The Film History of Steven Spielberg Quiz

Answer: Yes

Indeed, before Spielberg started creating his big, money grossing films, the term 'blockbuster' hardly had developed its modern day definition. Spielberg essentially developed the idea of the 'summer blockbuster', and 'Jaws' did not disappoint in this regard.

The highest grossing film up to the summer of 1975 and the release of 'Jaws' was the 1972 film 'The Godfather' (over 85-million dollars). Of course, adjusted for inflation, movies like 'Gone with the Wind' and 'The Sound of Music' achieved the equivalent of the 'Jaws' box-office take, but in real-dollar terms they did not exceed the 100-million mark.

Answer: François Truffaut

You may have heard of Truffaut for his directing work in 'The 400 Blows' (Les Quatre Cents Coups) or 'Breathless' (À bout de souffle), but in the case of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', Truffaut chose the route of acting. Truffaut does well alongside the manic Dreyfuss, the latter playing a suddenly UFO obsessed civilian while the latter portrays a film version of the French UFO expert Jacques Vallée.

'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' garnered Spielberg his first of several Academy Award nominations for Best Director. He failed to win an Oscar for this film.

Answer: True

George Lucas conceived of the idea of 'Raiders' with another director, Philip Kaufman, who was originally set to direct the project during its very early stages. Eventually, the script fell into the waiting and willing hands of Spielberg, who then urged that Harrison Ford be chosen as Indiana Jones over Tom Selleck, Lucas' first choice. Things worked out for the best when Selleck left the project, having committed to 'Magnum P.I.', leaving the part of Indiana Jones in the able hands of Harrison Ford.

Answer: False

Surprisingly, the total filmmaking budget for 'E.T.' came in around 10-million dollars. The first film to cost 100-million dollars to produce was 'Terminator II' from 1991.

The script for 'E.T.' was written by Melissa Mathison, who took dictation from co-developer Spielberg during the filming of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Melissa Mathison is the ex-wife of Harrison Ford.

Answer: Alice Walker

Spielberg took a big chance with this film, and it paid off with great critical success. Not only was 'The Color Purple' nominated for 11 Academy Awards (though, stunningly, it won zero Oscars), but it also managed to introduce the world to both Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. Both of them were nominated for actress Oscars in this, their collective acting debuts. Spielberg was not nominated for Best Director, but he was up for a Best Picture nomination.

Answer: China

Specifically, the film was based in Shanghai, China during World War II. Based on the novel by J. G. Ballard, 'Empire of the Sun' chronicles the story of a young British ex-pat who manages to survive the Japanese occupation, even while interned in a concentration camp.

This film features the acting of Miranda Richardson, John Malkovich, Ben Stiller, Joe Pantoliano and a young Christian Bale.

Answer: Harvey Keitel

Neeson, Kingsley and Fiennes brought vividly to life the characters Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern and Amon Goeth, respectively. Spielberg shot this film entirely on location in Poland and Israel, and really captured the moment in time and the tragedy of the Holocaust in a way that very few directors could manage (Roman Polanski's 'The Pianist' comes to mind as a close second).

Answer: Amistad

The Amistad was a merchant ship that illegally carried slaves from the Caribbean to North America. When the ship is seized by the Africans it illegally carries, and is then captured by U.S. naval forces, a row begins over who has ownership over the craft and its 'cargo'. The circumstances of the Amistad became a national issue in the United States, even reaching the Supreme Court where the case of the Africans was eloquently taken up by John Quincy Adams himself (played marvelously by Anthony Hopkins).

An underrated film by Spielberg, in my view. Aside from Hopkins' performance, look for excellent acting work by Morgan Freeman, Djimon Hounsou and Pete Postlethwaite.

Answer: False

Oh, that was bad of me. Of course fans of Spielberg know that his first two Oscars came in 1994 for his work on 'Schindler's List' (Best Director and Best Picture). He also won the Best Director Oscar for 'Saving Private Ryan', his second such victory. Spielberg's other nominations:

Best Director - 1978 - 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
Best Director - 1982 - 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'
Best Director and Best Picture - 1983- 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
Best Picture - 1986 - 'The Color Purple'
Best Picture - 1999 - 'Saving Private Ryan'

Answer: Catch Me If You Can

Hanks starred in 2002's 'Catch Me If You Can' along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Sheen and Christopher Walken. In this film, based on a true story, Hanks plays an FBI agent named Carl Hanratty who spends years trying to track down a con-man named Frank Abagnale Jr., portrayed by DiCaprio. Abagnale passed himself off as everything from an airline pilot to a doctor, all for the purposes of receiving large paychecks. Quite an entertaining film, in my humble opinion.

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