General
Would Paul Newman have made a better Eddie Valiant? Or Harrison Ford? Or Bill Murray?
Jim Hill sets the Wayback for 1986. When Disney Studios & Steven Spielberg were still struggling to come up with just the right actor to play the private detective that stands at the center of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”
Jeff Lange’s Roger Rabbit photo essay has once again got me thinking about the film that started it all, 1988’s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
But this time around, I’m not thinking about the Academy Award-winning motion picture that we got. But — rather — the movie that we almost got.
You see, “Roger Rabbit” is one of these projects that’s just loaded with these tantalizing what-ifs. For example, what if … The studio had stuck with the actor that they had originally hired to do Roger’s voice, Paul Reubens AKA Pee Wee Herman? Or — better yet — what if … Disney had actually gone with Steven Spielberg’s first choice for animation director on this particular project? Which was Don Bluth.
But it’s with the human lead of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (I.E. the part of private eye Eddie Valiant) where things could have gone very differently. Now you have to understand that — as brilliant as Bob Hoskins may have been in this role — he was not the studio’s (or Spielberg’s, for that matter) first choice for this part.
No, according to Disney insiders, the role of Eddie Valiant was first offered to Paul Newman. Seriously, folks. The Mouse originally wanted Butch Cassidy to be the guy who faced down Judge Doom.
Photo courtesy of Google Image
Now I know that — just on the face of things — that this sounds like a pretty ridiculous casting choice. But you have to remember that Newman had already made memorable appearances as private investigator Lew Harper in big screen versions of two Ross Macdonald books, 1966’s “Harper” and 1975’s “The Drowning Pool.” So Paul was already familiar to fans of the film noir genre. Which is why it wouldn’t be all that big a stretch for audiences to accept Newman as a down-on-his-luck detective working in 1947 Hollywood.
More to the point, back in 1986 (I.E. Back when Michael Eisner & Jeffrey Katzenberg were initially trying to put “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” into production), Newman was already under contract to the Mouse to appear in two motion pictures. You see, Disney had recently hired Paul to reprise his acclaimed performance as pool shark Fast Eddie Felsen in a sequel to 1961’s “The Hustler,” “The Color of Money.” So while Newman was working with Tom Cruise on this Martin Scorsese film, someone from the studio slipped Paul the “Roger Rabbit” screenplay. With the hope that he then might consider this still-in-development project as a worthy follow-up to “The Color of Money.”
Not all surprisingly, Paul passed on the project. But not for the reasons that you might think.
The way I hear it, Newman really enjoyed reading Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman‘s script. He thought that it would make a dandy movie. Paul just didn’t believe that it was possible that anyone in Hollywood could actually pull this project off. As in: Create a credible film noir where humans & toons seamlessly interacted.
So Newman said “No” to playing Eddie Valiant in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Opting instead to fulfill his two-picture-deal with Disney by playing colorful Lousianna governor Earl K. Long in the studio’s 1989 release, “Blaze.”
Once Paul officially passed, Disney & Spielberg still hoped to find a major star to fill this gunshoe’s shoes. So Steve then began working the “A” List. First sending the “Roger Rabbit” screenplay off to Harrison Ford, then to Bill Murray. But these two superstars also passed on the project.
Photo courtesy of Google Image
Why For? Well, you have to remember that the Summer of 1986 was when George Lucas’ notorious bomb, “Howard the Duck,” first hit theaters. And given that this Willard Huyck film didn’t come close to recovering its then-astromonical $30 million production costs … Well, it suddenly didn’t seem all that smart for any “A” list actor to attach themselves to a high profile production where they’d then be playing second banana to some hyper-active cartoon rabbit.
So given that the “A” list was no longer an option, Disney & Spielberg began looking in different directions. Instead of trying to land some big-name actor to come play Eddie Valiant (Which — in theory — would have then enhanced “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” ‘s marquee value), these two went another way. They began looking at critically acclaimed films, to see if they could then hire a critic’s darling to come be their private detective.
And it was just about this same time that Neil Jordan’s “Mona Lisa” debuted. Which featured Bob Hoskins as a man who’d recently been released from prison. Who — because Hoskins’ character had been unable to land a decent job due to his ex-con status — winds up as a chauffeur for a high-priced prostitute (Cathy Tyson).
Photo courtesy of Google Image
Bob’s turn in “Mona Lisa” was so good that he not only won the 1986 Golden Globe for best actor in a drama, Hoskins was also nominated for an Academy Award. More to the point, all of the good notices that this British-born actor had received for this Handmade Films Ltd. production put Bob on Disney & Spielberg’s radar. So — almost as a reflex action — they sent Hoskins the screenplay for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
Bob then read the script and immediately thought that it was the nuttiest thing that he had ever seen. And yet there was something genuinely compelling about the character of Eddie Valiant. This hard-boiled dick who seemed doomed to drink himself to death. Until one day this case came along that not only allowed Eddie to dry out but also redeem himself.
