Movies Featured in Other Movies Quiz

Answer: It's a Wonderful Life

The 1946 classic 'It's a Wonderful Life', directed by Frank Capra, has become so enmeshed in Americana that it is no wonder that the film is 'sampled' rather often in other films. You can literally find dozens of films in which 'It's a Wonderful Life' is referenced, featured or spoofed.

Plot: 'It's a Wonderful Life' is about a man who does his best to help his family and his Building and Loan survive during the depression years in the small town of Bedford Falls.

Answer: Being John Malkovich

The scripts for both 'Being John Malkovich' and 'Adaptation' were written by Charlie Kaufman. Since the story behind 'Adaptation' is supposed to be taking place around the time that 'Being John Malkovich' is being made, it makes sense that Kaufman would be interacting somehow with this film within a film.

Plot: In 'Being John Malkovich', some people discover a pathway into the soul of actor John Malkovich. They are able to experience things through the actor's eyes, resulting in bizarre consequences.

Answer: Gilda

'Gilda', starring Hayworth, Glenn Ford and George Macready and directed by Charles Vidor, has been referenced or featured in a number of films and television shows over the years. The particular scene they show in 'The Shawshank Redemption' where Rita Hayworth flips her hair over her head after being asked 'Gilda, are you decent?' and responds, 'Me? Sure, I'm decent.' is a classic.

Plot: 'Gilda' is a noiresque love-triangle about a casino owner, his unfaithful wife and her former lover who has been hired as the assistant to the casino owner.

Answer: The Evil Dead

The director of 'Donnie Darko', Richard Kelly, not only got permission from director Sam Raimi to feature 'The Evil Dead' (1981) in his film, he was also allowed to distort the picture on the screen in the movie theater at which the film was being played.

Plot: 'The Evil Dead' is about a group of young people who become trapped in a small house that is haunted by the spirits of the dead.

Answer: The Seventh Seal

The classic portrayal of Death by Bengt Ekerot is renewed once again in 'The Last Action Hero', though, of course, once the Grim Reaper emerges through the movie screen he is portrayed by none other than Ian McKellen!

Plot: A crusading knight and his squire return from the Crusades. 'The Seventh Seal' deals with the struggles of the knight, to find meaning in his existence.

Answer: Vertigo

The film 'Vertigo' greatly influenced the 1962 French film 'La Jetée', upon which 'Twelve Monkeys' is partially based. The Cole and Railly characters were played by Bruce Willis and Madeleine Stowe, respectively.

Plot: 'Vertigo' is about a former detective, with a fear of heights, who is hired to follow the wife of a friend who is believed to have become possessed by another woman's spirit.

Answer: The Third Man

Like 'The Third Man', 'Heavenly Creatures' features a bizarre fantasy world in which murder becomes a subplot. In 'Heavenly Creatures', the two lead characters (one played by Kate Winslet) make Orson Welles and his Harry Lime character from 'The Third Man' one of their obsessions.

Plot: In 'The Third Man', a man named Holly Martens (Joseph Cotten) becomes embroiled in a murder mystery involving a former friend named Harry Lime (Orson Welles) who he believes has recently been killed.

Answer: The Bicycle Thief

It's difficult to say exactly what the significance of 'The Bicycle Thief' has for 'The Player', but it could be a message about the difference between the hard realism of the former film, as opposed to the vibrant fantasy world created in the latter. In addition, the down-on-his-luck lead character in 'The Bicycle Thief' resembles somewhat the D'Onofrio character in that neither are able to cope with a changing, dog-eat-dog world.

Plot: 'The Bicycle Thief' is about a working class man whose bike goes missing on the very day that he finds a good-paying job. He spends the rest of the film relentlessly pursuing his bicycle, which is essential to his work.

Answer: Casablanca

'Casablanca' is the prototypical film about two star-crossed lovers whose love is unable to survive for various reasons. In 'When Harry Met Sally', the two lead characters also seem to have a wedge between them. 'Casablanca', starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, has been referenced, spoofed and/or featured in literally dozens of movies.

Plot: 'Casablanca' takes place in World War II Morocco. There, the Bergman and Bogart characters, once lovers, meet under trying circumstances. The Bogart character attempts to help Bergman and her husband escape the clutches of the Vichy French regime.

Answer: Red River

Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges) and Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) sit in the local theater and watch the last film performance that is going to be shown there, a screening of the John Wayne classic 'Red River'. Thus the title of the Peter Bogdanovich-directed film 'The Last Picture Show'.

Plot: 'Red River' is about a group of cattle drivers who make the difficult trek north from Texas with their herds, made even more treacherous by the fact that the owner of the cattle (John Wayne) has a ruthless disregard for the men's lives.

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