Truly, Madly, Deeply Trivia Quiz

Answer: A Star is Born

The 1954 musical version of "A Star is Born" was a remake of the 1937 movie, starring Fredric March and Janet Gaynor. The two films share the same basic story with only a few minor differences.

The major difference is that in the 1954 version, Vicki Lester is a singer and actress rather than the mere actress that Janet Gaynor portrays in the 1937 film. This, of course, gives Judy Garland the opportunity to belt out a few big numbers. Garland's performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, though she lost out to Grace Kelly's performance in "The Country Girl".

Whilst many critics describe the film as a one-woman show, this overlooks the magnificent performance given by James Mason as Norman. The depth that he gave to the role helped to strengthen the emotional core of the film and also earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Mason had tough competition that year, losing out to Marlon Brando's remarkable performance in "On the Waterfront"

Answer: Roxanne

"Roxanne" is Steve Martin's modern re-working of Edmond Rostand's 1897 verse play, "Cyrano de Bergerac" (hence the initial's of the central character, C.D. Bales, played by Martin). The original play is based, extremely loosely, on the life of the real-life playwright of the same name, who supposedly had quite a large nose. In the play, Cyrano's large nose makes him self-conscious and unable to tell his true love, Roxane, of his love for her. When he decides to tell her, by means of a letter he has written, before he has the opportunity, Roxane tells him that she loves Christian de Neuvillette and asks Cyrano, her cousin, to look after him. As they become friends, Cyrano agrees to help Christian woo Roxane by writing love letters for him. The letters work as Roxane falls for Christian.

Steve Martin's version cleverly transposes the events of the play to a modern setting and changes them in one particularly significant way; the ending is a happy one for C.D. in a way that it never was for Cyrano. In the stage play, Cyrano's secret is only revealed as he is dying in Roxane's arms, as Roxane declares her love for him. C.D. manages to get the girl, however, without the dying bit. Chris, without the wit to recognise he is on to a good thing, meets another woman in a bar and sends Roxanne a letter he has written himself, to break-up with her. The obvious lack of eloquence in Chris's letter leads Roxanne to confront C.D. about the authorship of the letters. Though she is livid with him, she soon realises that C.D. is the man she has fallen in love with, in spite of his nose and because of his mind.

Answer: City Lights

Often talked of as being amongst the greatest silent movies of all time, "City Lights" was released at a time when virtually all other American movies were made with sound. Chaplin didn't like the talkies and didn't fully embrace them until making "The Great Dictator" in 1940 (although he initially planned 1936's "Modern Times" as a talkie before deciding to make it dialogue free).

Answer: Armageddon

Bruce Willis saves the world! Bruce plays the heroic Harry Stamper, whose daughter, played by Liv Tyler, starts up a relationship with AJ (Ben Affleck) against his wishes. When it becomes apparent that remotely detonating the nuclear bomb won't be possible, it is left to the drillers to decide which of them will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of mankind. Step forward Bruce, for this heroic act, accompanied by a video message to his daughter giving his blessing to her marriage, and not a dry eye remains in the house.

The asteroid is, of course, destroyed and all is well for humankind. Humankind was not grateful, however, as Bruce's performance in "Armageddon" helped to win him the Worst Actor prize at that year's Razzies.

Answer: The Apartment

"The Apartment" won Best Picture and Best Director for Billy Wilder at the 1961 Oscars. It also garnered nominations for Jack Lemmon for Best Actor (as C.C. Baxter) and for Shirley MacLaine as Best Actress (as Fran Kubelik).

Baxter is a meek low-level insurance clerk who is too weak to refuse his bosses their fun at his expense. When he gets his promotion, Mr. Sheldrake sees his managers' reports as being too good to be true and tries to get to the bottom of the meaning behind them. When he does, he too takes advantage. Only with the discovery of the poorly Miss Kubelik does Baxter find the courage to stand up to anyone.

