Real to Reel: Real People on the Silver Screen 3 Quiz

Answer: Queen Christina

In "Queen Christina", the young monarch dedicates her whole life to the Swedish Empire and is even set up to marry her cousin, Karl Gustav, in order to provide the country with a blue-blooded heir to the throne. However, she eventually realises she has denied herself a life of her own. On a whim, she speeds off into the countryside in disguise and ends up falling in love with the Spanish envoy, Antonio, who is on his way to meet her in the capital. He has no idea with whom he has had a brief but ardent fling until they meet officially back in the city. He isn't best pleased and feels belittled, but in the end is won over once again. The public turn against him, she abdicates, and they flee the country, albeit separately. Unfortunately, whilst they are apart Gustav pops up and fatally wounds Antonio in a duel.

The film is a mishmash of fact and fiction. Queen Christina was on the throne of the Swedish Empire from 1632, when she was just six years old, until her abdication in 1654. In the film, she abdicates so she can sail away to Spain with the Spanish envoy, Antonio Pimentel de Prado (played by John Gilbert). In reality, she abdicated for various reasons. One of those was her conversion to Catholicism and a desire to move to Rome, which she did. Antonio Pimentel de Prado was involved in all of this, but as a confidant rather than as a lover. In the film, Christina dresses as a man in order to escape the pressures of court life and go off riding through the snow-covered countryside. In reality, she dressed as a man in order to escape to the Spanish Netherlands after her abdication.

Answer: Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich had become a huge star in "The Blue Angel", also directed by Josef von Sternberg. The pair actually made seven films together, of which "The Scarlet Empress" was the penultimate. Although Dietrich's film career lasted right into the 1970s, it was the ones she made with Josef von Sternberg which are often cited as the pinnacle of her career. However, she led a fascinating life both professionally and personally right up to the ripe old age of ninety.

To say director Josef von Sternberg's film about Catherine the Great is historically inaccurate would be a huge understatement, but "The Scarlet Empress" is more about cinematic storytelling than history. And what storytelling! Josef von Sternberg learned his craft in the silent era and had a delectable skill in using all the tricks of cinema to tell us exactly what we need to know. The film has somewhat grotesque imagery throughout, with gargoyles popping up all over the place, heavy religious imagery, ominous shadows, and decadent opulence. If you pay careful attention, you might even notice a skeleton sitting at the head of the table at the wedding feast.

The film was made prior to the infamous Hollywood Code, so we get scenes of cruelty, some brief nudity, but even more striking is the sexual tension. Dietrich plays Catherine prior to her marriage as a wide-eyed naif, but she later turns into a powerful, confident woman. Sam Jaffe plays her husband Peter equally brilliantly. At first he seems a harmless, hapless, half-wit but he later turns into a dangerously stupid despot.

Answer: The Desert Fox

German Field Marshall Rommel is the man in question. In the film, he is loathe to join the plot against the Führer as it goes against his military ethos, but as time goes on he realises, as a patriot, it's the only sensible option for Germany. The plot is discovered so General Wilhelm Burgdorf is sent to offer Rommel two choices: being charged for treason, or suicide. He initially opts for truth and treason but heavy hints are made that his family may suffer the consequences. He decides to safeguard his family and opts for suicide, a cover-up and a hero's funeral.

How much of "The Desert Fox" is true is debatable, but it's an interesting film for various reasons. The main one is how the film portrays Rommel as somebody the Brits respected as well as feared.

The job of having to cast a non-German actor as the very German Erwin Rommel must have been quite a dilemma. Luckily, the right man was picked since if anybody could give such a big role gravitas, it was James Mason. Mason must have enjoyed it since he played Rommel again a few years later in "The Desert Rats". I wonder whether whoever was in charge of casting played a little joke by casting Jewish actor Luther Adler as Adolf Hitler.

Answer: Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas had already portrayed Odysseus and Vincent Van Gogh on screen when he took the role of Doc Holliday, so he can't have been too overawed by the task. I think it's fair to say his performance was one of the many highlights in a superb film.

