Name the 20th Century Movie Trivia Quiz

Answer: Birth of a Nation

"Birth of a Nation" was the first film released on 12-reel film in the US. Set during the US Civil War, it debuted in February 1915 and was a huge success, making more than $10 million in its first year of release (although this amount is debated given that records were not kept as accurately as they are today).

It was a controversial film given the way it portrayed both African-Americans (as unintelligent) and the Ku Klux Klan (as heroes).

Answer: Wings

"Wings" is well known as the first winner of the Academy Award's Best Picture, and featured a combination of war action, drama and romance. It was ahead of its time in a number of ways, being one of the first films to depict two men kissing, to include nudity, and to achieve some impressive air combat sequences.

Answer: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", the well-known fairy tale about a princess who narrowly escapes bring murdered by an evil queen, was the first fully CEL (hand-drawn) animated feature film. Released in 1937, it made over $8 million at the box office, making it the most successful (non-silent) film at the time, and adjusting for inflation, one of the best-selling films in history.

Answer: Easter Parade

"Easter Parade" starred Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. It follows the story of Don, who takes on a young, inexperienced and clumsy dancer and attempts to turn her into a star. Given its box office success, film company MGM moved quickly to pair the stars together in another film, "The Barkleys of Broadway". Unfortunately the two never ended up completing another movie: Garland was soon replaced by Ginger Rogers after the studio suspended her for frequent absences, thought to be due to her troubles with alcohol and drugs.

Answer: Rear Window

Many critics acclaim "Rear Window" as one of Hitchcock's best. The film starts out as a fairly average drama, but quickly builds as more characters, including the man's girlfriend and his nurse, become involved in the mystery. This was one of Hitchcock's early thrillers, bring released in 1954, prior to other classics such as "Psycho" and "The Birds".

Answer: Mary Poppins

Julie Andrews won her only Best Actress Oscar for this film. The story follows a family living in early 20th Century England, desperately in need of a nanny after several have quit. Enter the firm but always entertaining Mary Poppins, who faces a big challenge in becoming loved and wanted by all the family members, but ultimately succeeds, leaving everyone a bit better off in the process.

Answer: Rocky

"Rocky" tells the story of Rocky Balboa, a little known amateur boxer who is chosen to take on world champion Apollo Creed and suddenly becomes a household name. The film exceeded the expectations of many, making more money at the US box office than any other film that year (over $200 million US), despite its tiny budget (about $1 million) and it being shot in less than a month.

It won three Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and went on to generate several sequels.

Answer: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

This third instalment of the series revolves around the search for the famous Holy Grail, with Indiana joining his father on the quest of a lifetime. Interestingly, despite mixed responses from critics, the fourth film ("Crystal Skull") actually performed much better than any of the others in terms of box office receipts.

This would have been a relief to producers, who struggled to rework the third film ("The Last Crusade") after the second ("Temple of Doom") did much worse than the first.

Answer: A Few Good Men

Aaron Sorkin's film was adapted from his play of the same name. The film's main character is Daniel Caffey, a cheeky Navy lawyer who has never been in a courtroom but suddenly finds himself arguing to keep his defendants from serving life in prison. Sorkin has said to have had the idea for the plot when hearing about a court-martial revolving around the near-death of a US Marine from his sister, who was the defense lawyer in that case.

The film drew an all-star cast including Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak and Kiefer Sutherland.

Answer: Braveheart

"Braveheart" was a film about Scotland's first war of independence with England in the 14th Century. It was directed by Mel Gibson and starred him as the Scottish leader, William Wallace.