Great Movie Exchanges 22 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Elephant Man

In this scene Victorian-era surgeon Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) has just shown a photograph of his family to Joseph Merrick (a.k.a., The Elephant Man, played by John Hurt), and Merrick has responded with line one. (Note: Merrick is sometimes erroneously referred to by the name John Merrick.) Dr. Treves is at first surprised because of Joseph's deformities, but responds with line two. After seeing the picture, Mrs. Treves (Hannah Gordon) has the reaction in line three. Joseph confirms her assessment with the first part of line four, and then sadly adds the second part. Mrs. Treves contradicts Joseph with line five.
"The Elephant Man" tells the true story of hideously deformed Joseph Merrick, who is taken in and cared for by a compassionate English doctor in Victorian times. Under Dr. Treves' care, Merrick blossoms to show a talented and sensitive side. The movie has this great quote (and is also its tag line): "I am not an animal! I am a human being!"

In the 1981 Academy Awards "The Elephant Man" was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and John Hurt for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Joseph Merrick (a.k.a., The Elephant Man). That year Best Picture was won by "Ordinary People" and Best Actor in a Leading Role was won by Robert De Niro for "Raging Bull." Modern medical analysis indicates Merrick suffered from Proteus Syndrome, and probably Neurofibromatosis as well. He died in 1890 at the age of 27. His skeleton has been preserved and is on display at the Royal London Hospital Museum (which also has displays on memorabilia relating to Jack the Ripper and Dr. Crippen). According to a "History Channel" show on circus sideshow oddities, many people with deformities as severe as these don't feel exploited by a circus sideshow, enjoy being able to earn a wage (and often a very substantial one!), and like the feeling of independence that allows. The screenplay for this movie was based in part on Dr. Treves' autobiography. In his handwritten manuscript for this book, he had crossed out the name Joseph and had written in John (probably to protect Merrick's privacy). In those days many people burned coal for heat (and this was before emissions control was a concern). With all the resulting black smoke everywhere, things were often pretty drab. Part of the reason to film in black and white may have been to convey this atmosphere.

Answer: Ghost Busters

In this hilarious scene, the mayor of New York City (David Margulies) is mediating a confrontation between the Ghost Busters and Environmental Protection Agency agent Walter Peck (William Atherton). Ghost Buster Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) maintains a terrible infestation of ghosts is about to hit NYC and that the Ghost Busters should be allowed to combat them. Agent Peck thinks the Ghost Busters are quacks and con artists and wants to shut them down. Dr. Venkman says line one to the mayor, who then pauses, thinking it over. During the pause he looks at his friend, the Archbishop of NYC (Tom McDermott), who nods approvingly. Agent Peck is astounded by this and exclaims line two. His mind made up, the mayor then says line three (referring to agent Peck) and a NYC policeman hustles Peck out of the room.
"Ghost Busters" tells the story of three professors who specialize in parapsychology. When they are thrown out of their college (because their dean think they're a joke), they discuss forming a business that specializes in ghost removal. Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) isn't so sure, however, and comments, "You don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector. They expect results!"

In the 1985 Academy Awards "Ghost Busters" was nominated for Best Visual Effects but was beaten out by "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." The special effects in both of these movies were created by Industrial Light and Magic, the company George Lucas started for his "Star Wars" movies. Ray Parker, Jr. wrote a great theme song for "Ghost Busters" that was nominated for the Oscar for Best Song From A Movie (but it lost to "I Just Called To Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder in "The Woman in Red"). Sample lyrics are "If there's something strange in your neighborhood, Who ya gonna call?, GHOSTBUSTERS, If there's something weird and it don't look good, Who ya gonna call?, GHOSTBUSTERS..."). Parker was sued by Huey Lewis for plagiarizing the melody to his song "I Want A New Drug" when "Ghost Busters" was released. The college scenes at the beginning of "Ghost Busters" were filmed at Columbia University in New York City, but they agreed to this only on the condition the school not be mentioned by name in the film.

Answer: Reds

In this scene playwright Eugene "Gene" O'Neill (Jack Nicholson) has just given a poem to free spirit journalist Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton), professing his love for her and hoping they can be a couple. However, Louise tells Gene that she and John Reed (Warren Beatty) were just secretly married. O'Neill is at first stunned by this news, then angry, and then says line one. Louise replies with line two.
"Reds" tells the true story of journalist John Reed, who had strong Communistic leanings and hoped to transfer the spirit and idealism of the Russian Revolution to the American labor movement. Intertwined in this background is the personal relationship between Reed and Louise Bryant. This movie is similar to "Patton" and "Lawrence of Arabia" in that it tells the story of real people living in historical times (as opposed to fictional characters set in historical times like those in "Gone with the Wind" and "Titanic").

