Totally Epic Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ben Kingsley in "Gandhi"

"Gandhi" is a biographical film about the life of Mahatma Gandhi from 1893 until his death in 1948. An incredible 300,000 extras were utilized in the funeral scene of the movie. In total "Gandhi" won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Richard Attenborough, and Best Actor for Ben Kingsley.

Answer: Jesus Christ

Other historical figures portrayed on film by Charlton Heston include Marc Antony, Buffalo Bill Cody, Andrew Jackson, John the Baptist, Michelangelo, Cardinal Richelieu, and Henry VIII. Heston was well-known for partnering with both Cecil B. DeMille and William Wyler, two of the most accomplished epic film directors. Jesus Christ has been played on film by Jeffrey Hunter in "King of Kings", Max Von Sydow in "The Greatest Story Ever Told", Willem Dafoe in "The Last Temptation of Christ", and Jim Caviezel in "The Passion of the Christ".

Answer: Stagecoach

"Stagecoach" was directed by John Ford and like many of his westerns was filmed in Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border. Other classic films released in 1939 include "Gone with the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Wuthering Heights", and "Ninotchka".

In 1998 when the American Film Institute compiled its list of the 100 best American movies the year 1939 had the most films of any year with five selections.

Answer: James Cameron

The aforementioned films were "The Terminator", "The Abyss", "Titanic", and "Avatar". James Cameron has also directed a few commercially and critically successful sequels including "Aliens" and "Terminator 2". Even so, not all of Cameron's films have been epics.

His directorial debut for a feature film came in 1981 with "Piranha II: The Spawning", a movie consistently panned by film critics.

Answer: Cinderella Man

"Cinderella Man" documents Braddock's life working as a longshoreman during the Great Depression and his return to boxing in spite of his wife's desire for him to leave the sport. Braddock's success in the ring prompted him to pay back the government some of the money he had received while unemployed. This act resonated with many people and he became known as the 'Cinderella Man'.

Answer: The Matrix (1999)

"The Matrix" was followed by "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" which were both released in 2003. The trilogy grossed more than $1.5 billion at the box office and spawned an anime series, a set of comics, and several video games. While "The Matrix" was not directly based off of a book, the Wachowski Brothers were influenced by stories like "Neuromancer".

Answer: John Travolta

In 1977 John Travolta played the part of Tony Manero in "Saturday Night Fever", a role for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. A year later he starred in the film "Grease" with Olivia Newton-John. Interestingly Travolta did not appear in another musical for another 29 years when he took part in "Hairspray" in 2007.

Answer: Finding Nemo

Released in 2003, "Finding Nemo" was the fifth film produced by Pixar. In April 2013 Disney announced that there would be a sequel to "Finding Nemo" called "Finding Dory". "The Lion King", "The Princess and the Frog", and "Tangled" were all produced and released by Disney without the collaboration of Pixar.

Answer: March of the Penguins

"March of the Penguins" tells the story of the yearly journey of the emperor penguin as both parents perform necessary roles to give their chicks the best chance of survival. The unforgiving weather of Antarctica makes the numerous journeys from the ocean to the breeding grounds extremely challenging for the penguins.

Answer: Christmas

In addition to these comedy films, the epic films "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Die Hard" also take place during Christmas. Halloween certainly has a substantial amount of epic horror films while Easter and Thanksgiving seem to be less represented.