon appears, and it's up to Buffy to deal with them. This is a great season opener - we the viewer are plunged into the unfamiliar world of college along with Buffy, which works really well.
Episode Two: Living Conditions Buffy has to deal with her annoying roommate in this episode - and she thinks there's something odd about her. This is a great comedy episode with plenty of laughs.
Episode Three: The Harsh Light of Day Spike's back in Sunnydale and he's got a new girlfriend - Harmony, who was turned into a vampire at the High School's graduation. He's looking for the Ring of Amara, the 'holy grail' of the vampire world, which will make him next to invincible. Meanwhile, Buffy's stung after a one night stand with Parker. I love this episode because I'm a huge Spike fan, and his re-introduction to the series is great.
Episode Four: Fear, Itself The Halloween episode of the season, this sees the gang going to a party at a frat house - but soon they find themselves trapped with their fears manifesting themselves. A fun episode that doesn't take itself too seriously - and wait til you see the big reveal of the monster!
Episode Five: Beer Bad Undoubtedly the worst episode of this season, Buffy falls in with a group of intelligent college boys with a fondness for beer. The beer soon turns them - and Buffy - into Neanderthal cavemen. The only redeeming feature of this episode is seeing Buffy hit Parker on the head!
Episode Six: Wild at Heart This episode isn't a favourite of mine, but I like aspects of it. In werewolf form, Oz escapes from his cage and discovers another werewolf on the campus - the oddly named Veruca. Veruca tries to tempt him to her way of thinking, endangering Willow in the process. This episode ends up with Oz leaving Sunnydale - and there's a heartbreaking conversation with Willow which is acted really well.
Episode Seven: The Initiative Aha, in this episode we finally find out just what Riley has been hiding and who the commando guys really are. Spike is captured by a government facility hidden under UC Sunnydale called the Initiative, and soon finds that they've put a chip in his head to stop him from biting humans. I love this episode mainly for the one scene between Spike and Willow when he discovers his "impotence".
Episode Eight: Pangs A very funny episode that sees Buffy trying to organise Thanksgiving dinner for the gang, whilst dealing with the spirits of a Chumash tribe. Angel comes to town, but doesn't want Buffy to see him, and Spike begs for help from the Scoobies. A great, funny episode.
Episode Nine: Something Blue Another hilarious episode in which Willow unknowingly casts spells on all her friends. She turns Giles blind, makes Spike and Buffy believe they are in love and engaged, and turns Xander into a literal demon magnet. The Spike/Buffy moments are hilariously funny and this ranks as one of my top episodes of the series.
Episode Ten: Hush This episode is amazingly well done - a group of fairytale monsters called The Gentlemen come to town and steal everyone's voices. Cue an episode where there's no talking. It sounds like it could be very boring, but this is one of the most entertaining episodes of the season. Very well acted, as well.
Episode Eleven: Doomed I'd say that this was more of a filler episode than anything else. The Scoobies find out that a group of demons are trying to open the Hellmouth in the old High School, so they have to try and find a way to stop it. There are some great Spike moments in this episode, but apart from that it's not particularly memorable.
Episode Twelve: A New Man Ethan Rayne returns for the final time to Sunnydale to get revenge on his old friend Giles. He ends up turning Giles into a Fyarl demon. Some hilarious scenes as Giles the demon teams up with Spike - the only one who can understand his speech - to find Ethan and get him to reverse the spell. Another very funny episode.
Episode Thirteen: The I In Team Riley introduces Buffy to the Initiative and she begins to work for them. But Maggie Walsh - one of the Initiative scientists - thinks she is asking too many questions and tries to kill her. Meanwhile Buffy realises that the Initiative is not all they claim to be... A so-so episode with some good moments.
Episode Fourteen: Goodbye Iowa Continuing the storyline of the previous episode, Maggie Walsh's hybrid monster has escaped from the Initiative and is now roaming free in Sunnydale. The scoobies try to find him. Meanwhile Riley becomes sick with withdrawel from the drugs the Initiative were secretly giving him. Quite a forgettable episode, in my opinion.
Episode Fifteen: This Year's Girl Episode Sixteen: Who Are You? A fantastic two parter, these episodes see Faith waking up from her coma and coming after Buffy. At the end of the first episode, she uses a device sent by the Mayor to swap bodies with Buffy. In the second part, Buffy - trapped in Faith's body - has to try and find a way to fix it. Meanwhile, Faith - in Buffy's body - wreaks havoc with Buffy's friends. Two really great episodes - and Faith's story continues shortly after in season one of Angel.
