Wild Geese and other Richard Burton Films Quiz

Answer: Roger Moore

As well as Burton and Moore, the film starred Hardy Kruger, Richard Harris and Stewart Granger. The film was about a group of mercenaries hired by Granger's character to rescue a deposed African leader. The 'wild geese' were not real birds, but referred to insignia worn by a real life British mercenary soldier, Mike Hoare, known as 'Mad Mike'. Hoare had fought as a mercenary in Africa and acted as a consultant on the film.

Answer: Equus

Firth played Alan Strang, who had blinded several horses, while Burton was the psychiatrist who attempted to uncover the motivation for the attacks. Other actors in the film were Colin Blakeley and Joan Plowright as Alan's parents.

The other films are all real, with 'Cujo' (1983) being based on a Stephen King novel and 'Animal Farm' being adapted in 1954 and 1999 from George Orwell's book. 'Anaconda' came out in 1997, and was not based on a literary work.

Answer: Franco Zeffirelli

Zefferelli obviously liked his Shakespeare as he also directed 'Romeo and Juliet' in 1968 and 'Hamlet', with Mel Gibson, in 1990. 'The Taming of the Shrew' was first filmed, with sound, in 1929 with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks as Katharina and Petruchio. Taylor and Burton made the film during the first of their two marriages to each other.

Answer: Clint Eastwood

The story was created by the Scottish author Alistair MacLean, who wrote the script for the film in tandem with the novel, which was published in 1967. Set in World War II, Burton and Eastwood played army officers who are sent to the rescue of a brigadier captured by the Germans.

The plot turns out to be rather more devious than that, with the real mission being to expose a German agent who has infiltrated the top echelons of the British army.

Answer: Tobruk

'The Desert Rats' was the nickname given to the British army forces who fought in north Africa in World War II, and the film dramatised the Siege of Tobruk in which they fought. James Mason played the German general Erwin Rommel, known as the 'Desert Fox', while Richard Burton was the British officer who had to convert a raw bunch of Australian recruits into a fighting force to prevent the vital port of Tobruk falling to Rommel's forces.

Answer: Cleopatra

If the real life Cleopatra was only half as beautiful as Elizabeth Taylor, it's easy to understand why both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony fell in love with her. In the film, which cost an absolute fortune to make, Caesar was played by Rex Harrison, Mark Antony by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor portrayed Cleopatra herself.

The film shows her committing suicide by allowing an asp, or cobra, to bite her.

Answer: What's New Pussycat?

Burton made only a brief appearance in the film as 'a man in a bar', but the combination of Sellers, O'Toole and Allen should have helped you identify the correct answer. The other films offered as option were chosen only because they mentioned cats. 'What's New Pussycat' would be described as a 'farce' on stage, with all the characters managing to unexpectedly find themselves at the same remote hotel at the film's climax.

The theme song, written by Bacharach and David, was sung by Tom Jones.

Answer: Edward Albee

Albee's name appeared on the posters and in the opening credits of the film, which was directed by Mike Leigh. Elizabeth Taylor won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Martha while Richard Burton was nominated for playing George. The film itself, about a disintegrating and disfunctional marriage, was also nominated for Best Picture, losing out to 'A Man For All Seasons'.

Answer: Iguana

In the film, Richard Burton portrays a former priest who has a weakness for both young women and alcohol, leaving him working as a tour guide. The film also starred Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner - the latter playing a hotel manager who offers Burton's character a chance of redemption.

Answer: Sandpiper

'The Sandpiper' was another film to feature both Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor's character is a single mother whose son is sent, by court order, to the Burton's boarding school. Although he is married, the headmaster begins an affair with the mother, eventually leaving both his wife and lover to travel.

The other birds have featured in the titles of at least one film: 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' came out in 1973, 'The Maltese Falcon' in 1941 and 'Three Days of the Condor' in 1975.