On November 16th, 2023, the prequel to “The Hunger Games” entitled “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” opened in German cinemas. It has already been 8 years since the last part of the original films. Here on MeinMMO you get an overview of everything you need to know to be best prepared for the film.
This is “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”:
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – German Trailer
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1. What is “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” about?
In the dystopian state of Panem, the young Coriolanus Snow fights for the fate of his once powerful family. To do this, he must act as a mentor to ensure that his tribute does as well as possible in the deadly “Hunger Games”.
To his dismay, however, he is assigned a girl from the run-down “District 12”, Lucy Gray Baird. The fate of the two is now inextricably linked, because both inside and outside the arena it is a matter of life and death.
2. This is how Panem is structured
The nation of Panem emerged from the rubble of North America, which was largely destroyed by various wars and natural disasters. It is divided into the governing “Capitol” and 13 surrounding “Districts”.
Each of these districts fulfills a specific task. For example, District 12 is used for coal production, District 7 for wood production and District 1 for luxury goods. The smaller the number, the closer the district is to the Capitol and the higher the wealth there.
In a rebellion, the districts attempted to overthrow the Capitol but failed. District 13 was then destroyed and the so-called “Hunger Games” followed. As a reminder to never again rebel against the Capitol, each year one girl and one boy between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the districts are drawn to fight each other in an arena of life and death.
3. What was “The Hunger Games” about?
Spoiler warning: The events of the original “The Hunger Games” series are summarized here.
The original “The Hunger Games” series was about Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12. She managed to survive the Hunger Games twice. She increasingly became the face of a new rebellion and the opponent of President Snow. In the end, the impossible was achieved – the fall of the Capitol and the introduction of democratic elections.
4. When does the film take place compared to its predecessors?
The prequel takes place 64 years before “The Hunger Games” series. At this time, Panem is just after the “Dark Days”, i.e. the first rebellion. The Hunger Games are still quite new, which is why they are held much less pompously than in Katniss’ time.
None of the young characters play any role in the prequel. Instead, we see the backstory of President Coriolanus Snow. Since he was, in a sense, the villain of the original books and films, this opens up a whole new perspective.
5. Where does the name “Lucy Gray” come from?
A detail that receives more attention in the book than in the film is the origin of Lucy Gray’s name. It comes from a 1799 poem by William Wordsworth called “Lucy Gray.” It’s about the fate of a little girl who had an accident in a snowstorm.
Lucy sings a small part of it in the film. However, nothing more is explained. If you want to understand all the connections here, you should read the poem before going to the cinema.
7. Will there be more parts?
It is not yet known whether there will be further parts of “The Hunger Games”. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, producer Nina Jacobson explains that she is generally interested in further films. But only under the leadership of author Suzanne Collins.
However, since “The Hunger Games
Are you a fan of the first hour and can hardly wait to go to the cinema? Or are you going into the film with absolutely no previous experience? Please let us know in the comments.
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