Off The Shelf - Part 4 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dracula

"Dracula" was directed by Tod Browning, and starred Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan.
Although he had played the role on stage, Bela Lugosi was not the first choice for the title role. It was intended for Lon Chaney, but sadly he died of cancer before the film could go into production.
Originally the film was intended as a lavish production along the lines of the studio's silent successes "Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Phantom of the Opera"; however, by this stage they were in financial difficulty and it was finally made on a much lower budget and smaller scale. Fortunately for the studio it was a smash hit at the box office, and began a cycle of horror films which included "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein", "The Old Dark House", "The Mummy" and "The Wolf Man", all of which have become cult favourites.

Answer: Charade

"Charade" was directed by Stanley Donen, and also starred Walter Matthau, James Coburn and George Kennedy.
Reggie, played by Audrey Hepburn, is a young woman who has just returned to Paris from a skiing holiday to find that her apartment has been emptied and her husband has been murdered. A charming stranger, Peter Joshua (Cary Grant), becomes involved when Reggie discovers that her husband was involved in the theft of $250,000 in gold, and she has become the target of his accomplices.
The film was both a critical and box office success.

Answer: Gone Baby Gone

"Gone Baby Gone" marked Ben Affleck's debut as a director. It also starred Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman and Amy Ryan in an Oscar-nominated performance.
Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are hired to investigate the disappearance of a little girl. During the course of the investigation, they uncover information of the child's mother's involvement in drugs and robbery, and also of police corruption.
The film received mainly positive reviews, both for Ben Aflleck's writing and direction, and also for the performance of Casey Affleck.
Dennis Lehane's other work has included "Mystic River" and "Shutter Island".

Answer: Easy Living

"Easy Living" starred Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, Ray Milland, Mary Nash, William Demerest and Franklin Pangborn.
J.B. Ball (Edward Arnold), angry at his wife for buying a $58,000 sable coat without his knowledge, throws the coat off the roof of his penthouse. It lands on Mary Smith (Jean Arthur) and ruins her hat. When Mary tries to return the coat, J.B. tells her to keep it, and also buys her an expensive hat to replace the one he has ruined. This leads to Mary being suspected of being his mistress.
Further complications occur when John Ball Jr. (Ray Milland) meets and falls for Mary.
The success of this delightful comedy led to Paramount's decision to allow Preston Sturges to become a director.

Answer: Ballad of a Soldier

"Ballad of a Soldier" is a 1959 film, directed by Grigori Chukhrai and starring Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko and Antonina Maksimova. The major part of the film concerns the journey of young Alyosha from the front to his home village, what happens to him on the way, the people he meets and the effect he has on their lives, in particular the girl he meets and falls in love with.

Although we are told at the beginning of the film that he does not survive the war, we become so involved in his story that we care deeply for him, so that the final scene of his leaving his mother to return to the front, and to his death, is genuinely heartbreaking.

Answer: Much Ado About Nothing

Hero and Claudio are young lovers who are due to be married shortly. They decide, with the help of Don Pedro and Hero's family, to bring the bickering Benedick and Beatrice together. Meanwhile, the evil Don John, Don Pedro's brother, plots to destroy Hero and Claudio's love.
As well as Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, the film starred Kate Beckinsale, Robert Sean Leonard, Richard Briers, Phyllida Law, Brian Blessed, Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves.
Kenneth Branagh's other Shakespearean adaptations include "Henry V", "Hamlet" and "Love's Labour's Lost".

Answer: Gods and Monsters

"Gods and Monsters" was adapted for the screen and directed by Bill Condon.
It is a somewhat-fictionalised account of the final days in the life of James Whale, best known today as the director of "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein", "The Old Dark House" and "The Invisible Man".
The film starred Ian McKellan , Brendan Fraser and Lynne Redgrave. Both Ian McKellan and Lynn Redgrave were Oscar-nominated, but the only winner was Bill Condon who won for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Answer: The Prisoner of Zenda

"The Prisoner of Zenda" was adapted from the novel by Anthony Hope, and was directed by John Cromwell. It starred Ronald Colman, in the dual roles of Rudolph Rasendyll and his distant cousin, King Rudolph, Madeleine Carroll as Princess Flavia, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Rupert of Hentzau (a scene-stealing performance), as well as C. Aubrey Smith, David Niven and Mary Astor.
An inferior remake was made by M.G.M. in 1952 starring Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr and James Mason.

Answer: The Big Easy

"The Big Easy" is a 1987 film directed by Jim McBride and starring Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman and Ned Beatty.
Quaid plays Remy McSwain, a police lieutenant who is investigating the murder of a local mobster. When a State Attorney (Ellen Barkin) is sent to investigate police corruption she begins to suspect Remy of involvement.
The film was shot entirely on location in New Orleans.
Great soundtrack.

Answer: Alain Delon

Alain Delon plays Jef Costello, a hit man who plans and executes each job with meticulous precision. However, when he kills the owner of a nightclub he is seen by a witness. To further add to his troubles he is betrayed by the man who hired him. The bulk of the film deals with Jef's efforts to avoid capture by the Police, while at the same time taking his revenge on the man who betrayed him.
Alain Delon was one of France's most popular actors of the 1960s and '70s. His first starring role was in "Plein Soleil" which was based on the novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Other notable films include "Borsalino", "The Sicilian Clan", "Le Cercle Rouge", "Un Flic" and "Is Paris Burning?" Outside of France he worked for Italian directors Michelangelo Antonioni ("The Eclipse") and Luchino Visconti ("Rocco and His Brothers" and "The Leopard"), and made three Hollywood films, "Texas Across the River", "Once a Thief" and "The Yellow Rolls Royce", none of which were either successful or very good.
M. Delon became a Swiss citizen in 1999.