Plus “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” would be Bob’s chance to play the lead in a big-budget Hollywood picture. Which is something that this Brit had never done before. Plus this was Hoskins’ chance to work with Robert Zemeckis, who had just directed 1985’s top grossing film, “Back to the Future.” More to the point, the check that Spielberg & Disney were dangling in front of the actor was the biggest that Bob had ever seen. So — in spite of some of the initial misgivings that Hoskins may have had about appearing alongside a cartoon rabbit — he quickly signed on to appear in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
And the rest of the story … You know.
Except for (perhaps) the part where — as part of the contract that Bob signed for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” — Hoskins actually agreed to appear in the film’s sequel.
Mind you, if Disney & Spielberg had opted to go ahead with their “Roger Rabbit” prequel, “Toon Platoon” in the early 1990s (Which — believe it or not — was originally envisioned as a co-starring vehicle for that then-recently married couple, Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman), Bob’s part in the proceedings would have been confined to one rather clever cameo.
Photo courtesy of Google Image
“And how would that cameo have gone?,” you ask. Well, picture — if you will — that a young and very green Roger Rabbit has just arrived in Hollywood. And as he’s listening to the radio, Roger hears something that compells him to go to the radio station that’s actually broadcasting that particular program. So the rabbit then races up Hollywood Boulevard, asking random people about how to get to that radio station.
Eventually he ends up inside a barber shop, again asking for directions to that radio station. A man who sits in a barber chair, his face completely covered by a hot towel, quickly gives Roger directions to the station. The rabbit’s so overjoyed to receive this news that he leaps right into the anonymous man’s lap and plants a big wet kiss directly on his still-hot-towel-covered face.
Roger then races out of the barber shop. After a beat, the man in the barber chair removes his hot towel to reveal that (surprise, surprise) he’s Eddie Valiant. As the camera moves in for a close-up, Eddie (echoing his very first line from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”) was supposed to have dismissively muttered: “Toons.”
Which would have been pretty cool, don’t you think?
Beyond that … I have to admit that I find it kind of intriguing that — after both Paul Newman & Bill Murray took a pass on appearing in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” reportedly because of concerns about playing second fiddle to a toon bunny — that these two performers would then go on to do voices for cartoon characters. With Newman providing vocals for Doc Hudson in Pixar‘s latest release, “Cars,” while Murray did the voice for the CG version of Garfield the Cat not once but twice. In 20th Century Fox’s 2004 release, “Garfield,” as well as that film’s 2006 sequel, “Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties.”
Photo courtesy of Google Image
As for Harrison Ford … To date, he’s been able to resist the siren call of animation work. Mind you, in the late 1990s, Disney Feature Animation pulled a full court press on Ford. With the hope that they’d then been able to convince Harrison to come voice Kerchak in “Tarzan.” But in the end, Ford took a pass on this project too.
Anyway … That’s a look at the actors who almost played the part of Eddie Valiant in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Sooo … Do you think any of these guys could have improved on Bob Hoskins’ portrayal of the role?
Your thoughts?
Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.
Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.
Photo by Jim Hill
Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.
Photo by Jim Hill
Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…
Photo by Jim Hill
… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).
Photo by Jim Hill
But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.
Photo by Jim Hill
And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.
Photo by Jim Hill
Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …
Photo by Jim Hill
… the postman delivering the mail …
Photo by Jim Hill
… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …
Photo by Jim Hill
Photo by Jim Hill
… the street musician playing for tourists …
Photo by Jim Hill
Not to mention the tourists themselves.
Photo by Jim Hill
But right alongside the bronze businessmen …
Photo by Jim Hill
… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …
Photo by Jim Hill
… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …
Photo by Jim Hill
… or — for that matter — out-of-time.
Photo by Jim Hill
These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.
Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill
Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"
Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …
Photo by Jim Hill
… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …
Photo by Jim Hill
… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."
Photo by Jim Hill
But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.
Photo by Jim Hill
By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).
Photo by Jim Hill
By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.
General
Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues
Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.
Photo by Jim Hill
I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.
Photo by Jim Hill
Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.
Photo by Jim Hill
Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.
Photo by Jim Hill
And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.
Photo by Jim Hill
Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.
Photo by Jim Hill
That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.
Photo by Jim Hill
And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.
Photo by Jim Hill
Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.
Photo by Jim Hill
I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.
Photo by Jim Hill
I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.
Photo by Jim Hill
Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.
Photo by Jim Hill
Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."
Photo by Jim Hill
Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.
Photo by Jim Hill
And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.
Photo by Jim Hill
"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.
Photo by Jim Hill
I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.
Photo by Jim Hill
And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.
Photo by Jim Hill
And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."
Photo by Jim Hill
And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."
Photo by Jim Hill
One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.
Photo by Jim Hill
Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.
Your thoughts?
You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?
Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved
Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved
Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.
Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved
Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.
"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"
Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."
But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."
And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.
Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."
So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?
Copyright Lucasfilm / Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."
This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015
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