Lady Liberty on the Silver Screen Quiz

Answer: Planet of the Apes (1968)

"Planet of the Apes" (1968) is one of the best science fiction films of the 1960s, largely due to its closing shot. Th film follows an astronaut (Heston) who travels several thousand years into the future and lands on a planet where apes dominate humans.

In a twist ending, Heston discovers the ruins of the Statue of Liberty, revealing he has been on Earth the entire time, amidst the ruins of post-nuclear New York. The second "Planet of the Apes" film reveals more of underground New York, which is ruled by mutant humans.

Answer: Ghostbusters II (1989)

"Ghostbusters II" (1989) is the sequel to the 1984 comedy. The heroes return to fight a supernatural being called Vigo, who attempts to take over both the art gallery where Dana (Sigourney Weaver) works and her infant son Oscar.

The Ghostbusters save the day by coating Lady Liberty is slime and marching her through the streets of New York City. The positive energy generated by the statue counters the negative energy generated by Vigo and they are able to rescue everyone.

Answer: Cloverfield (2008)

"Cloverfield" (2008) is a largely first-person view of a monster attack in the city of New York. In one of the more dramatic scenes, the head of the Statue of Liberty comes flying from out of nowhere and lands in the middle of the street.

The film follows a group of young people as they attempt to survive the monster attack. It runs around 80 minutes, the same as many mini-cassettes on video cameras. "Cloverfield" won a Saturn Award as the Best Science Fiction Film of 2008. It spawned two sequels.

Answer: Saboteur (1942)

One of Alfred Hitchcock's great early films, "Saboteur" (1942) follows a familiar Hitchcock trope: a falsely accused man seeking to prove his innocence. Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) travels to New York, where he uncovers a Nazi spy ring and finds the true saboteur, Frank Fry (Norman Lloyd).

At the climax of the film, Kane confronts Fry atop the Statue of Liberty. In the struggle, Fry falls off the ledge and is clinging the torch. Kane attempts to rescue Fry, but Fry's tailor lets him down - his coat rips and he falls to the island below. A confrontation in a high place is another of Hitchcock's favorite tropes, included in "North by Northwest" (1959) and "Vertigo" (1960).

Answer: Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

"Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" (1985) is a slightly offbeat spy film in which Fred Ward is trained in the ways of being a ninja assassin by a Korean martial arts master (Joel Grey).

The film was shot in 1985, when the Statue of Liberty was undergoing major renovations for its 100th anniversary. The film uses the set creatively, with Williams using the scaffolding to move around and fight the bad guys. The statue is also featured prominently in the film's poster.

"Remo Williams" was directed by Guy Hamilton, who is best known for his work on the James Bond series, including "Goldfinger" (1963) and "Live and Let Die" (1973).

Answer: Godfather II (1974)

Towards the beginning of "Godfather II" (1974), young Vito can be seen looking at the statue as he arrives in America aboard the Moshulu. In a wild historical anachronism, Vito Corleone arrived at Ellis island in 1901; the ship that came to be the Moshulu was built in 1904, and was not named Moshulu until 1917. The ship still exists as a tourist attraction in Philadelphia.

"Godfather II" (1974) follows an American family, the Corleones. In one story, it follows Vito Corleone from his father's death to his emigration to America and his rise in the Mafia. The second story follows his son Michael in the 1950s. "Godfather II" is widely regarded as a masterpiece of storytelling and it won the Academy Award as Best Picture of 1974.

Answer: Splash (1984)

"Splash" (1984) was a big early success for both director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks. The film stars Daryl Hannah as a mermaid who falls in love with a human (Hanks). Towards the start of the movie, she comes ashore at Liberty Island, where she awes and shocks the crowd with a naked stroll.

Daryl Hannah actually won a Saturn Award as Best Actress for playing Madison the Mermaid. John Candy and Eugene Levy, two big 1980s comedy stars, round out the cast.

Answer: Titanic (1997)

"Titanic" (1997) broke every box office record there was on its release in 1997, along with winning the Academy Award for Best Picture (and ten other Oscars, but none for acting). The film stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio (both future Oscar winners) as a star crossed couple who meet on the Titanic, the most famous shipwreck in history. Towards the end of the film, Winslet
changes her name to Dawson as the ship sails past the Statue of Liberty.

"Titanic" was the first film to earn over one billion dollars, with a final worldwide gross of $1.8 billion. It would hold the record until James Cameron beat himself with "Avatar" in 2010.

Answer: X-Men (2000)

"X-Men" (2000) is based on the Marvel comic created by Stan Lee, featuring superheroes with mutant abilities. The climax of the first film has Magneto (Ian McKellan) attempting to use the statue to convert world leaders into mutants. Wolverine (High Jackman) , Storm (Halle Berry) and Cyclops (James Marsden) are among the X-Men fighting the minions inside the torch.

"X-Men" was one of the bigger hits of 2000, earning $296 million. The film was directed by Bryan Singer, who also directed "The Usual Suspects" (1995). Singer would go on to direct several more "X-Men" films.

Answer: Spider-Man : No Way Home (2021)

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021) is the ultimate Spider-Man film, with three different actors playing the superhero: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland. The film also brings back many of the series' greatest villains, including The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Venom (Tom Hardy). Other MCU crossovers include Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumerbatch) and Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox).

The climax of the film takes place at the Statue of Liberty. The three Spider-Men fight a collection of villains, and ultimately save the world from a misfiring spell by Doctor Strange. The film version of the statue is dramatically different than the real Statue, including having Captain America's shield and having a metallic copper sheen rather than a green patina. Most of the Statue of Liberty sequence in "No Way Home" was created using CGI.