Steven Spielberg Trivia Questions

Answer: E.T.

Williams was having a little bit of difficulty getting the timing down for the final 15 minute bike chase and farewell scene from 'E.T.' Spielberg told him to just conduct the piece without the film running. The ending was later re-edited to the music.

Answer: Jaws

"Jaws" is the only Spielberg film listed. The mechanical shark kept malfunctioning, which caused director Steven Spielberg to rely on other methods to indicate its presence, such as a two-note motif by long-time associate John Towner Williams. This theme was so effective, it became a worldwide theme for impending danger.

Answer: David

In "A.I. Artificial Intelligence", the company Cybertronics has created human-like robots known as mechas. Haley Joel Osment's character David is a prototype for the child mechas. Cybertronics employee Henry Swinton is chosen to take David home as a sort of field test. Swinton and his wife Monica begin to raise David as their own son; Monica even develops a motherly bond with him. When the couple's real son, Martin, finds it difficult to get along with David, Henry tells his wife to return the mecha to the company. Monica fears that if David is returned he will be destroyed, so she abandons him in the woods. David then sets out on a Pinocchio-like journey to find the Blue Fairy and make his wish to become a real boy.

Answer: Tom Cruise

'Minority Report' is set in the future, in a time when crimes are foretold and a pre-crime division are sent to stop them from happening. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is a member of this division, and is horrified when his name is put forward as someone who is going to commit a murder. He sets out to prove his innocence, pursued by his former colleagues.

Answer: 1941

"1941" has a plot, but I'm hard pressed to describe the silliness and seduction. John Wayne was offered a part, but turned it down, urging Spielberg not to produce this "unpatriotic" film. It is also one of the few US films to feature the popular Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. John Landis, Dianne Kay, Slim Pickens and Mickey Rourke also had roles. The film garnered a cult following, and is loosely based on real incidents in Los Angeles, connected to the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Answer: Henry

Henry Walton Jones Jr. is better known as Indiana Jones. The character was first introduced in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark". That was followed by "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". It is never revealed how Henry attained his Indy nickname, but in the third installment of the series Indiana's father, Henry Sr., mentions they once had a dog named Indiana.

Answer: 5

5 and they are: '1941' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' 'Schindler's List' and 'Saving Private Ryan'.

Answer: To collect a musician's autograph

In "The Terminal" Tom Hanks (Viktor Navorsk) flies to America from his home land Krakozhia, to collect an autograph from Benny Golson. Viktor is denied entry into the US, and can't go home, so he must live in the airport. Spielberg bought the rights to a true story about Iranian Mehran Karimi Nasseri, whose papers were stolen. Nasseri lived in the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris from 1988 until 2006. Spielberg had to build the entire airport set, as no airport in the world would allow him access to film.

Answer: Jurassic Park

In "Jurassic Park", John Hammond has found a way to clone dinosaurs by taking million year old Dino DNA from fossilized mosquitoes, and pairing it with the DNA of frogs. Hammond has turned his discovery into a theme park. Before the park opens for business, Hammond's investors want outside opinions, like those of paleontologists, Dr. Allan Grant and Ellie Sattler. John Hammond goes to the dig site where Grant and Sattler are working and proceeds to persuade them to visit his park and give their testimony of approval. At that point this dialogue is spoken among the three. Ellie's joke is brought on by the fact that she and Allan are a couple and have differing opinions about having kids.

Answer: Always

The tagline for the movie 'Always' (1989) was 'They couldn't hear him. They couldn't see him. But he was there when they needed him...Even after he was gone.' Pete Sandich (Dreyfuss) was an ariel firefighting pilot, and Dorinda (Holly Hunter) was the girl he planned to marry. However, he was killed in a plane crash, leaving her heartbroken. He then found that he had returned to offer advice to his successor, a man who was also falling in love with Dorinda.

Answer: The Color Purple

'The Color Purple' tells the story of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a young African American girl. She is fourteen when the story begins, and is pregnant by her own father, whom she later discovered to be her step-father. The film follows her life for the next thirty years. She was married off to a man who used her as a mother to his own children, and as a resident slave. She meets Shug (played by Margaret Avery), who helps her to learn about life's truths and to love herself enough to change from a downtrodden woman to a self-sufficient and strong one. Oprah Winfrey played the part of Sofia.

Answer: Empire of the Sun

'Empire of the Sun' is based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel. It tells the story of Jim (Christian Bale) whose life is changed dramatically when the Japanese invade Shanghai in December 1941. He was separated from his parents and lived for some time on the street, before being captured and interned by the Japanese. He met Basie (John Malkovich) in the camp, where he develops admiration for the other prisoners and for their Japanese guards.

Answer: David Swinton

In a film set in the future, humans have advanced sufficiently to create realistic robots, called mechas. One company built an artificial child, called David, who became the first of the robots to have real feelings. He was adopted by Monica, whose son had an incurable disease and so was in cryo-stasis until a cure was found. When her son recovers, he returns home. David then has to try to win back his mother's love, while his 'brother' manipulates him to force Monica to abandon him.