The Best of British Cinema Quiz | Foreign Mixture

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1. The British have a long history of film-making. In 2014 the British Film Institute announced in a press release that it was fully restoring a 1913 science fiction movie and showing it on its website. What is the name of the movie?

Answer: A Message From Mars

The BBC Arts and British Film Institute were behind the restoration of this film about a Martian sent to Earth to mend his selfish ways. With a plot that is reminiscent of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", the film is based on a play written by Richard Ganthony.

2. The accomplished British actor Daniel Day-Lewis has been nominated numerous times for an Academy Award in the Best Actor category. For which film did he win his first Academy Award playing the role of a paralyzed man who learned to paint with his foot?

Answer: My Left Foot

This inspiring 1989 film was based on the true story of Irishman Christy Brown, a man born with Cerebral Palsy who, although he was a quadriplegic, learned to paint and write while using the only part of his body he could control: his left foot.

3. Maggie Smith is one of very few actors who have won the trifecta of acting awards: Oscar, Emmy, and Tony. In which 1969 film did she win a Best Actress Oscar for playing the role of an unorthodox school teacher in a Scottish all girls school?

Answer: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

The film is based on a novel by Muriel Spark. Miss Jean Brodie has the task of teaching 12-year-old girls in her charge. Her unorthodox ideas are at odds with the school's headmistress as well as her inappropriate relationships with male teachers at the school, one of whom is married.

At the end of the film she is betrayed by one of her students and is asked to leave the school. One interesting fact about the movie is Robert Stephens, who played the role of art teacher and Brodie's lover Teddy Lloyd, was Maggie Smith's real-life husband at the time.

4. The lasting success of Alfred Hitchcock's films is testament to his skills as a director. Back in 1929 he directed a movie where a young woman is blackmailed after killing a man in self-defense. What is the name of this early Hitchcock film?

Answer: Blackmail

This movie was based on a play by Charles Bennett. An interesting fact about this film is that it started out as a silent film until Alfred Hitchcock was given access to sound equipment and turned it into a "talkie". The cast included actor Cyril Ritchard, best known for his award-winning dual role as Captain Hook/Mr.Darling in the 1954 and 1960 productions of "Peter Pan".

5. One of the most poignant films of 1969 tells the tale of a teenage boy whose bleak existence in an English mining town is brightened only when he befriends a falcon. Name this critically acclaimed film.

Answer: Kes

The movie is based on a 1968 novel "Kestrel for a Knave" by British author Barry Hines. The title of the film refers to the name given to the kestrel falcon by Billy, a lonely 15-year-old boy who suffers abuse at home and at school. His only real joy in life is Kes. David Bradley won the role of Billy without previous acting experience. Unfortunately his career never took off after this film.

6. Another wonderful film about a boy who finds his calling when he discovers ballet was released in 2000. The setting is northeastern England during the miner's strike of 1984-85. Name this uplifting dance drama.

Answer: Billy Elliot

Jamie Bell starred as Billy Elliot, a young boy who discovers a talent and love for ballet which does not sit well with his father who wants him to learn boxing. Fortunately for Billy, his father is eventually won over and supports his son by the end of the film. Jamie Bell had studied dance prior to being chosen for the role. Whereas the movie "Kes" ends on a sad note, "Billy Elliot" ends on a positive one.

7. In 2015 Eddie Redmayne won an Academy Award for his brilliant portrayal of scientist Stephen Hawking. Name this film.

Answer: The Theory of Everything

Redmayne's transformation of Hawking after he contracted ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) is amazing. The film, directed by Tom Hooper, focused mainly on the scientist's personal life, particularly his relationship with his first wife, Jane. Actress Felicity Jones played the role of Jane Hawking.

8. One of the best British films to be released in 1949 was based on a novel by Graham Greene and starred Orson Welles as the nefarious Harry Lime. Known for the use of a zither to perform the title theme song, name this excellent film noir.

Answer: The Third Man

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) travels to Vienna after longtime friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) offers him a job. When he arrives Martins is told Lime has died. Seeking answers to his friend's mysterious death, Martins discovers that Lime is not the man Martins thought him to be and is actually very much alive and involved in illegal activities.

Besides the unusual use of a zither to play the theme music, the film's cinematographer used distorted camera angles and harsh lighting to accentuate the dark mood of the film.

9. For those who love old movies, one of the best is a 1945 love story directed by David Lean. The film stars Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard as two people who meet by accident and fall in love despite the fact they are both married to others. Name this gem of a film.

Answer: Brief Encounter

The film is based on No�l Coward's one-act play "Still Life". Celia Johnson played the role of Laura, a bored housewife and mother who by chance meets a doctor, played by Trevor Howard, at a train station and they gradually fall in love as they continue to meet. Both are married but bored.

They eventually come to realize that they have responsibilities to others and must stop meeting each other. The ending is bittersweet and the look of loss is poignantly evident on the face of Laura at the end of the film when the doctor leaves her for good.

The film infers at the end that Laura's husband has suspected the affair all along and thanks her for coming back to him.

10. Anthony Hopkins is one of the greats of British cinema. His roles are many and varied. In one 1993 film, based on a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, he plays the role of a butler so dedicated to his job that he misses out on the joys of life. Which movie is it?

Answer: The Remains of the Day

In my opinion, this is one of Anthony's greatest roles. The film, told from the point of view of Stevens, the butler, unfolds gradually from past to present day as Stevens reflects back on his life. He is able to suppress his emotions to the point that the responsibilities of his job overshadow every aspect of his life. Emma Thompson did a wonderful job in the role of housekeeper, Miss Kenton, who develops romantic feelings for Stevens.

His feelings for her are never realized and she eventually marries someone else.

Source: Author nmerr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor jmorrow before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Best of British Cinema Trivia Quiz

The British are well known for excellence in film-making. Test your knowledge of the following ten films.

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