Pi Goes To The Movies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pandora's Box

The German playwright Frank Wedekind first introduced us to Lulu in "Erdgeist" in 1895. He followed this with "Die Buchse der Pandora" in 1904. Wedekind's work was looked upon as pornography because of his depiction of sex, violence, lesbianism and puberty.

Louise Brooks also starred in "Diary of a Lost Girl" (1929) as well as 17 silent films.

Question by Gracie3

Answer: Laurence Olivier

The BBC has produced two versions, one in 1980 and the better known one in 1995, memorable for Colin Firth's wet-shirted Mr Darcy. The 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen has rightly been praised, but for me the Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth version beats the lot.

Laurence Olivier was one of the leading actors of his day, starring in such films as "Richard III", "Hamlet", "Othello" and "Henry V" as well as "Wuthering Heights". He was created a Knight Bachelor in 1947, and made a life peer in 1970, making him the first actor to be given this distinction.

Question by Invinoveritas

Answer: Presumed Innocent

In this 1990 thriller, Harrison Ford is a Prosecutor who is accused of the murder of his mistress, played by Greta Scacchi. The film is an adaptation of the best selling book by Scott Turow.

As well as the "Indiana Jones" series Harrison Ford has made some fine films, including "Witness", "The Fugitive" and "What Lies Beneath". He also played Hans Solo in the early "Star Wars" films.

Question by Christinap.

Answer: John Hughes

Starring Steve Martin as Neal Page and the late, great John Candy as accident-prone salesman Del Griffith, John Hughes' film is comedy all the way. Trying to get Neal back to his family in Chicago for Thanksgiving through a severe blizzard turns out to be anything but the simple journey he had hoped for as the mismatched pair turn the trip into an odyssey of comedic misfortune. Through their plane being diverted to Wichita, Neal's hilarious rant when trying to hire a car, their night in the motel and Del's cigarette end setting fire to their hire car, which blows up leaving them stranded, they finally pull together to make the last leg of the journey by train. Finding out Del's wife had died some years previously and he is alone, the film ends with Neal asking him to celebrate Thanksgiving with him and his family.

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles" was released by Paramount Pictures and was voted the tenth greatest comedy film of all time in 2000 by readers of "Total Film" magazine. It was acclaimed as one of the best comedy films of the 1980s. John Hughes was born in 1950 and died from a heart attack in August 2009. He was responsible for many successful films of the 1980s and '90s, among them the "Home Alone" trilogy, "Beethoven", "The Breakfast Club" and "Uncle Buck", which also starred John Candy, in the eponymous role.

Question by Jennifer5

Answer: Phone booth

Directed by Joel Shumacher, "Phone Booth" is about Stu Shepard (Colin Farrell), a New York business man who gets lured into a phone booth by a sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) and told he'll be shot if he hangs up the phone. Although a unique premise, it may not be a surprise that a film of such limited scenery only lasted a very short 82 minutes.

Question by natagert

Answer: Pardner

"Paint Your Wagon" may be old, made in 1969, but it shows the stars, Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin, in rather different roles to those normally associated with them. The film wasn't a major hit, but the soundtrack was. Who can forget Lee Marvin singing? I love "Wand'rin' Star", which was a number one hit on the UK singles chart during 1970. The musical is basically about gold mining towns in America and the lack of women on the frontier. How dare a Mormon turn up with two wives! A woman then deserves two husbands, of course.

Clint Eastwood is better known for westerns such as "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and "Hang Em High", and for playing Harry Callahan in the "Dirty Harry" series of films. Lee Marvin has starred in westerns such as "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Cat Ballou" as well as "The Dirty Dozen" and other war or action movies.

Question by em1958

Answer: Pleasantville

David (Maguire), a teenage high school nerd is obsessed with a black and white TV show called "Pleasantville". His sister Jennifer (Witherspoon) just wants to date the hottest boy in school.

A fight over the television remote one night lands them both in the "Pleasantville" series - for real. As they struggle to adapt and find a way out of their dilemma, they unwittingly set off a chain of events that turns the Town of Pleasantville on its head, culminating in racial slurs and journeys of self-discovery.

Also starring William H. Macy, Don Knotts and Jeff Daniels, "Pleasantville" was nominated for three Academy Awards but failed to win any.

Question by Leith90.

Answer: Play Misty for Me

In "Play Misty for Me", Clint Eastwood is a disc jockey who runs a late night music show. He has a listener who constantly asks him to play "Misty", the classic Erroll Garner ballad, for her. After finding out where he drinks after his shift she "accidentally" meets him there and they end up sleeping together. From then on she haunts him, turning up on social occasions, at business meetings and at his home. Finally he is shocked to find that she has moved in with his girlfriend, which leads to the climax of the film.

This film was the first which Eastwood directed and in which he starred. The actress who played the stalker, Jessica Walter, was nominated for a Golden Globe as a dramatic actress. When it came out it received critical acclaim and was even compared to "Psycho".

Question by Calpurnia09

Answer: Parallax View, The

Directed by Alan J. Pakula this is the second part of his political trilogy, the first being "Klute" (1971) and the third being "All The President's Men" (1976). The opening sequence is based on the 1968 assassination of American Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The film centers around an investigation into the Parallax Corporation, whose aim appears to be political assassination.

Warren Beatty first came to our attention in 1961 with two films, "Splendor in the Grass" and "The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone". He has been nominated for an Oscar numerous times, and won as Best Director in 1982 for "Reds", which he also produced, co-wrote and starred in.

Question by KatAshley

Answer: John Grisham

John Grisham is an American author who is well known for his legal thrillers. He practiced as a criminal lawyer for several years and also served as a member of the House of Representatives in Mississippi.

The movie starred Julia Roberts as a young law student who uncovers a high level conspiracy of greed and environmental exploitation. Denzel Washington plays the role of a journalist who helps to expose the truth.

Question by Dutty4eva