In the 1982 Academy Awards "Reds" won three Oscars and was nominated for nine others, including Best Picture (but lost to " Chariots of Fire"). Warren Beatty won for Best Director and Maureen Stapleton won for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Warren Beatty was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (but lost to Henry Fonda in "On Golden Pond"). Diane Keaton was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (but lost to Katharine Hepburn in "On Golden Pond"). Jack Nicholson was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (but lost to John Gielgud in "Arthur"). Warren Beatty (who is actress Shirley MacLaine's little brother) is often denigrated because of his good looks (the 1972 song "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon is often said to be about him), but he has earned one Oscar and 13 Oscar nominations for awards in various categories for "Bonnie and Clyde," "Shampoo," "Heaven Can Wait," "Reds," "Bugsy," and "Bulworth." The long running time of this movie (approximately 3¼ hours) limited theater owners to just one showing per evening, which limited how much money it could make. Even so, despite the roughly $35 million cost to make, it made a modest profit. Producer and director Warren Beatty refused to allow it to be cut for TV showing, which is why you rarely see it on TV.

Answer: The English Patient

In this scene Hungarian-born mapmaker Count Laszlo de Almásy (Ralph Fiennes) and his friend Maddox (Julian Wadham) are walking through a market area in Cairo, Egypt. Almásy is having a love affair with Katharine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) and remembers how he had kissed the depression at the base of her throat and had said at the time, "This - what's it called? This place, I love it!" While he and Maddox are in the market area, Almásy asks Maddox the question in line one. Maddox looks surprised and replies with line two (but later in the movie tells Almásy it's called the suprasternal notch).
"The English Patient" tells the story of Count Almásy, who is badly burned in an airplane crash. Through a series of flashbacks while he is recovering, he remembers his prior life and the affair he had with Katharine Clifton.

In the 1997 Academy Awards, "The English Patient" won nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Juliette Binoche (she played the Canadian nurse Hana). Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas were nominated for awards, but did not win. This movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje, who shared the 1992 Man Booker Prize for Fiction (a.k.a. the Booker Prize).

Answer: Men In Black

In this scene Men In Black Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) are visiting the home of Edgar and Beatrice, to investigate a story in a supermarket tabloid that was headlined "An Alien Is Wearing My Husband's Skin." The two agents often use such stories to keep abreast of alien activity in New York City. Beatrice (Siobhan Fallon) has encountered other reporters and police officials who ridiculed her story and she warily says line one. Agent K reassures her with line two, and Beatrice invites them to come in her house. After hearing her story (and realizing they might have a dangerous bug on earth), Agent K erases her memory of their visit with a flash from his pen-shaped neuralizer and implants a rational explanation for her observations (what happened is swamp gas refracted the light from Venus).
"Men In Black" follows the activities of a top-secret organization under Chief Zed (Rip Torn) that monitors and polices alien activity on earth.

In the 1998 Academy Awards, "Men in Black" won one Oscar and was nominated for two others. The special effects in this movie were impressive but that year they were up against those in "Titanic" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park." In the scene where a spaceship flies over Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens NY during a baseball game, the player that gets hit on the head with the fly ball is Bernard Gilkey (who was a NY Mets outfielder at that time).

Answer: Patton

In this scene German Captain Oskar Steiger (Siegfried Rauch) has just tried to sum up a description of American General George S. Patton, Jr. (George C. Scott) for German General Alfred Jodl (Richard Münch) by describing him as, "Patton is a romantic warrior lost in contemporary times." General Jodl doesn't understand, so Capt. Steiger quotes a newspaper story that tells how Patton reacted when he observed some men trying to push a girl into a van. He fought with the men, trying to stop them (she was later revealed to be a fiancé of one of the men). Steiger says line one, and then when General Jodl still is puzzled, he adds line three. Jodl still doesn't get it and says line four.
"Patton" follows the WWII career of extremely talented but very complex American General George S. Patton, Jr. He was a brilliant tank tactician at the leading edge of tank strategy but identified with the ancient past ("God, how I hate the twentieth century"). "Apocalypse Now" is set in the Vietnam War, "All Quiet on the Western Front" is in WWI, and "MASH" is in the Korean War.

In the 1971 Academy Awards "Patton" won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. George C. Scott won the Oscar for Best Actor but refused to accept it, calling the competition a "meat parade" and stating that competition between actors was unfair. Scott initially turned down the role but then reconsidered when he realized it would be a great acting challenge. Nearly half the film's budget was spent on renting soldiers and equipment from the Spanish army.

Answer: Moonstruck

In this scene widowed Italian-American bookkeeper Loretta Castorini (Cher) and baker Ronny Cammareri (Nicolas Cage) are leaving the NY Metropolitan Opera House (a.k.a. "The Met"), having just seen the opera "La Boheme." Loretta makes the comment in line one, Ronny responds with line two, and Loretta responds with line three. Loretta has complicated her love life big time with this date! She is engaged to Ronny's brother, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), but Ronny has declared his love for Loretta after meeting her. He promises to stop pursuing her if she will accompany him to the opera, one of his big loves. Loretta agrees to go to get rid of Ronny's further attention.
"Moonstruck" tells the wonderfully human story of Loretta, who is torn between her fiancé and his brother, and her interesting family and friends. It is one of my all-time favorites.

