Death and Glory: War in Movies Quiz

Answer: Enemy at the Gates

The duel was between Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev and German marksman, Major Koenig in the frozen ruins of Stalingrad.
During the winter of 1942/43, after a disastrous advance by the Wermacht, the Russian army encircled the German invaders and laid seige. In just over two months, they encircled Germans fought a defensive action in sub-zero temperatures before their eventual surrender to the Russian command in February. In those two months almost quarter of a million German soldiers lost their lives.

Answer: World War II

The film tells the story of a group of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, captured in South East Asia and put to work by their Japanese captors on building the Burmese Railway. The railway ran from Thanbyuzyat in Burma (Myanmar) to Nong Pladuk in Thailand and was built entirely by captured Allied prisoners, held in horrific conditions.

The railway ran for 415 km and for every single kilometre of track built, 38 Allied prisoners lost their lives.

Answer: Forger and Manufacturer

Charles Bronson, who portrays the chief tunneler, brought his own expertise to the set: he had been a coal miner before turning to acting and gave director Sturges advice on how to move the earth.

Answer: Saving Private Ryan

Fritz Niland, a New Yorker serving with the American infantry in Normandy, was removed from combat after the army realised that he was the last survivor of four brothers who were all serving in WWII. This conclusion turned out to be incorrect when it was discovered that one of the other brothers, MIA in South East Asia was alive and being held captive.

The two remaining brothers were reunited after the war.

Answer: U-571

"U-571" depicts the capture in the autumn of 1941 of an Enigma code book from a German submarine. The vessel and crew were portrayed entirely in an American context despite the fact that the US had not even entered WWII by autumn of '41.

Answer: Force Ten From Navarone

In "Guns of Navarone", David Niven wears a Rifle Brigade cap badge on his beret, this was the regiment he was commissioned into in WW2.

Answer: Sutherland and Walker

Donald Sutherland and Clint Walker are the missing two, playing, as they did, Vernon L. Pinkley and Samson Posey , the remaining the members of 1967's legendary, "Dirty Dozen".

Answer: Where Eagles Dare

The impetus actually came from the movie's star Richard Burton who approached producer Elliot Kastner looking for a suitable project after Burton's son had asked to see his father in a war movie. Kastner approached MacLean and the rest is...

Answer: A Bridge Too Far

"A Bridge Too Far" was a somewhat overworked dramatisation of the Allied advance through Holland, codename Operation Market Garden. Operation Market Garden also constituted a large part of the award-winning TV series, "Band of Brothers".

Answer: An elephant

Imitating the original Hannibal's legendary crossing of the Alps with his war elephants, this enjoyable romp from director Michael Winner was a minor hit for Oliver Reed.

Answer: Paths of Glory

The title is a quotation from Thomas Grey's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard": "The paths of glory lead but to the grave".

Answer: The movie had no women in speaking parts of any kind

Most, but not all, of the action scenes were shot from left to right as Lean wanted to portray the movie as a journey. Many, but not all, of the weapons used by Turkish soldiers are more modern than they should be and all of the desert scenes were filmed in the Middle East, North Africa or Spain.

As such, the only completely true assertion is that, despite being over 200 minutes long, the movie included no speaking roles for women.

Answer: Steve McQueen was first choice for Martin Sheen's role of Captain Willard

All have some basis in fact but only the Steve McQueen statement is entirely correct. Harvey Keitel accepted the role of Willard but was later "released" from his obligation. Lucas was unable to commit to the project due to "Star Wars" production and gave his blessing to Coppola to film the movie. Lastly, river scenes on the patrol boat were shot on the Chavon River in the Dominican Republic.

Answer: Lee Marvin

"Hell in the Pacific" was John Boorman's only war movie.
Despite being 101 minutes long it has very little dialogue.

Answer: David Bowie

The actors playing POWs use their actual names in the hospital roll-call scene.

Answer: The Dambusters

"The Dambusters" showed the daring raid carried out by Lancaster bombers carrying the revolutionary "bouncing bomb" as developed by Barnes Wallis.

Answer: The Green Berets

Late in the movie John Wayne can be seen to wrap his rappelling rope through a carabineer the wrong way. Called a "fatal hookup" in the army, this would result in an immediate fall once weight was applied.

Answer: Frank Sinatra

As the Padre begins to type the change orders for the train to be re-routed, he says (in German) the date of 11 Sep 1941. The U.S. was not involved in the war until December 1941. The year should have been 1943.

Answer: Crazy Ivan

US $20,000 was spent on Sean Connery's hairpiece for the movie.

Answer: Zulu

This action was at Rorke's Drift, Wednesday 22- Thursday 23 January, 1879, when some 150 soldiers defended a supply station against some 4000 Zulus, aided by the Martini-Henry rifle "with some guts behind it".