Movies: Historical Events and Real People Quiz

Answer: All Quiet on the Western Front

"All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930) starred Lew Ayers and Louis Wolheim. The movie tells the story of the challenges and experiences of young recruits on the front line. The sequel "The Road Back" (1937) portrays those same recruits returning home after the war. "Paths of Glory" (1957) starred Kirk Douglas and Adolph Menjou.

It tells the story of a commanding officer (Douglas) who has to defend his troops during a court martial whose been branded as cowards. "The Lost Patrol" (1934) starred Victor McLaglen and Boris Karloff.

It tells the story of a group of British soldiers stranded in the Mesopotamian desert during WWI. "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) had an all star cast including Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Jack Hawkins.

The film is based on the life of T. E. Lawrence and his relationship with Arab tribes during WWI.

Answer: Somebody Up There Likes Me

Paul Newman plays the role of Rocky Graziano in this 1956 movie which is based on his autobiography of the same name. Rocky Graziano (1919-1990) was born Thomas Rocco Barbella and was the world champion in 1947-48. "Cinderella Man" (2005) was the story of boxer James Braddock (1905-1974) the World Heavyweight Champion in 1935-37 starring Russell Crowe. "Raging Bull" (1980) stars Robert De Niro as the former World Middleweight Champion, Jake LaMotta (1922-2017). De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this role. "The Great White Hope" (1970) stars James Earl Jones as the boxer Jack Jefferson but based of the true story of Jack Johnson who became the first African-American World Heavyweight Champion from 1908-1915.

Answer: The Greatest Story Ever Told

"The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965) depicts the life of Jesus of Nazareth (Max von Sydow). This was the first English language film that the Swedish actor Max von Sydow had ever appeared in. Many of the all star cast made brief cameo appearances in the movie. "The Ten Commandments" (1956) depicts Moses (Charlton Heston) as he leads his Jewish people out of captivity in Egypt across the Red Sea. "The Robe" (1953) is a biblical epic with Richard Burton as a disillusioned Marcellus Gallio who wins Jesus' robe in a dice game after Jesus was crucified. "The Prince of Egypt" (1998) is an animated film adaption of Moses leading his people out of Egypt across the Red Sea.

The voices of the animated characters included Val Kilmer, Sandra Bullock, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfieffer, Steve Martin, Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren.

Answer: Saved From The Titanic

"Saved From The Titanic" (1912) was a film that was co-written and starred the silent film actress Dorothy Gibson (1889-1946). The film was made shortly after the tragedy and Gibson was a survivor of the disaster. Sadly, the film was destroyed in a studio fire. "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"(1964) was a musical starring Debbie Reynolds as Margaret Brown who was an actual survivor from the Titanic. "A Night to Remember" (1958) was a British film starring Kenneth More and Honor Blackman and depicted the last night on the RMS Titanic.

There have been a number of films titled "Titanic" being in 1943, 1953 and 1997, the latter winning 11 Academy Awards.

Answer: Thirteen Days

"Thirteen Days" (2000) involved the thirteen days from October 16-28,1962 in the stand-off between the USA and the USSR. Greenwood portrayed President Kennedy and Costner was his special assistant Kenneth O'Donnell. "JFK" (1991) was a drama centred around the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy with Kevin Costner as the New Orleans district attorney, Jim Garrison. "LBJ" (2016) starred Woody Harrelson as Lyndon Johnson from being a Senator to eventually becoming the President of the United States of America. "Jackie"(2016) has Natalie Portman portraying Jackie Kennedy during the months after the assassination of her husband.

Answer: Spartacus

"Spartacus" (1960) starred Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton. It was an epic drama of Spartacus (Douglas) freeing himself from slavery and becoming a gladiator. "Gladiator" (2000) starred Russell Crowe as Maximus who is reduced to slavery but rises through the ranks as a gladiator to avenge the deaths of his family.

The period of the movie is during the Roman Empire of the late second century. "El Cid" (1961) is an historical drama about the Spanish knight El Cid who tries to unify Spain to rid them of the Moorish invaders.

The period is around the 11th century. Charlton Heston starred as El Cid and Sophia Loren as Jimsena his wife. "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964) is based on a period before the actual fall of the empire but deals with the corruption that eventually brought about its downfall.

The movie starred Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness and James Mason.

Answer: Breaker Morant

"Breaker Morant" (1980) is based on the actual court-martial of Harry "Breaker" Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton for actions committed during the Boer War against civilians and soldiers. The Australians were serving under the command of the British Army during the conflict. "Zulu Dawn" (1979) depicts the historical battle in 1879 between the British and Zulu forces.

The film starred Burt Lancaster, Peter O'Toole and Simon Ward. "Shangani Patrol" (1970) is an account of the massacre of 34 British soldiers in Rhodesia by Matebele warriors in 1893. "Young Winston" (1972) is an account of the early life of Winston Churchill which also covers the period when he was a war correspondent during the Second Boer War in South Africa.

Answer: Michelangelo

"The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965) depicts the period in the Italian Renaissance when the Pope asks Michelangelo to paint a mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The film starred Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. "Surviving Picasso" (1996) depicted the famous painter Pablo Picasso starring Anthony Hopkins in the lead role. "Lust for Life" (1956) starred Kirk Douglas as Vincent Van Gogh. "Oviri" (1986) was a film based on the life of the French artist Paul Gauguin starring Donald Sutherland. Oviri is the goddess of mourning in Tahitian mythology and while in Tahiti Gauguin made a ceramic sculpture of the figure in 1894.

Answer: Friendly Persuasion

"Friendly Persuasion" (1956) starred Gary Cooper as Jess Birdwell with Dorothy McGuire as his wife and Anthony Perkins as his son. "Gone with the Wind" (1939) was the epic Civil War drama of the O'Hara family starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard and Thomas Mitchell.

At the 1940 Academy Awards it won 10 Oscars from 13 nominations. "Cold Mountain" (2003) was a romantic drama set during the American Civil War when a wounded Confederate soldier (Jude Law) deserts his unit to return to his young wife (Nicole Kidman). "Glory" (1989) is a drama set during the American Civil War when a white officer is put in charge of the first all-African American regiment.

Answer: The Wooden Horse

"The Wooden Horse"(1950) was the story of three officers in the German POW camp Stalag Luft III (Poland) who built a wooden horse as a piece of exercise equipment for the prisoners. Each day the wooden horse was carried out into the exercise yard with a man inside.

While the exercises where taking place the hidden man would dig the tunnel. The three officers eventually escaped to Sweden and then returned to England. "The Great Escape" (1963) is based on the true story of a mass escape from a German POW camp during WWII. "The Colditz Story" (1955) is based on the true encounters of numerous allied servicemen and their escape attempts from a medieval castle which was a German POW camp during WWII. "Stalag 17" (1953) is a fictional story of American servicemen in a German POW camp during WWII who suspect that one of their comrades is an informer for the German Commandant of the camp.