Douglas had astounding career which spanned sixty years and included an amazing range of roles. He was paired with the inimitable Burt Lancaster several times, and the ease with which the two actors interacted is blatantly obvious on screen. Much of "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" deals with Holliday's rocky friendship with Wyatt Earp, the latter played by Lancaster. Lancaster got the top billing and is excellent, but Douglas stole the show in my opinion.

The film muddled several historical facts, probably in the name of storytelling. One important detail was that Doc Holliday didn't kill his nemesis, Johnny Ringo, at the gunfight, if at all, and in fact Ringo wasn't even there. Officially, Ringo's death a year after the gunfight was suicide, although numerous other theories have abounded. Another clever plot device concerning both Holliday and Ringo was the fictional relationship between Holliday's common-law wife Big Nose Kate and Ringo.

Answer: Cleopatra

The 1963 film "Cleopatra" opens during the Great Roman Civil War and shows Julius Caesar arriving in Egypt hot on the heels of Pompey. Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII attempts to capture Caesar and his troops, but he is outwitted and sent into exile. Cleopatra, who has already enchanted Caesar, takes over the position of her brother Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII, and is crowned Queen of Egypt. Caesar takes Cleopatra to Rome where she encourages him to take on the role of king with her as queen. The Romans can't stomach either idea and Caesar is murdered, after which conflicts about hereditary rights and other power struggles see Cleopatra back in Egypt. Mark Anthony, who has already been flirting with Cleopatra, turns up in Egypt in search of funds. He has already lost his power within the Roman army and is abandoned. The two lovers die.

"Cleopatra" was absolutely huge in every sense of the word. It cost an absolute fortune to make and despite being a massive box-office hit, it didn't initially recover its cost. The spectacular sets were enormous, but also beautifully crafted and highly detailed. The production was a mess with directors, actors, screenwriters and various others being hired and fired in an inexplicably wasteful manner. However, it did in the end get made and released to much fanfare.

Was it all worth it? To my mind, not really. There are some wonderful bits, such as Cleopatra's dazzling arrival in Rome, and some great performances, such as Richard Burton's as Mark Antony, but considering the cost and hassle it really should have been monumental.

Answer: Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine was favourite to play Bonnie Parker until the film's producer Warren Beatty, who's MacLaine's brother, took on the role of Clyde Barrow. The film did break many taboos but brother and sister playing lovers, albeit mostly dysfunctional ones, would be going too far. MacLaine's initially promising career has always seen its ups and and downs, often due to fallings-out, and controversies concerning her outspoken views.

As far as "Bonnie and Clyde" goes, in the end, Faye Dunaway got the role of Bonnie Parker and did a marvelous job. Gene Hackman played Clyde's brother and fellow gangster, Buck. Gene Wilder plays Eugene Grizzard, an undertaker who is taken hostage by the gang just for a laugh. The character is based on an undertaker called H. D. Darby who the gang did actually kidnap when they stole his car.

"Bonnie and Clyde" is interesting as it portrays outlaws in a very sympathetic light, despite the fact that they are not only robbing banks but also killing numerous police officers. The historical context of the depression seems to justify their actions, arguably a little too glibly. However, in real life, the gang, and in particular Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, were viewed as popular heroes who were kicking back against the system which had failed ordinary people.

Answer: Victor Hugo

The screenplay of "The Story of Adele H." was based on Adele Hugo's diaries, which she called "Journal de l'Exil". Victor Hugo, who was arguably France's greatest living writer, lived from 1855 until 1870 in real exile on Guernsey due to his criticism of Louis Napoleon. It was during Hugo's sojourn there that he wrote and published "Les Misérables". When Napoleon III's reign was replaced with the Third Republic, Victor Hugo went back to France.

Adele Hugo fell in love with a British officer, Albert Pinson, who ditched her when she turned down his proposal of marriage. She changed her mind and became obsessed with him, but he had lost interest. Much of the film takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Pinson, was stationed in 1863. What isn't shown in the film is that the Hugo family were keeping track of Adele's activities thanks to letters sent by several Halifax locals, including Adele's landlady.