In the 1988 Academy Awards, "Moonstruck" was nominated for Best Picture (but lost out to "The Last Emperor"). Cher won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Loretta Castorini and Olympia Dukakis won one for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Loretta's mother Rose. Vincent Gardenia was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as Loretta's father Cosmo, but lost to Sean Connery in "The Untouchables."

Answer: Rain Man

In this scene Susanna (Valeria Golino) is arguing with her boyfriend, self-centered yuppie car salesman Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), in the hotel room he is sharing with his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) and Susanna. They are driving west to Charlie's home in Los Angeles from Raymond's institutional home in Cincinnati, after Raymond's and Charlie's father died (they are driving because Raymond is afraid of flying). Susanna angrily says line one, Charlie shouts line two, Raymond (who answers many questions with "yeah" regardless of what he is asked) says line three, and Charlie reacts to this answer by shouting line four, just as Susanna walks out.
"Rain Man" tells the story of two brothers, one autistic and one self-centered, who don't know each other but who come to understand each other and develop a close relationship on their drive west.

In the 1989 Academy Awards, "Rain Man" won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Dustin Hoffman for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Dustin Hoffman was originally cast as Charlie, but after seeing a real autistic savant he switched it so he played Raymond. The name Rain Man is what Charlie Babbitt called Raymond when Charlie was a baby (a mispronunciation of "Raymond"). The scene where Charlie realizes Raymond's phenomenal memory would give them an edge playing the card game blackjack and they then hastily head back to the Las Vegas casinos is just wonderful!

Answer: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

In this scene, California surfer dude Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) enters a high school classroom while the class is already in session. Teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston) stops his teaching and asks Spicoli line one. Unfazed, Spicoli answers with line two. In an effort to shame him into promptness, Mr. Hand writes "I don't know" on the blackboard, saying he will leave it up all day and give Spicoli full credit for the words. Instead of being shamed, Spicoli looks pleased and says, "All right!" After the pizza delivery, Mr. Hand tells Spicoli he is causing a major disturbance on Mr. Hand's time. This time Spicoli says, "I've been thinking about this, Mr. Hand. If I'm here and you're here, doesn't that make it OUR time?"
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" show the teen scene in the 1980s of malls, sex and relationships.

This movie won just one minor award and no Academy Award nominations, but I thought it was pretty entertaining (of course, I was younger then). Many of the young actors and actresses in this movie would go on to become well-known stars (including Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold and Phoebe Cates). Screenplay writer Cameron Crowe based this movie on his book of same title. He had posed as a student at Clairemont High School in San Diego, California while he was a college student and observed student life.

Answer: Gandhi

In this scene British Viceroy Lord Irwin (John Gielgud) - the top ranking British administrator of colonial India prior to Indian independence - has just been informed of a planned walk by Indian civil disobedience leader Mohandas (a.k.a., Mahatma) Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) and his followers. They plan to walk across the country to the Indian Ocean to protest a British law that Indians only purchase their salt from distributors licensed by the British. Gandhi plans to demonstrate to his followers how anyone can boil down seawater to get salt. Lord Irwin's Principal Secretary (Michael Bryant) says line one and Lord Irwin dismissively says line two. "Gandhi" tells the true autobiographical story of Mahatma Gandhi, a lawyer by training, who led his followers on a non-violent rebellion against British rule that ultimately resulted in Indian independence in 1947. This was the strategy later used by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the U.S. civil rights protests in the 1960s. Because of his simple dress and slight physique, he initially was not taken seriously by the British as a rebellion leader. Gandhi neatly summed up his objective with this quote, "In the end you will walk out, because one hundred thousand Englishmen simply cannot control three hundred fifty million Indians if those Indians refuse to co-operate. And that is what we intend to achieve - peaceful, non-violent, non-co-operation 'till you yourselves see the wisdom of leaving."

In the 1983 Academy Awards "Gandhi" won eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Ben Kingsley for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Gandhi. When Kingsley was dressed in a Gandhi-style simple, white dhoti, his resemblance to Gandhi was so striking that many Indian locals at first thought they were seeing a ghost!

Historical note:
In the early days of World War II (August 1941), British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard the British destroyer HMS Prince of Wales off Newfoundland. The U.S. was not involved in the fighting at that point, and Churchill very much wanted American involvement. As a result, Churchill was more susceptible than usual to some FDR arm-twisting over provisions of the Atlantic Charter that resulted from this meeting. One of the provisions of the Charter (that Churchill agreed to only reluctantly) recognized "the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live" and agreed in principle that Britain's colonial empire would be dismantled after the war. Newfoundland was a British territory at the time. It joined Canada in 1949.