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Quiz about History of Film Genres 19001950

History of Film Genres 1900-1950 Quiz

I just started my Film minor and History of World Cinema 1 was the first class I took. Here's a review of some of the early cinema, up to and including film noir (in two parts).

A multiple-choice quiz by billybob87. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
billybob87

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
248,294

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
716

Question 1 of 10

1. What name is associated with the rise of early cinematic shorts? Hint

Alexander Graham Bell

Thomas Edison

Nikola Tesla

Edwin S. Porter

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Question 2 of 10

2. The Lumiere brothers directed "A Trip to the Moon".

True

False

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Question 3 of 10

3. Who was the creator of the theory of prestige film, United Artists, and the movie "Birth of a Nation"? Hint

D.W. Griffith

Douglas Fairbanks

Edwin S. Porter

Thomas Ince

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Question 4 of 10

4. On to genres of film! An interesting tidbit: What was Hitler's favorite film, a 1927 release directed by Fritz Lang, from the German Expressonist movement? Hint

The Golem

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Metropolis

Nosferatu

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Question 5 of 10

5. German Expressonism often used the entire set design to create a specific reaction in the viewer. What is the film term for everything in a scene? Hint

mise-en-scene

kinopanorama

wide shot

vignetting

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Question 6 of 10

6. Okay, before we go any further, my film professor loves this question: What does the best boy do? Hint

assistant to the gaffer or the key grip

assists the actors with their needs

in charge of lighting

manages the dailies

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. What famous Russian film featured the Odessa steps sequence (mimicked in de Palma's "The Untouchables")? Hint

The End of St. Petersburg

Man with a Movie Camera

Mother

Battleship Potemkin

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Question 8 of 10

8. What person was largely responsible for Soviet montage theory? Hint

Sergei Eistenstein

Yuri Lotman

Boris Eichenbaum

Lev Kuleshov

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Question 9 of 10

9. All right, back to America for a minute. Name the most successful (commercially at any rate) silent era comedian. Hint

Harold Lloyd

Fatty Arbuckle

Charlie Chaplin

Buster Keaton

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. The early documentary "Nanook of the North" was financed by a fur company.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What name is associated with the rise of early cinematic shorts?

Answer: Thomas Edison

Edison's company (Edison and Co.) largely headed up the initiative of cinematic shorts, creating well known films such as "The Kiss", "The Strong Man", and "The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots".

2. The Lumiere brothers directed "A Trip to the Moon".

Answer: False

This was directed by George Melies and was one of the first films to implement the use of a narrative. The short film was, naturally, about a trip to the moon! The entire movie was directed in long shot, meaning there were no close-ups.

3. Who was the creator of the theory of prestige film, United Artists, and the movie "Birth of a Nation"?

Answer: D.W. Griffith

Charlie Chaplin, who cofounded United Artists, called Griffith "the teacher of us all." Certainly Griffith is a controversial figure even today, for "Birth of a Nation", a movie that glorifies the Ku Klux Klan and denigrates black people, but his influence on early film narrative is undeniable. He changed the way film was made and viewed by the public.

Woodrow Wilson said of Griffith's "Birth of a Nation" that it was like watching "history written with lightning".

4. On to genres of film! An interesting tidbit: What was Hitler's favorite film, a 1927 release directed by Fritz Lang, from the German Expressonist movement?

Answer: Metropolis

German Expressionism was characterized by its interesting visual style of heavy shadows, diagonal lines, and huge, engulfing sets. "Metropolis" was about a futuristic society ruled by an elite few, and a charismatic leader rousing the poor to revolt. (The 80's version featured an 80's music soundtrack laid over the movie-- Freddie Mercury and Pat Benatar were heavily featured!) Hitler was so impressed with Lang's "Metropolis" that he asked Lang to be his official director. Lang agreed but fled the country the next day!

5. German Expressonism often used the entire set design to create a specific reaction in the viewer. What is the film term for everything in a scene?

Answer: mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene can be everything from costumes, to set, to makeup on the actors, to music played in the background. It's how the entire thing strikes the viewer.

6. Okay, before we go any further, my film professor loves this question: What does the best boy do?

Answer: assistant to the gaffer or the key grip

A best boy electric helps the gaffer (in charge of lighting) and a best boy grip helps the key grip (in charge of mechanics usually).

7. What famous Russian film featured the Odessa steps sequence (mimicked in de Palma's "The Untouchables")?

Answer: Battleship Potemkin

"Battleship Potemkin" was released in 1925 and directed by Sergei Eistenstein. It was pretty much a propaganda piece that glorified the working class and vilified the soldiers and higher classes.

8. What person was largely responsible for Soviet montage theory?

Answer: Sergei Eistenstein

Eisenstein wrote this theory based on the opinion that emotions could be created in the viewer through specific use of narrative and high editing. Kuleshov added to this theory with his experiment (called the Kuleshov Effect) that showed how editing made everything subjective to a viewer.

9. All right, back to America for a minute. Name the most successful (commercially at any rate) silent era comedian.

Answer: Harold Lloyd

Harold Lloyd's movies are often referred to as "American Dream" movies. They all involved an individual succeeding at a goal through sheer pluck. The others were popular and successful, but not as much as Lloyd.

10. The early documentary "Nanook of the North" was financed by a fur company.

Answer: True

Released in 1922 and directed by Robert Flaherty, this movie depicted an Eskimo family but took some real liberties with non-intervention. The director purposely put furs in almost every shot to please the founder, Revillion Furs.

Watch for the second part of 1900-1950 film history coming up!

Source: Author billybob87

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