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Quiz about John Grierson Documentary Film Maker

John Grierson : Documentary Film Maker Quiz

This is a quiz about John Grierson - the pioneering Scottish documentary film maker, often referred to as the Father of the British documentary film.

A multiple-choice quiz by Glaswegian. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Glaswegian

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
302,070

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
200

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In what year was Grierson born? Hint

1893

1898

1900

1902

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Question 2 of 10

2. Grierson was attracted to filmmaking by his post-graduate studies of mass media in the USA. However, what subject did he originally study at Glasgow University? Hint

Marketing

Teaching

Divinity

Philosophy

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Question 3 of 10

3. During his time in the USA, he became a film critic and is credited with first using the term 'documentary' with regard to a film. To which film did he first apply this word? Hint

"Nanook of the North" (1922)

"Man of Aran" (1934)

"The Twenty-four Dollar Island" (1927)

"Moana" (1926)

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Question 4 of 10

4. On his return to Britain in the late 1920s, Grierson became Assistant Films Officer at which organisation? Hint

Empire Marketing Board

Department of Public Information

GPO Film Unit

Ealing Studios

5. Grierson's first film was called "Drifters". It was produced in 1929 and documented the work of the Scottish herring fishing fleet. It premi�red on a London double bill with which other classic film? Hint

Blackmail

The Broadway Melody

The Four Feathers

The Battleship Potemkin

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Question 6 of 10

6. In 1933 Grierson joined the Post Office film unit, where he subsequently produced "Night Mail" (1936), one of the most famous of his works. It was the story of the Royal Mail express train from London to Edinburgh and was set to music by Benjamin Britten. Which poet wrote the commentary? Hint

W H Auden

T S Eliot

Dylan Thomas

W B Yeats

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Question 7 of 10

7. In 1939 Grierson left Britain and moved back to North America and created which highly regarded documentary unit? Hint

The National Film Board of Canada

The National Film Board of New York

The National Film Board of America

The National Film Board of North America

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Question 8 of 10

8. Grierson left North America at the end of WWII - he was investigated for alleged "communist" sympathies. He went to work for UNESCO as the first Director of Mass Communications and Public Information - where was he based? Hint

Edinburgh

London

Paris

Berlin

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Question 9 of 10

9. In the mid 1950s Grierson returned to Scotland and persuaded Roy Thomson, the Canadian millionaire who owned an independent TV station, to create which public affairs programme? Hint

This Wonderful World

Before Your Very Eyes

The World Around Us

Your Life in their Hands

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Question 10 of 10

10. In his last few years Grierson was invited to lecture at which Canadian University? Hint

Concordia University

University of Toronto

McGill University

University of Ottawa

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In what year was Grierson born?

Answer: 1898

He was born in 1898, in Deanston, Perthshire, one of eight children. His father was a school teacher and encouraged his children to think for themselves.

2. Grierson was attracted to filmmaking by his post-graduate studies of mass media in the USA. However, what subject did he originally study at Glasgow University?

Answer: Philosophy

He graduated with distinction and was also interested in politics and education. He won a Rockefeller Research Fellowship enabling him to study at the University of Chicago.

3. During his time in the USA, he became a film critic and is credited with first using the term 'documentary' with regard to a film. To which film did he first apply this word?

Answer: "Moana" (1926)

All the above films were made by Robert J Flaherty, one of America's earliest documentary film makers. He and Grierson worked together to make "Industrial Britain" (1931), one of the first documentaries with "social comment", although Flaherty had little to do with the finished product. He was fired from the project after completion of filming.

4. On his return to Britain in the late 1920s, Grierson became Assistant Films Officer at which organisation?

Answer: Empire Marketing Board

The EMB was set up to promote trade and links within the then British Empire. Effectively, it was a Government advertising agency. However, the Film Unit within the EMB did provide a place where young film-makers could learn and experiment. It was disbanded in 1933.

Answer: The Battleship Potemkin

Grierson was influenced by Sergei Eisenstein's techniques and used many of them in "Drifters", such as montages and location shooting. Grierson had previously been involved in creating the titles and introducing "The Battleship Potemkin" to U.S. audiences.

Answer: W H Auden

"Night Mail" (1936) was one of the most critically acclaimed films to be produced in British documentary history. Auden's poem matched the rhythm of the train as they both sped towards the end of the journey. Auden was actually credited as a Assistant Director.

7. In 1939 Grierson left Britain and moved back to North America and created which highly regarded documentary unit?

Answer: The National Film Board of Canada

Grierson was invited to Canada to report and review the possibilities for film development in that country. He was appointed Film Commissioner and the NFBC quickly became one the foremost documentary units in the world.

Answer: Paris

By this time Grierson was attracting the best film makers around, many of whom were keen to learn under his tutelage. He also wrote articles and gave speeches including titles such as "Notes on a United Nations film service - (Let's avoid a blueprint for impotence)" and a speech on the "aims and experience of the Canadian Government's National Film Board".

9. In the mid 1950s Grierson returned to Scotland and persuaded Roy Thomson, the Canadian millionaire who owned an independent TV station, to create which public affairs programme?

Answer: This Wonderful World

This show was on for about 10 years (1957 to 1967); I remember watching the repeats when I was younger. It showed a wide range of documentary and educational films from around the world. It was produced, edited and presented by Grierson himself.

10. In his last few years Grierson was invited to lecture at which Canadian University?

Answer: McGill University

His lectures began quietly but were soon attracting large numbers of students. John Grierson returned to the UK and died of cancer at Bath, England in 1972.

Source: Author Glaswegian

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