Shakespearean Movie Madness Trivia Quiz

Answer: She's the Man

'She's the Man' was an adaptation of Shakespeare's gender-bending 'Twelfth Night' starring Amanda Bynes as a girl who poses as her twin brother in order to play for the boy's soccer team.

Julia's break-out role was Katarina "Kat" Stratford in 1999's '10 Things I Hate About You', a re-telling of 'The Taming of the Shrew' with Padua High School as the backdrop. She also played Ophelia opposite Ethan Hawke's Hamlet in 2000's modern take on 'Hamlet', and Desi Brable in 2000's 'O', an adaptation of 'Othello' set amidst a private high school's basketball team, which also starred Mekhi Phifer and Josh Hartnett.

Answer: Hamlet

Olivier was the oldest of the four actors to take on the role, at 41. He is the only one of the four who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Danish prince.

Mel Gibson suffered his slings and arrows in Franco Zeffireli's 1990 'Hamlet'. This version is perhaps the most well-known adaptation, even garnering a mention in the 1996 comedy 'Clueless'.

Branagh's 'Hamlet' is notable for being the first unabridged version of the play on film. It also featured an almost literal all-star cast, with stars appearing in everything from supporting parts to cameos and flashbacks.

The 2000 'Hamlet' starring Ethan Hawke modernized the play, but was criticized for some of the choices being too commercial, such as placing the famous "to be or not to be" soliloquy in the action section of a Blockbuster Video.

Answer: Rashomon

'Rashomon' (1950) is a story about the murder of a samurai told from four different perspectives. It is considered Kurosawa's introduction to Western audiences, and one of his greatest masterpieces.

'Throne of Blood' (1957) is a version of 'Macbeth', 'The Bad Sleep Well' (1960) is 'Hamlet', and 'Ran' (1985) is 'King Lear'.

Answer: Othello

In 'Othello', Branagh played the manipulative Iago, the treacherous soldier who convinces Othello (Laurence Fishburne) that his faithful wife, Desdemona (Irène Jacob), is not so faithful after all. As in most Shakespearean tragedies, it ends badly for everyone.

'Othello' was directed by Oliver Parker, whose next two feature films were authored by another famous British playwright: 1999's 'An Ideal Husband' and 2002's 'The Importance of Being Earnest', both written by Oscar Wilde.

Kenneth also directed and starred in his 1996 version of 'Hamlet'.

Answer: The Banquet

'The Banquet' is a 2006 Chinese film loosely based on 'Hamlet'. Set in 900's China, Emperor Li's (Shakespeare's Claudius) empire is in chaos, and everyone seems to have their own enemies they would like to finish off. Empress Wan (Gertrude), Crown Prince Wu Lan (Hamlet), his fiancée Qing Nu (Ophelia), the Minister (Polonius) and his son (Laertes) all attempt to complete their goals at a lavish night banquet thrown by the Emperor in honor of himself.

The others are all different versions of the Scottish play. 'Throne of Blood' is Akira Kurosawa's 1957 black-and-white classic set in medieval Japan; 'Men of Respect' updates the dramatis personae to members of a mafia famiglia in 90's era New York, and (my personal favorite) 'Scotland, PA' transplants the action from Dunsinane Castle to "Duncan's Cafe", a small town fast food restaurant in 1975 Pennsylvania.

Answer: Julie Taymor

'Titus Andronicus' is a bloody, gory tale of the cycle of revenge between a Roman general and the Queen of the Goths. Violence, dismemberment, death, and meat pies ensue.

This was the first major film adaptation of Shakespeare's early tragedy. It also marked the cinematic debut of Tony award winning director Julie Taymor.

Michael Hoffman directed 1999's nineteenth century version of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' starring Kevin Kline, Rupert Everett, and Michelle Pfeiffer; Richard Loncraine directed Ian McKellen's 1995 fascist-inspired adaptation of 'Richard III'; and Michael Radford directed 2004's critically acclaimed 'Merchant of Venice' starring Al Pacino as Shylock.

Answer: The Tempest

'The Tempest' tells the story of the sorcerer Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, who have been stranded on a deserted island. When Prospero divines that those responsible are passing by on a nearby vessel, he conjures a storm to shipwreck them on the island.

'Forbidden Planet' transfers the characters from an island to the 'brave new world' of the planet Altair IV, where the crew of the United Planets Cruiser C-57D is dispatched to rescue Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira, the only survivors of a doomed science expedition.

This ground-breaking film was a marvel of special effects when it was released. It was the first film to feature a flying saucer constructed by humans for the purpose of traveling through space. It also was the first appearance of science fiction icon and Robot Hall of Fame inductee, Robby the Robot.

Answer: Goneril

The plot for both the movie and the play deal with a father who decides to split his inheritance (in 'Lear', his kingdom; in 'Acres', a farm) among his three daughters. The youngest daughter refuses the offer, starting a chain reaction which eventually ends in tragedy for all involved.

The names of the main characters and their Shakespearean counterparts are alliterative. Ginny is Goneril, Rose is Regan, Caroline is Cordelia, and Larry is Lear.

Jessica Lange was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Ginny, eldest daughter of Larry Cook, the "King Lear" character.

Answer: My Own Private Idaho

Keanu's character, Scott Favor, was based on Prince Hal, the son of Henry IV, who becomes Henry V after his father's death. Like the prodigal prince, Scott has forsaken his father the mayor's "court", and spends his time instead with drug addicts and hustlers on the streets.

Reeves and Phoenix both appeared in 1990's 'I Love You to Death' and 1994's 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'. Alas, Phoenix tragically died of a drug overdose three years before Reeves filmed 1996's 'Feeling Minnesota'.

Keanu later went on to star in another Shakespeare film, 1993's 'Much Ado About Nothing'.

Answer: An angel

"She speaks!
O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him"

Perhaps the director had these lines (spoken by Romeo after he hears Juliet speak for the first time atop her famous balcony) in mind when deciding on this particular costume.

Luhrmann updated the action of the play to "Verona Beach", a hip, modern suburb but left Shakespeare's dialogue unchanged. In fact, even visual text, including billboards and merchant signage, were created using lines from various Shakespeare plays.

By the way, it is Juliet's mother, Lady Capulet, who dresses as Cleopatra for the masque; Tybalt is appropriately disguised as the Devil; and Mercutio dazzles the guests in his high-heeled diva shoes.