You Have the Right to Remain Silent Quiz

Answer: George Valentin

Despite there being numerous contemporary films which lack significant dialogue (something which I aim to demonstrate in this quiz), "The Artist" is seen by many as bringing the silent film back into fashion. This can be seen firstly because of the success of the film (it won three Golden Globes, seven BAFTAs, and five Academy Awards), as well as the obvious homage paid to the traditional silent film.

This film was a success for French cinema also, becoming the first French film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, and with Jean Dujardin becoming the first French recipient of the Best Actor Oscar.

Answer: Cast Away

"Cast Away" (2000) is a Robert Zemeckis film. Though the idea of one being stranded on an island may be seen as tried and tired, "Cast Away" should be praised for its ability to keep the audience captivated for around an hour with little/no dialogue, willing on Chuck Noland's survival. Noland (played by Tom Hanks) struggles at first, being more used to metropolitan life, but soon becomes adept to island life.

When he eventually escapes the island, Noland discovers that his long-term love (played by Helen Hunt) has moved on and married someone else.

Answer: WALL-E

With successes such as "Toy Story" (1995) and "Finding Nemo" (2003), Pixar made a perhaps daring decision to produce a film with very little dialogue, in particular from the title character who only occasionally utters "evaahh" (for the female robot Eve with whom he becomes enamoured).

Despite being a robot, WALL-E clearly is capable emotional thought and his large eyes portray much of his feelings throughout the film, making him a typically loveable Pixar character.

Answer: Terrence Malick

"Badlands" is a disturbing story based on the 1958 killing-spree carried out by Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate. Characters based on these two figures were played by Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek respectively (though the character names differ from the real-life figures on which they were based).

As well as his minimal use of dialogue (he favours narration), Malick is also known for the philosophical aspects of his films. Indeed, Malick studied philosophy at Harvard before going to Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship (though he did not complete his thesis). He later taught philosophy at MIT.

Answer: Marcel Marceau

In similar vein to "The Artist", "Silent Movie" purposefully pays homage to the silent movie industry, but unlike "The Artist", is set in the time of its release (the 1970s). Mel Brooks plays a film director who wishes to revive the silent film, and convinces several stars to make cameo appearances. Among the cameo appearances are Burt Reynolds, Anne Bancroft, and Liza Minnelli. Brooks also asks Marceau to make an appearance in his film, but is told "no" (or "non"), the only audible line in the film.

Answer: Czech

Jan Svankmajer was said to have been disappointed with other film adaptations of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and he aimed to produce a film which was less like a story for children and more like the dark and peculiar dreamlike world portrayed in the original book.

In this, Svankmajer succeeded undeniably. To take just one scene, Alice (played by Kristyna Kohoutova) finds herself in the kitchen. As she curiously pokes around, small animal skulls begin to hatch from chicken's eggs, cockroaches emerge from an opened tin, and an animated uncooked slab of meat crawls around on the kitchen top. Alice is the only human character in the film and is the only one to speak, though this is done often as a narration, while other well-known characters such as the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter are animated using stop-motion.

Answer: 2001: A Space Odyssey

"2001: A Space Odyssey" is a 1968 film directed by Stanley Kubrick, and one which has been analysed extensively concerning its philosophical undertones (a subject which deserves a quiz all on its own). One of the more obvious themes that can be drawn from the film is the advancement of human-driven technology (clearly alluded to in "The Dawn of Man" scene) and the sinister implications this may have.

This is best demonstrated by HAL 9000 - the artificial intelligence system voiced in the film by Douglas Rain.

Despite being a machine, HAL appears to show emotion, and is responsible for the deaths of various crew members of the Discovery One spacecraft.

Answer: Finland

"Juha" tells the story of a love triangle between Marja, her husband, and a visitor from the city who convinces a confused Marja to leave with him for the city. Marja's hope of living a glamorous life in the city is not fulfilled as her new partner forces her to work in a brothel.

The 1999 film version, directed by Aki Kaurismaki, is the fourth adaptation of this story which was originally set in the 19th century, but which Kaurismaki decided to set in the time of its production.

Answer: Images of nature and human life

Directed by Ron Frick, "Baraka" is a compilation of numerous filmed pieces of nature and human life in a variety of locations, from the ancient temples of South-East Asia, to the marine iguanas sunbathing in the Galapagos Islands, to life in the city.

The section which focuses mainly on human life (as opposed to wildlife or geographical sites) is largely negative, with focus on traffic, death, and breaks from the otherwise serene feel of the film to give a more frantic mood. Frick later directed "Samsara" (2011) which followed in the footsteps of "Baraka", showing yet more incredible images of nature and different human cultures, as well as some bizarre scenes, including an office worker manically smothering his face in a clay-like substance.

Answer: Spencer's detached head is used to make pencil erasers

The correct answer sounds almost too bizarre to be true, but is perhaps more believable for those who are familiar with David Lynch. The surreal style of "Eraserhead" makes it unclear which scenes (if any) are set in reality, which are dream-scenes, and which are Henry's hallucinations.

The fact that there is no dialogue enhances this ambiguity, whilst maintaining the main theme of the film - a man's struggle with a life of misery. For example, at the awkward dinner scene near the start of the film, Spencer meets the parents of his girlfriend (Mary X).

This scene sees Mary's father offer Henry a small chicken, which begins to writhe and bleed as it is touched. This disturbing scene has been interpreted in many ways. One idea is that the chicken represents Mary.

It is a gift from her father, but one which Henry corrupts and spoils. This may be a reference to the "sinful" act of pre-marital sex which Henry and Mary are accused of having - the deformed child which results from this sexual act has been seen by others to be another manifestation of Henry's sins.