Best Movie Endings of All Time Quiz

Answer: Rick Blaine

"Casablanca" (1942) is the best romantic film ever, with one of the best screenplays ever. It stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, a disillusioned bar owner; Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa, his former lover; Paul Henreid as Ilsa's husband Victor, and Claude Rains as police captain Louis Renault.

At the end of the film, Rick gives up Ilsa so she can be with Victor. Rick shoots Strasser, the leader of the Nazi troops, so that Victor and Ilsa can escape. Renault covers up Rick's crime - "Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects." The film closes with Rick and Renault planning to leave Casablanca for Brazzaville. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The films contains several of the best lines ever, as designated by the American Film Institute, including the last line and "Here's looking at you, kid."

"Casblanca" won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Bogart and Raines were nominated for their performances, but lost. Bergman was not nominated as Ilsa, one of the biggest snubs in Oscar history.

Answer: His childhood sled

"Citizen Kane" (1941), widely hailed as the greatest film ever, opens with the death of newspaper mogul Charles Foster Kane and his dying words "rosebud". The rest of the film follows a newspaper reporter (Wiliam Allend) seeking an explanation for Kane's last words. Orson Welles plays Kane and directed the film.

The film closes with workers burning Kane's personal possessions in a furnace. The last shot reveals that "rosebud" was his sled, and his last thoughts were on his childhood and a wish to return to those innocent times.

Welles based "Citizen Kane" on William Randolph Hearst, and the millionaire went to great lengths to prevent the film's release. The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, but only won for Best Screenplay (by Welles and Herman Mankiewicz). Since its release, "Citizen Kane" has regularly topped best film lists.

Answer: Statue of Liberty

Near the end of "Planet of Apes" (1968), Taylor states "A planet where apes evolved from men? There's got to be an answer." Doctor Zaius warns him "Don't go looking for it. You may not like what you find."

Zaius' words are prescient, as Taylor discovers the ruins of the Statue of Liberty buried in the sand, proving he had been on Earth all along. Taylor screams "You maniacs! You blew it up!" and curses those who began World War III.

"Planet of the Apes" (1968) is about a group of astronauts who enter a time rift and crash on a planet where apes are dominant and humans are enslaved. Taylor (Charlton Heston) befriends two ape scientists, Zira and Cornelius, who assist his escape. Taylor enters the Forbidden Zone, a desolate wasteland, where he discovers relics of human civilization. At the end of the movie, he is riding on the beach with a young woman named Nova when they encounter the Statue of Liberty.

"Planet of the Apes' is based on a novel by Pierre Boulle, and its screenplay was written by "Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling. John Chambers won an honorary Oscar for his makeup work and Jerry Goldsmith was nominated for the film score.

Answer: Verbal Kint

In perhaps the greatest twist ending in film history, it is revealed that Verbal Kint is the mastermind behind everything. Kevin Spacey transforms from Verbal into Keyser Soze in literally three steps. The performance earned Spacey an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. If Kujan had been Soze, that would have been one of the greatest acting jobs ever.

"The Usual Suspects" (1995) covers a group of thieves ostensibly led by Dean Keaton (Gabriel Bryne). When most of them wind up dead, a police detective questions survivor Verbal Kint, who weaves an incredibly elaborate story that in the wind ends up being a web of lies.

For those who haven't seen the film, Keyser Soze is a legendary Turkish criminal figure. Much of the plot is driven by Soze's need to kill an informant who can identify him.

Along with Spacey, writer Christopher McQuarrie won an Oscar for his incredibly complex screenplay. The film won a wide variety of awards.

Answer: Kay

The film concludes with Kay confronting Michael about the murder of Carlo. He openly lies to her about being involved. She leaves and several men greet Michael as "Don Corleone". The last shot is a horrified Kay realizing what her husband has become.

"The Godfather" (1972) is the story of an American mafia family, the Corleones. It details the fall of Michael (Al Pacino) from a fresh-faced veteran into the head of a criminal organization. Crises, such as the attempted assassination of his father and the murder of his older brother Sonny, drive Michael deeper and deeper into the world of crime. By the end, he has ordered the murder of his brother-in law for his involvement in the death of Sonny.

"The Godfather" is a masterpiece of storytelling by Francis Ford Coppola. It won best picture, best actor for Marlon Brando, and best screenplay for Coppola and Mario Puzo. Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan were nominated for supporting actor. Another thing that makes "Godfather" great is the score by Nino Rota.