Episode Seventeen: Superstar An odd episode - but it's not bad, just confusing. You're thrown into the deep end immediately when Buffy and her friends can't fight a nest of vampires and head for help from Jonathan - the geek from high school. Jonathan seems to be good at everything - slaying, writing, acting...you name it, he's done it. But all is not as it seems - Jonathan has altered reality for his own gain. Not a favourite episode of mine, but worth watching.
Episode Eighteen: Where the Wild Things Are The second worst episode in the season, this is just...odd. The gang attend a party held in Riley's frat house, and strange things begin to happen whilst Riley and Buffy are upstairs for some, er, alone time. Not a brilliant episode.
Episode Nineteen: New Moon Rising Oz returns to Sunnydale with the werewolf side of him firmly under control - or so he thinks. When he finds out about Willow and Tara's burgeoning relationship, he loses control and turns into the wolf - and is captured by the Initiative. A great episode that really sees the beginning of the Willow/Tara storyline.
Episode Twenty: The Yoko Factor Spike works for Adam to try and split up the Scoobies - with the incentive that Adam will remove his chip. He succeeds - sort of - in making Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles get into a huge fight. Will they resolve their differences so that they can fight Adam?
Episode Twenty-One: Primeval This is the big finale to the Initiative storyline, despite being the penultimate episode in the season. Buffy and the gang head into the Initiative, intent on finding Adam and destroying him. Meanwhile, Adam has taken control of Riley via a chip near his heart. Willow, Xander and Giles combine their essence (in Xander's words: not as weird as it sounds!) - so that Buffy has the strength and knowledge to fight Adam. I think this is a great finale to the storyline, but it went a little too Matrix in some parts.
Episode Twenty-Two: Restless It seems odd to end a season with an episode that's not an action-packed finale, but we got that in episode twenty-one. In Restless, the gang veg out in front of the TV, and soon find themselves asleep and dreaming. We see into each of their dreams, but there's something evil lurking in the dreams. This is a very interesting and intriguing episode - more a character study of the four mains than anything else. Spectacularly written and directed by Joss Whedon, this unconventional season finale works really well.
--Special Features--
* Script for 'Fear Itself' * Audio commentary for episode 'The Initiative' by Doug Petrie * Audio Commentary for episode 'Hush' by Joss Whedon * 'Hush' episode featurette * 'The Sets of Sunnydale' featurette * 'Buffy: Inside The Music' featurette * 'Introducing Spike' featurette * Buffy trailers * Cast biographies * Audio commentary for episode 'This Year's Girl' by Doug Petrie * Audio commentary for episode 'Superstar' by Jane Espenson * Script for episode 'Who Are You' * Audio commentary for episode 'Primeval' by David Fury and David J. Contner * Audio commentary for episode 'Restless' by Joss Whedon * Script for 'Restless' episode
--Overall--
Before watching season four I did have misgivings - how well would the show work outside of the familiar high school setting? Where would the gang go for scooby meetings now that the library's been blown up? Whilst I do think season four was weaker than seasons two and three, it still has some amazing episodes and a great story arc.
I loved the plot of science (the Initiative) vs. magic (the scoobies) - and we got to see that the scoobies aren't the only ones who know about all the weird stuff that goes on in the world.
Another great season of Buffy that's highly addictive viewing!
More Reviews
Buffy goes to college Review ofBuffy The Vampire Slayer - Series 4 - Complete (DVD)by
kimbahop
Advantages: Great stories, witty lines, something different Disadvantages: Not Buffys best year
WHATS THE DEAL?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the story of a young woman who is normal by day but has a double life as the slayer, a chosen one whose job it is to fight demons and vampires.
It was always going to be hard to make season 4 of Buffy. The whole show revolved around Buffy and her scooby gang, the hilarious high school misfits who worry about their teenage issues by day and fight demons at night. But season 3 ended with the gang graduating ... ...a military experiment gone wrong. Buffy gets involved with a secret government initiative as well as their star soldier. Evil Spike gets 'neutered' and Willow finds herself attracted to a fellow wiccan after Oz's sad departure. Giles and Xander find themselves a bit pushed out this year, with Giles goin through his empty nest syndrome and Xander not really knowing where he wants to go in his life, plus he has his irritating girlfriend Anya to teach ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Good value for money. Disadvantages: Not enough episodes!
Season 4 sees Buffy played by Sarah Michelle Geller fighting evil in a different setting, college. Starting with her demon roomate who is stealing Buffy's soul in an attempt to avoid being found by her demonic father and his followers! The season also sees the break up of Willow and Oz's releationship, also featuring Willow's new found releationship with Tara, a fellow witch. Willows magical abilities grow in abundance in this season, culminating ... ...for teh government programme, however Buffy doesn't know this to begin with. When she finds out tis all fun and games from there, firstly she joins them to help out, then the head of the initiative, who also happens to be Buffy's psych 101 teacher, Maggie Walsh, tries to kill Buffy. No worries tho, in the end Maggie is killed by her demon creation Adam, nice ot know he's grateful for being created.