When Pinson was sent to Barbados in 1866, Adele followed him there and the Hugo family lost track of her. Adele was eventually taken to Paris by a Barbadian ex-slave, Madame Céline Alvarez Baa. Adele's mental health had broken down completely in Barbados and Baa had found her wandering around dressed in rags and completely dazed. Although this period is unrecorded in Adele's diaries, it is shown briefly in the film.

Answer: David Lynch

"The Elephant Man" was David Lynch's second feature film and it was a huge success. His first feature film, "Eraserhead" (1977), had established him as a name amongst the lovers of cinematic oddities, and also among some big names. Eventually, Mel Brooks, whose company was making "The Elephant Man", saw it and realised Lynch was the man for the job. Such a big production launched Lynch's career and he went on to make "Dune", "Blue Velvet", and the hugely popular TV series "Twin Peaks, among other things.

The film in question is a surprisingly straightforward adaptation of "The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences" by the doctor who befriended Merrick, Frederick Treves, with generous sprinklings of Ashley Montagu's "The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity". Interestingly, the fact that Treves inexplicably insisted on calling Mr Merrick John rather than Joseph carried into the film.

Joseph Merrick developed extreme physical deformities as he was growing up and became more and more disfigured as he got older. Many of the events of Merrick's life got swapped around for the screenplay in the name of smooth plot. One thing which was rather conveniently overlooked was that Merrick went back to his career as a human curiosity in a freak show when he got fed up with being prodded and poked by curious doctors. In the film, Merrick is kidnapped by the cruel circus side-show exhibitor Mr. Bytes. Doctor Treves had previously rescued Merrick from Bytes but the latter still believed he owned his "treasure". In reality, Merrick was left destitute in Continental Europe and in fiction he is helped to escape by various other freak show performers. In both cases, Merrick eventually ended up back in the safe environment of the London Hospital where he lived until his death.

Answer: The Fighter

"The Fighter" opens with Micky getting badly beaten in a fight and subsequently retreating from the sport to lick his wounds and reconsider his future. Apart from Dicky, Micky's mum is also involved in his management so when Micky reemerges with new girlfriend Charlene, who is critical of the family's influence on Micky's life, tempers fray. Dicky ends up in jail, Micky gets a new manager and trainer, Dicky comes out of jail, and eventually the family, Charlene and Micky get over their differences.

Apparently, the two actors worked closely with the real life boxers in order to get all their idiosyncrasies in speech, gait and behaviour. British-born Bale must have had to work particularly hard to get Dicky Eklund's Massachusetts accent. It would seem like the hard work paid off as the portrayals comes across as authentic, as does the whole film. Some of the fight scenes have been criticised for their factual inaccuracies, but praised for how they show the boxing world.

HBO did really make a documentary featuring Dicky. It wasn't all about him and certainly wasn't about his potential comeback as the character in the film believes. It was called "High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell" and depicted the lives of the addicts and their daily struggles.

Answer: Serge Gainsbourg

"Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life" is as mind-boggling a film as Serge Gainsbourg's career was, and a fitting tribute to one of popular music's greatest mavericks.

Gainsbourg's first vinyl release was 1958's "Du chant à la une !...". It was very much in the chanson style, but already showed Gainsbourg's playfulness with words. He gradually brought in an eclectic mix of jazz, pop, and Latino. When he hooked up with Brigitte Bardot in the late 1960s, they made a series of wonderfully irreverent pop songs. From then on he messed about with all sorts of musical styles, but never lost his sardonic wit and charismatic stamp.

Gainsbourg's obsessions are all played out in the film. He always had an unconventional attitude towards the Holocaust and the Nazis who occupied his native France when he was a boy. The well-seasoned tale of him being first in line to get his Jewish yellow badge is documented, as is his track "Nazi Rock" from his incendiary 1985 album "Rock Around the Bunker". Even more prominent is his obsession with fantastically beautiful women, and his relationships with Bridget Bardot, Jane Birkin and Bambou are extremely well-done.

The film's director, Joann Sfar, has made interesting comments about Serge Gainsbourg's tendency to embellish fact along the lines that his (Gainsbourg's) lies reveal as much as his truths do. It's all recounted in an entertaining manner and the director's use of a weird puppet who plays the part of Gainsbourg's alter-ego or inner-self provides both light entertainment and deep study.