Films Based on Real Events Quiz | Movies

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In 1996, Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer starred in a film based on events that occurred in Africa in the late 19th century. Which of the following films is it?

Answer: The Ghost and the Darkness

The film is based on William Goldman's screenplay which in turn is based on the autobiography "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo" written by John Henry Patterson. Patterson oversaw the building of a railroad in Kenya in 1898. After two of his workers were killed by a pair of lions, Patterson shot and killed both lions. I have read Patterson's autobiography and it is both fascinating and rich in African history.

2. John Wayne starred in many westerns during his lengthy film career. One western in particular is, in my opinion, one of his best. It recounts the story of a man's search for his niece who was captured by a group of Native Americans. Name this memorable film.

Answer: The Searchers

Cynthia Ann Parker was a child when she was taken by Comanches at her family settlement in northern Texas. The year was 1836. Raised in the Comanche way of life, she married a chieftain and bore him children. After a long pursuit by the Texas Rangers at the bequest of her family, Cynthia was recaptured and returned to her birth family.

At that point she could no longer speak English. Never fully embracing this huge change in her life, she struggled with the fame that came with her publicized abduction and eventual return.

3. An unrecognizable Robert De Niro starred in a 1980 film directed by Martin Scorsese about the life and career of boxer Jake La Motta. Name this Academy Award winning film.

Answer: Raging Bull

Jake La Motta, a World Middle-Weight Champion, was well known for his pugilistic tendencies both in and out of the ring. A fierce competitor who took as good as his gave, the film is based on La Motta's memoir "Raging Bull: My Story".

4. Which 2001 film about the brilliant but mentally ill mathematician John Nash starred Russell Crowe as John Nash and Jennifer Connelly as his wife Alicia?

Answer: A Beautiful Mind

Based on Sylvia Nasar's biography of John Nash, the film explores his genius as well as his battle with mental illness. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Nash spent years in mental institutions. He eventually stopped taking medications and refused to be institutionalized which led some to believe he had cured himself. Nash and his wife Alicia were killed in a car crash in 2015.

5. What would you do if you were a police officer and you witnessed corruption first-hand within the police force? This question is explored in a 1973 crime film based on the life of a New York undercover police officer who not only witnessed corruption in his own precinct but exposed it, with devastating results. Name this gritty film.

Answer: Serpico

Frank Serpico was an honest and dedicated New York City cop. During a drug bust he was shot in the face. His fellow officers chose not come to his aid. At the time some speculated that the drug bust was a set-up, pay-back for exposing the corruption within his own department. Serpico recovered and resigned from the police force in 1972.

He later testified about the corruption before the Knapp Commission.

6. Frank Abagnale became an airline pilot, doctor, and a lawyer. What's remarkable is that he had no training in any of these fields. Frank was an imposter and one of the best. Name the 2002 film that starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale.

Answer: Catch Me if You Can

Abagnale began performing illegal activities as a teen when he swindled his own father. While he was affable and good-looking, it's still amazing that he could have fooled seasoned pilots, doctors, and lawyers. A master check forger, Abagnale was eventually sentenced to 12 years in prison after being caught by authorities.

He served less than half that time since the government opted to release him early with the intention of having him work undercover to catch check forgers. Today Frank Abagnale owns his own company which specializes in securities.

7. The stunning actress Charlize Theron transformed herself for a role as serial killer Aileen Wuornos. She won a Best Actress Oscar for her efforts. Name the film which co-starred Christina Ricci.

Answer: Monster

Aileen Wuornos had been working as a prostitute when she killed seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. She claims the men tried to rape her and she reacted by killing them. In 1991 she was arrested at the Last Resort, a biker bar in Port Orange, Florida. She was executed by lethal injection in 2002.

8. The talented Johnny Depp has played many unique roles over the course of his acting career. In a 2001 film, he played the role of real-life cocaine smuggler George Jung. Name the movie.

Answer: Blow

Jung started out by smuggling cannabis across the U.S. He was caught and sent to prison. While in prison he made connections to the powerful Medell�n Cartel. After serving time, he returned to smuggling drugs, advancing to middleman within the cartel. Jung was arrested again in 1994 and released from prison in late 2014 after serving what originally had been a 60-year sentence.

The title of the film is slang for cocaine.

9. Most people will agree that actor/comedian Robin Williams left us too soon. He played myriad roles over the years, and not all of them were comedic. In 1998 he took on the role of a doctor whose specialty, besides practicing medicine, was humor. Name the film which was well suited to the actor.

Answer: Patch Adams

The film depicts the life of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams who founded the Gesundheit! Institute, a free hospital. Dressing as a clown to make sick kids laugh has set him apart from other doctors. Humor is contagious and no one knows that better than Patch Adams. He is a social activist who has visited sick children all over the world.

10. Alfred Hitchcock strayed from his customary style of filmmaking and directed a film based on a true story, told documentary style. Henry Fonda played the role of Christopher (Manny) Balestrero, the victim of mistaken identity. Which Hitchcock film is it?

Answer: The Wrong Man

The events of the film took place in the early 1950s. It's quite disturbing knowing that the life of an innocent man and his family were forever changed when he was falsely charged with robbery. It was only when the true thief was caught holding up a grocery store that Manny Balestrero was exonerated.

Source: Author nmerr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LadyCaitriona before going online.
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Films Based on Real Events Trivia Quiz

The following ten films have one thing in common...they are based on actual events.

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