Featuring the famous episode Hush, as well as a ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to ...
helpful
28.11.2006
Buffy - season 4 Review ofBuffy The Vampire Slayer - Series 4 - Complete (DVD)by
ciaofluffymuppet
Advantages: A new world opens up for Buffy and friends Disadvantages: It doesn't have Angel in it
...and Sunnydale High in ruins, Buffy and her friends are ready for a new challenge - life at college. Except for Xander, who has moved into his parent's basement, and Giles who is feeling decidedly left out now that he's unemployed.
Buffy finds dating a challenge and falls foul of a college lothario, only to discover that Spike is back in town and happy to kick her when she's down.
Spike isn't around for long though, as he's captured by The Initiative, ... ...for experimentation. Buffy falls in love with Riley, only to find out that he's a solider in the Initiative. He's convinced that he's helping humanity, but Buffy and the gang aren't too sure. Can they battle the government, as well at demons, to save the world?
DVD Boxset information
6 discs, 22 episodes and lots of special features.
Disc 1 - Script for 'Fear Itself'
Disc 2 - Commentary for 'The Initiative'
Disc 3 - Joss Whedon commentary ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: All 22 episodes in one boxset, the amazing episode Hush Disadvantages: Weak big bad for the season.
...As anyone whose read my previous reviews on the Buffy Season boxsets will realise I am a big fan of Buffy the VampireSlayer. This is the fourth season, and marks Buffy's ventures in the big bad world outside of high school, and in my opinion (which is what this review is all about) this is the weakest season.
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The Packaging
***********************
As with seasons 2 and 3, season 4 consists of 6 DVDs contained within a sturdy "book". This time the book has a purple tinge to it. There is a seperate protective page for each DVD, along with an episode guide.
The book then slips neatly into a cardboard sleeve, measuring 16cm x 20cm x 2.5cm, and adorned with the now customary picture of Buffy. Although the boxset will not fit in a standard DVD rack, it looks very smart when displayed along with the other...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Return to the Buffy we know and love Disadvantages: Not the best Big Bad in the world
...After a disappointing 3rd season for Buffy and the scoobies, Buffys4th outing seems to have picked up a lot of pace returning to its original format and stand alone episodes. For anyone else that grew tied of the Angel/Buffy romance outweighing the slaying then this season is for you! With the loss of three integral characters; Cordelia (Super Bitch), Angel (Vamp with a soul) and Oz (werewolf who leaves in the first few episodes) the show could have folded and died but Joss Whedon went back to his roots and created a season that was full of action.
The season begins with Buffy and Willow starting college; Buffy is out of her depth, Willow is in her element! Giles is leading a life of retired pleasure and Xander is living in his parents basement. This season is great as it sees the return of many much loved old characters: Faith...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Some great episodes Disadvantages: One of the worst episodes!
...Imagine you live over a hell-mouth, and that the biggest threat to your life isn’t cancer or a heart attack but vampires and demons. Imagine you live in Sunnydale…
“In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness… She is the Slayer.
Release Date: May 24th 2004
Run Time: 990 minutes - 6 discs
Classification: 15
Special Features:
• Interactive menu
• Scene access
• Disc One:
• Script for `Fear Itself`
• Disc Two:
• Audio commentary for episode `The Initiative` by Doug Petrie
• Disc Three:
• Audio Commentary for episode `Hush` by Joss Whedon
• `Hush` episode featurette
• `The Sets of Sunnydale` featurette
• `Buffy: Inside The Music` featurette
• `Introducing Spike` featurette
• Buffy trailers
• Cast biographies
• Disc Four:
• Audio...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
The macabre adventures of Buffy and her Sunnydale comrades continue. The fourth season features budding romance between Xander and the ex-demon Anya as well as Willow and the new witch on the block, Tara. Also Oz departs, Buffy falls for military guy Riley and sometimes-villain Spike begins to aid the gang. Contains every episode from season three including 'The Freshman', 'Living Conditions', 'The Harsh Light Of Day', 'Fear Itself', 'Beer Bad', 'Wild At Heart', 'The Initiative', 'Pangs', 'Something Blue', 'Hush', 'Doomed', 'A New Man', 'The I In Team', 'The Years Girl', 'Who Are You', 'Superstar', 'Where The Wild Things Are', 'The New Moon Rising', 'The Yoko Factor', 'Primeval' and 'Restless'.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Release date: 06/03/2006
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: 2284801012
Barcode: 5039036018609
Languages
Main Language: English
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Listed on Ciao since : 14/09/2006
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