A Century of British Films Trivia Quiz

Answer: It was the first British talkie.

Alfred Hitchcock had already directed ten silent films, but "Blackmail" was his first film with sound. He went on to direct other British movie greats, such as "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) and "Jamaica Inn" (1939).

"Blackmail" was based on a play by Charles Bennett and starred Anny Ondra, John Longden, and Cyril Ritchard. It told of a woman who killed a man after he tried to rape her. This was seen by another man who then went on to blackmail her.

Answer: Goodbye, Mr Chips

Robert Donat won the Best Actor award in 1939, beating two acting greats, Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in "Gone With the Wind" and Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights". Donat had already appeared four years earlier as Richard Hannay in Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps".

"Goodbye, Mr Chips" was a film about fictional Mr Chipping, a schoolteacher at a public boarding school for boys. It told of his private life, having to deal with the death of his wife and baby during childbirth, and the wonderful relationship he had with his pupils, who fondly called him Mr Chips.

Answer: Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard

Based on a screenplay written by Noel Coward, the film "Brief Encounter" was a final goodbye between a man and woman at a train station. Although married to other people, they started an emotional love affair which was doomed from the beginning. The couple were played by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.

Celia Johnson later went on to star in many films including "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969) with Maggie Smith. Trevor Howard was a stalwart British actor who was active for over fifty years. His film credits included "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962), "Von Ryan's Express" (1965), and "Superman" (1978).

Answer: The Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest running military campaign during World War 2, lasting the full length of the war from 1939 to 1945. The 1953 film pitted the allied naval fleet against the German U-boats, with the harsh weather conditions of the Atlantic portrayed realistically in the film.

The film starred Jack Hawkins as Lieutenant-Commander George Ericson, whose boat and crew were on convey duties. At the very start of the film, he said, "This is a story of the Battle of the Atlantic, the story of an ocean, two ships, and a handful of men. The men are the heroes; the heroines are the ships. The only villain is the sea, the cruel sea, that man has made more cruel."

The two Battles of El Alamein were concentrated in North Africa during 1942. The Battle of the Bulge happened on the Western Front during 1944-45. The Battle of Britain was an air battle over British airspace in 1940.

Answer: Carry On Camping

The much loved films had a key cast which included Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Sid James, Hattie Jacques and the bubbly Barbara Windsor. Often risque and filled with hidden innuendo, the films captured an essence of Britain which has not been found since. With slapstick and a joie de vivre, the films were completely innocent and had a timeless quality that still pleases film lovers today.

"Carry On Camping" is one of the favourite films out of the franchise. It took place on a run down campsite called Paradise, and included single men chasing single women, a braying housewife, a school matron, an all night rave and of course, Barbara Windsor, whose bikini top flew off when she was doing aerobics exercises.

Answer: The Go-Between

"The Go-Between" was adapted from the 1953 book written by L. P. Hartley. It starred Julie Christie as Marian Maudsley, Edward Fox as her fiancé, and Alan Bates as the farmer with whom she was having an alliance.

The young boy was played by Dominic Guard, who later went on to appear in "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (1975) and "Ghandi" (1982). In "The Go-Between", he was invited to the summer residence of his best friend, but was used a go-between to pass messages on between the two lovers.

Answer: Phil Collins

The Great Train Robbery was a true event which happened in 1963. The theft of £2.6 million pounds involved Bruce Reynolds, Buster Edwards, Charlie Wilson and Ronnie Biggs. Phil Collins played Buster Edwards in the film "Buster" with Julie Walters playing his wife. The film explored the relationship he had with his wife, both during the robbery and afterwards when he was on the run.

The film included two of Phil Collins' songs, "A Groovy Kind of Love" and "Two Hearts". The songs peaked at number two and number six in the UK singles chart, respectively.

Answer: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

"Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" was a 1998 British film about a group of small time criminals who robbed another gang to pay off debts owed to a crime lord. The characters Eddy, Tom, Soap and Bacon were played by Nick Moran, Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher and Jason Stratham.

Guy Ritchie went on to direct "Snatch" (2000), "Revolver" (2005) and then "Sherlock Holmes" in 2009. Jason Flemyng is a British actor, known for is roles in "Snatch" (2000) and "Layer Cake" (2004). Jason Stratham has been seen in "The Transporter" trilogy, playing mercenary driver for hire, Frank Martin.

Answer: The Constant Gardener

British author John le Carre has written a number of espionage thrillers, including "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "Smiley's People". His 2001 novel "The Constant Gardener" told of a British diplomat living in Nairobi who investigated the murder of his activist wife. His hobby was horticulture, hence the name of the book.

The 2003 film starred Ralph Fiennes as the diplomat, and Rachel Weisz as his wife. Weisz has also appeared in "The Mummy" (1999) and "The Mummy Returns" (2001). She married "James Bond" actor Daniel Craig in 2011.

Answer: Alan Turing

Alan Turing was a scientist, mathematician and cryptanologist. He worked for the British Government at Bletchley Park during World War 2, and invented the Turing Machine which eventually broke the Enigma code. In 1952, he was prosecuted for homosexual acts and committed suicide two years after. He was awarded a posthumous pardon in 2013 by Queen Elizabeth II.

Benedict Cumberbatch played the title role in the 2014 film, "The Imitation Game", which was based on Turing's work during the war. As quoted in the film, "His machine was never perfected, though it generated a whole field of research into what became known as "Turing Machine". Today we call them "computers"".