A Night at the Pictures Trivia Quiz

Answer: Six Days and Seven Nights

This 1998 film was directed by Ivan Reitman and filmed in location in Kauai, Hawaii. The film stars Harrison Ford and Anne Heche as reluctant castaways who crash land on a desert island after encountering a tropical storm. Harrison Ford is a qualified pilot and did all his own flying in the film.

Answer: A Night at the Opera

This film, made in 1935, was the first film the Marx Brothers made after Zeppo left the act. Groucho Marx plays Otis B. Driftwood, an unscrupulous business manager hoping to introduce a wealthy woman, Mrs Claypool (played by Margaret Dumont), into wealthy society through opera.

The band Queen watched it one night while compiling their album and decided that it was a good name for their new album.

Answer: It Happened One Night

This film was made in 1934 and was the first film to win all five major Academy Awards (Best Screenplay, Actor, Actress, Best Picture and Best Director). This achievement was not matched until "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was released in 1975. Not bad, considering Colbert complained to a friend that she had "Just finished the worst film in the world." Directed by Frank Capra the film follows the fortunes of spoilt heiress Ellie Andrews (played by Claudia Colbert) who marries against her father's wishes.

Her father sends her on a trip on his yacht but after she jumps ship she meets newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable) who offers to help reunite her with her husband in exchange for her story. However during their travels Warne finds himself falling for the young heiress.

Answer: Night at the Museum

This film was released in 2006 and was based on a book written by Milan Trenc in 1993. It follows the adventures of Larry Daley, an unemployed, loser father, who takes a job as a nightwatchman at the American Museum of Natural History. He soon discovers that his new job involves much more than he anticipated when he realises the exhibits he is in charge of come to life at night, due to an ancient curse, and wreak havoc in the museum.

He is faced with a variety of characters, including a frisky T-Rex skeleton, a naughty monkey called Dexter and tiny feuding Romans and cowboys.

The cast also includes the late, great Robin Williams as a wax model of American president Theodore Roosevelt.

Answer: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

This film centres on Arthur Seaton (played by Albert Finney), a young machinist who works in a factory in Nottingham, who is determined not to be bogged down by a a life of domesticity and drudgery. He spends all his wages at weekends, having a good time.

He gets involved with Brenda, the wife of one of his co-workers, and soon gets her pregnant. Meanwhile he is pursuing Doreen (played by Sally Anne Field) and is soon found out by Brenda who wants money off him so she can have an abortion. Suddenly Arthur's life is spiralling out of control.

It was at the forefront of the "British New Wave" where films dealt with British working class in a more serious way and dealt with issues that affected them such as sex and abortion.

Answer: Saturday Night Fever

This film was a huge commercial success and helped to popularise disco music. John Travolta plays Tony Manero who spends his weekends dancing to help him forget the reality of his humdrum life and his dead-end job working in a paint store. When a big dance competition is announced he asks the talented dancer Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) to be his partner.

As the two train together for the big night they find themselves becoming attracted to each other. In 1983 the sequel, "Staying Alive", was released which was directed by Sylvester Stallone.

Answer: In the Heat of the Night

This film won five Academy Awards including the 1967 Award for Best Picture. The film spawned two sequels, "They Call Me Mr Tibbs" (1970) and "The Organisation" (1971). African American, Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sydney Poitier)is arrested on suspicion of murder in the town of Sparta, Mississippi.

However after he proves his innocence and that of another man he goes on a quest to discover the real murderer. He joins forces with Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the racist police chief of the town and together they try to solve the crime in an environment that is both fraught and racially tense.

As they proceed he begins to win the respect and ultimately the friendship of Gillespie.

Answer: The Nightmare Before Christmas

This stop motion musical fantasy was released in 1993. The talking voice of Jack Skellington was provided by Chris Sarandon. Danny Elfman provided the singing voice of Jack and also wrote the film score. Jack Skellington is Halloweentown's pumpkin king who has become bored with scaring people in the real world.

After he discovers the colourful world of Christmastown he hatches a plot to kidnap Father Christmas and take Christmas under his control. However before too long his plans start to go awry.

It was released by Disney under their Touchstone label as they felt that it would be too scary for young children.

Answer: Dead of Night

Architect Walter Craig (Mervyn John) arrives at the Pilgrim's Farm and has an uncanny feeling he has been there before and that all the other guests are familiar. He tells them he has dreamt about them and his revelation prompts the other guests to recount experiences they have had of strange, unexplainable events.

These stories include a ghostly encounter at a children's birthday party and the story of a ventriloquist who believes his dummy is really alive. The film had a major influence on subsequent British horror films.

Answer: A Night to Remember

This film, released in 1958, is considered by Titanic historians and survivors of the disaster as the most accurate portrayal of the events, despite its modest production costs. The film is told largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller (Kenneth More).

The captain of the vessel, Edward John Smith (Laurence Naismith) ignores the numerous warnings of icebergs until the ship finally hits one and begins to sink. It is only then that the terrifying discovery is made that there are not enough lifeboats.

When it premiered in New York in December 1958 the event was attended by Titanic survivor Elizabeth Dowdell.