In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
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| The Cast of the Hunger Games poses here for Vanity Fair |
Coal, Helicopters and Squirrel Hunting is all part of what makes The Hunger Games #1
A person we will love to hate is Panem's President Snow who sends a clear message to his people, "Mess with us and we'll do something worse than kill you. We'll kill your children." Time for a recall election?
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| Donald Sutherland as President Snow |
Although carrying the title of President of Panem it is unknown and unlikely that he was elected to the position democratically. Snow possesses total power in Panem's government and has proven to be a cruel and manipulative dictator, ruling over the Capitol and its contained districts. He also works on the annual Hunger Games and heads the military responsible for oppressing the districts. He has no qualms about using intimidation in pursuit of his agenda, such as when he threatened to kill Katniss Everdeen, Gale Hawthorne, Peeta Mellark, and their families. Two weeks after Haymitch won the 50th Hunger Games, Snow murdered Haymitch's mother, younger brother and girlfriend for the force field stunt because it made the Capitol look foolish. It is said that he has a granddaughter. It is revealed by Finnick Odair that he poisons his allies, as he believes that they would become future foes, but he had to drink the poison as well so that he wouldn't attract suspicion. Even though he took antidotes, the poison caused permanent sores on the inside of his mouth that never heal. This is the reason he always wears a genetically perfume-enhanced rose, to cover the scent of blood on his breath.
Most important, all of Collin's ideas for the Hunger Games Trilogy were steeped in the war stories she heard as a child. Her father had spent his entire career in the Air Force, as a military specialist as well as a historian and a doctor of political science. He served in Vietnam when Collins was six, and moved the family between the US and Europe for his work after he returned. War was never far from his mind, and he had a unique gift for making the subject come alive for his four children.
Another fascinating Character in the Hunger Games who adds a needed comic relief is Effie Trinket.
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Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) Holds the microphone for Katniss at the Reaping |
