Hot Shots from Downunder Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ark

The movie, of course, was "Schindler's List". It was released in 1993, the work of Steven Spielberg, with the screenplay by Steven Zaillian. The book (1982) and the movie adaptation tell the true story of Oskar Schindler, who kept upwards of 1,200 Jews safe from death in Nazi concentration camps during the second world war, by employing them in his factories.

Hope you were able to pick up the word 'ark' from the picture clue!

Answer: Picnic at Hanging Rock

"Picnic at Hanging Rock" is an iconic Australian movie, though somewhat uncanny and haunting in its feel. It was directed by Peter Weir and starred Anne-Louise Lambert as Miranda St. Clare and Helen Morse as Mlle. de Poitiers.

The Joan Lindsay book upon which the movie is based was written in 1967 and is set among the backdrop of Hanging Rock, a rocky outcrop about an hour's drive from the city of Melbourne, Victoria. The girls, who attend a prestigious girls' school in the Woodend area, are taken for a picnic on a hot summer's day, coincidentally St. Valentine's Day. A couple of them wander off and become lost; and despite an extensive search, are never found.

The picture is of a fancy picnic - probably quite unlike the one the girls partook of!

Answer: The Sundowners

Jon Cleary's book, "The Sundowners" was published in 1952 and is semi-autobiographical. It tells of the life of Paddy Carmody (modelled on Cleary's own father), an itinerant worker, and his family. Paddy's wife Ida longs to settle in one place, but Paddy likes the roving lifestyle and ignore's his wife's wishes.

The book was made into a radio series starring Aussie actor Rod Taylor, and subsequently into the 1960 film, directed by Fred Zinnemann.

The picture shows a bugler playing 'Taps' at dusk (sundown).

Answer: Storm Boy

The book, "Storm Boy" tells the story of a 10 year-old boy named Mick who is something of a loner. He is called 'Storm Boy' by his Aboriginal friend as they bond over the care of the orphaned pelicans.

The picture is of a storm trooper - I hope you got the connection!

Answer: Oscar and Lucinda

This story of two misfits who meet on a ship bound for New South Wales is brought to life on the big screen by Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett in the 1997 movie directed by Gillian Armstrong. It's not a happy story and it doesn't have a happy ending, as Oscar ends up drowning and Lucinda ends by raising Oscar's child (not her child) alone. However, despite the gloomy tale, it is the subject of much critical acclaim.

The picture of the Oscar statuette is a clue to the name of the book.

Answer: Seven Little Australians

This enduring story tells of the seven Woolcot children aged from baby - 16. They are somewhat ungoverned and performed all sorts of pranks when they were most likely to embarrass their parents. Judy, the eldest, is sent off to school, but is unhappy there and she runs away, back to her family. Tragedy strikes when Judy dies saving the youngest child from a tree falling over.

It was made into a movie in 1939, and appeared as a television series in the 1970s. The design for the movie "The Magnificent Seven" gives a clue to the correct answer.

Answer: The Dressmaker

"The Dressmaker" was made into a film in 2015, and starred Kate Winslet and Liam Hemsworth.

The protagonist, Tilly, returns to the small town she was banished from with revenge in her heart. During her exile, she has become a successful couturier and designer. While she finds a measure of acceptance, she is determined to make those who wronged her years before pay. It is an interesting story, with dark humour.

The picture is a dressmaker's mannequin.

Answer: True

Courtenay had three books adapted for the big screen - "The Power of One" (1992), "Jessica" (2004) and "The Potato Factory" (2000), of which "The Power of One" is probably the best known. It tells the story of a boy born in South Africa, who dreamed of being a boxing champion. It tells the story of how he would ultimately lead all the tribes in Africa, his friendships and fight for justice.

The picture shows different levels of power left in batteries.

Answer: The Book Thief

"The Book Thief" is narrated by Death, and it focusses on a girl called Leisel, who is the eponymous book thief. Though it deals with a solemn subject, it also has a leavening humour. The first book she stole by accident (she found it, and just didn't give it back). That book was the start of Leisel's obsession with books and words.

The book, published in 2005, was made into a movie in 2013. The bird pictured is opportunistically stealing some of the pizza, in the same way Leisel stole her first book.

Answer: The Getting of Wisdom

Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, who wrote under the pseudonym of Henry Handel Richardson, wrote "The Getting of Wisdom" in around 1910. It is a 'coming of age' story, of an imaginative girl who is sent to a boarding school in Melbourne. She struggles to fit in, and to find peace within herself.

The school scenes in the movie were filmed in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, at the Methodist Ladies College.