Answer: A cemetery

The last scene mirrors the first, at a cemetery. This time it is for the second (and final) burial of Harry Lime. In a beautiful display of minimalism, director Carol Reed has Alida Vaili walk past Joseph Cotten without saying a word. The zither music of Anton Karas combines to make it one of the most perfect endings in all of film.

"The Third Man" (1948) is set in post-war Vienna. A novelist named Holly Martins (Cotton) has come to investigate the death of a friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles). British authorities are accusing Lime of selling tainted penicillin which killed children. Lime has faked his own death in order to avoid arrest. In one of the greatest reveals ever, Lime is exposed by a beam of light on a dark street, so that Martins can see him. At the end of the film, Lime flees into the sewers, where he is gunned down by the police.

"The Third Man" has often been named the greatest British film of all time. Robert Krasker won an Academy Award for his cinematography and Reed was nominated for Best Director. It did win the BAFTA Award for Best Picture and the Palme d'or at Cannes.

Answer: Norman Bates is really the murderer

"Psycho" (1960) is one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films. It begins with the story of Marion Crane, a young woman who embezzles money from her employer. Marion has the bad luck to stay at the Bates Motel, where she meets Norman Bates and is murdered in the shower.

Hitchcock must then start from ground zero to recreate a new story, which culminates in Norman's mother being a corpse in the basement and Norman being the true killer. The film closes with a chilling shot of Anthony Perkins staring directly into the camera while the voice of the mother speaks. One of the great scary films of all time.

"Psycho" earned Hitchcock his fifth nomination for Best Director (he never won). The film was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Janet Leigh), cinematography and art direction. Leigh did win a Golden Globe.

Answer: Peter Sellers

"Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!" delivered by Peter Sellers as the title character, is the last line of the absurdist comedy. The film concludes with shots of nuclear explosions set against the Vera Lynn classic "We'll Meet Again".

"Doctor Strangelove" (1964) is one of the funniest films ever made. Peter Sellers plays the President of the United States, Merkin Muffley; a British air force officer, Lionel Mandrake, and the title character. The plot begins when General Jack D Ripper (Sterling Hayden) has a psychotic breakdown and orders an attack on the Soviet Union. The rest of the film follows desperate efforts by Muffley and his advisors to prevent nuclear annihilation. George C Scott was gung-ho general Buck Turgidson, while Slim Pickens was bomber pilot Major TJ "King" Kong. Pickens riding on a missile while shouting "Yee Ha!" is one of the funniest moments ever in cinema.

"Doctor Strangelove" was nominated for four Academy Awards: Stanley Kubrick for Directing and Best Picture. Sellers for Best Actor, and Kubrick, Peter George and Terry Southern for Best Screenplay. It won several BAFTA Awards as well as a Hugo Award.

Answer: Apollo Creed

After going 15 rounds, Rocky loses to Apollo on a split decision. But it doesn't matter, because the movie was about going the distance, about giving everything you have, win or lose. And ultimately, "Rocky" is a love story. It is far more important that he wins Adrian than the fight.

"Rocky" (1976) tells the story of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a middling fighter who gets the biggest break of his life in a challenge from the heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). With the help of his trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), Rocky is able to train so that he is in shape to face Creed. In the meantime, he falls in love with Adrian Penino (Talia Shire). The films closes with Adrian seeking out Rocky at the fight and the couple declaring their love for each other.

"Rocky" went on to inspire multiple sequels. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing. Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young and Burgess Meredith were all nominated for their acting. Stallone was also nominated for his screenplay. Bill Conti was nominated for the song "Gonna Fly Now." Conti's score is one of the best parts of "Rocky".

Answer: Joe E Brown

After Jack Lemmon reveals he is a man, Joe Brown delivers the immortal line, "Well, nobody's perfect."

"Some Like it Hot" (1959) is about two musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) who accidentally witness a mob massacre. They try to escape from the mobsters by hiding out with a girl's band, disguised as women. The film stars Marilyn Monroe as Sugar "Kane" Kowalski, the band's singer, and the love interest of Curtis. Joe E Brown, playing Osgood Fielding III, falls in love with Daphne (Lemmon). Osgood proposes, and "Daphne" tries to talk him out of it. And it concludes with the famous final line, which is one of the American Film Institute's 100 Top Quotes.