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North Texas Mensa Movie SIG

World's Hardest Movie Quiz 2004
by Michael Atkinson VILLAGE VOICE
January 26th, 2004 1:30 PM

 

Here, once again, the semi-annual Stuart Byron Movie
Trivia Quiz attempts to confound the world's
cine-trivia cabalists, who today have 3 billion
readily Googled websites at their research disposal.
Prepare, then, for a death match. All answers pertain
to theatrical features. The deadline: February 18,
2004. You can mail your entry to the Voice offices, or
e-mail it to moviequiz@villagevoice.com. The prize: a
$150 gift certificate at the bookshop or video store
of your choice. 



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BETWEEN THE LINES 

1. For which famous films were these the final uttered
lines of dialogue or narration (translated into
subtitles or not)? 

A. "She wouldn't even harm a fly." 
B. "The day I left, it was written in the almanac:
'The Fire forces the Goldto move. Extremely favorable
for going west.' " 
C. "Don't shoot—they're in Switzerland." "Good for
them." 
D. "Its origin, and purpose, still a total mystery." 
E. "If not today, then tomorrow, I will have told
someone. I can think about escaping after that." 
F. "He was a credit to the fight game, to the very
end." 
G. "Yeah, maybe our fucking orders will come through."

H. " . . . Animal." 
I. "Won't you leave me a souvenir. Only a small
souvenir." 

2. What was the sanitized English-subtitle translation
for the last line of Godard's Breathless (1960) before
the 2001 restoration, and what is it now? 



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VITAL SIGNS 

3. What was the first Arab film, and in which country
was it made? 

4. What year saw the most working movie theaters in
the U.S., and rounded off to the thousands, how many
were there? 

5. Appearing in three out of five Best
Picture-nominated movies was a coup for John C. Reilly
in 2002, an achievement attained by only one other
performer after 1943. (Before that, 10 films were
annually nominated, and triple threats were common.)
Name the name and the year. (Stuntmen don't count.) 

6. All told, who appeared in the most Best
Picture-nominated films? 

7. In 1978, Take One magazine polled industry bigwigs
about the best films of the 1970s (a span they judged
ran from 1968 to 1977); what was François Truffaut's
choice as best American film from that period? 

8. Considering the legacies of Venice, Berlin, Cannes,
and Toronto film festivals in toto, what's the most
fest awards a single film has won? 

9. Name three films that hit that number. 



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PERSONAL VELOCITY 

10. What do these well-known filmmakers have in
common: Leo McCarey, Martin Scorsese, David
Cronenberg, Mike Nichols, and Paul Verhoeven? 

11. Who bought Sam Peckinpah a drink in the airport as
he returned from marine service in 1946? 

12. Name the film in which: 

A. Howard Da Silva broke a lightbulb 
B. Silvano Mangano has no eyebrows 
C. Sarah Miles wipes her crotch-scented hand on a dead
man's face 
D. Steve Martin confronts an ax slammed through a
hotel door 
E. Catherine Deneuve explores a cave in high heels 
F. Lillian Gish eats leftover food off of plates she's
cleaning 
G. Liam Neeson stares into the camera lens for nearly
a full minute 

13. What famous film directors attended these
elementary schools? 

A. École Internationale, Geneva 
B. The Todd School 
C. Collegio Nazareno 
D. Dewson Street Public School 
E. Lycée Janson de Sailly 



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ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW 

14. What was the longest theatrically released
documentary? 

15. What two actresses had their films banned in Egypt
after they converted to Judaism? 

16. What nation once had a long-standing official
policy of outlawing the exhibition of any movie for
"lack of artistic merit"? 

17. Name the movies in which these books prominently
appeared: 

A. The Way of All Flesh, Samuel Butler 
B. The Basic Kafka 
C. From Ritual to Romance, Jessie L. Weston 
D. Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman 
E. All I Need Is Love, Klaus Kinski 
F. Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller 

18. Name as many movies as you can that are each the
only feature film ever made entirely in its particular
language. (Filmed opera performances don't count.)

The Fog of War: Robert S. McNamara and Errol Morris in Discussion  (This link is not to the movie itself, which you may have already seen, but rather, to another interview done after the filming was over.)

"The Fog of War", the movie, is the story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara. One of the most controversial and influential figures in world politics, he takes us on an insider’s journey through many of the seminal events of the 20th Century. As American forces occupy Iraq and the possibility of additional military conflicts loom large, "The Fog of War" is essential viewing for anyone who wants to understand how the American government justifies the use of military force. Combining extraordinary archival footage, recreations, newly declassified White House recordings, and an original score by the Oscar nominated composer Philip Glass, the film is a disquieting and powerful essay on war, rationality, and the nature of history itself.

Blockbuster has gone into competititon with Netflix to make movies easier to rent, allowing you to keep them longer, and eliminating late charges.