Though the movie ends with the two leads down on their luck and alone in the apartment on New Year's Eve, Wilder's film, so typically of all of his films, ends with a memorably witty moment. Playing gin rummy, Baxter declares his love for Miss Kubelik. Fran without looking up smiles and replies, "Shut up and deal!"

Answer: Rushmore

"Rushmore" was the second film directed by Wes Anderson, who went on to greater success with his next film, "The Royal Tenenbaums".

"Rushmore" stars Jason Schwartzman as Max, Olivia Williams as Rosemary Cross and Bill Murray as Herman Blume, the major "rival" for Ms. Cross's affections. Herman and Max become friends after Herman, whose two sons also attend Rushmore Academy, is impressed by Max's lavishly produced school play. The friendship is severely tested when, after initially acting as confidante to Max in his pursuit of Ms. Cross, Herman begins dating her.

Max's expulsion from Rushmore and his anger at losing the two great loves of his life (the school and its new teacher), leads to him pursuing a feud with Herman which escalates to the point where Max is arrested after cutting the brakes on Herman's car.

Murray was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in the film.

Answer: Superman II

Clark Kent's true identity is discovered by his colleague, Lois Lane, after he places his hand in a fire in front of her without burning himself. Lois has had her suspicions before this moment but her attempts to uncover Superman's alter ego have foundered.

With his identity known, Superman takes Lois to the Fortress of Solitude, where a series of energy crystals explain his background and his powers. The fortress also contains a chamber, which stores sunlight from the Kryptonian sun. It is this sunlight that Superman uses to make himself mortal, allowing him to marry Lois and, crucially, to have children. Having made this sacrifice, Superman later changes his mind when three criminals from Krypton arrive on Earth with their superpowers intact.

Answer: Truly, Madly, Deeply

Given the quiz's title, I couldn't not include Anthony Minghella's "Truly, Madly, Deeply". It was Minghella's first film as director. Within six years, he had been named Best Director at the Oscars for his film "The English Patient".

Alan Rickman, as Jamie, moves back into the life of Nina (Juliet Stevenson) after his death. With him, he brings all the bad habits he had in life, but had been glossed over in the inevitably rose-tinted memories that loss and grief had left with Nina. He re-arranges the furniture in their flat, brings his friends around to watch late night movies and complains constantly about the temperature in the flat. When Nina finally meets someone new with whom she could find happiness, she is just about ready to let Jamie go, and his work as a ghost is done.

The title of the film, and of this quiz, comes from a word game that Jamie and Nina played to describe their love for each other.

Answer: A Matter of Life and Death

My own personal favourite love story of all time, "A Matter of Life and Death", written by Emeric Pressburger and directed by Michael Powell, was originally conceived as a propaganda piece by the British government. The brief was to encourage co-operation between the British public and Americans based in the UK during World War II. However, the production of the movie only began after the war had come to an end.

Peter Carter, a squadron leader in the RAF during World War II, is the only survivor remaining on a plane that has been damaged by gunfire. Without working controls or a working parachute, he calls out over the radio for someone to listen to his valedictory. He makes contact with June, an American WAC stationed in England. Carter, knowing he is soon to die, declares that he has fallen in love with June's voice and leaps from the plane. In the fog over the English channel, Conductor 71, who is meant to take Carter up the stairway to heaven (a giant construction that gives the film its original American title), misses him.

In the borrowed time that Carter is gifted, he meets June in person and falls in love. When Conductor 71 attempts to persuade Carter to return to the other place (as heaven is called throughout the film), he refuses, citing his love of June as justification for a stay of execution.

A court is set up in the other place to judge on the matter. June is put to sleep in the real world so that she can testify in the trial. When it is put to her that the only way that Carter can be saved is if she takes his place in the other place (so that the books balance), she steps upon the stairway. Convinced of the strength of their love, the court finds in Carter's favour and lets both June and Peter return to Earth to live their lives together.

Answer: Casablanca

Ah, "Casablanca"! We'll always have "Casablanca". Not surprisingly, the final scene has frequently been voted as the most romantic gesture in movie history. Rick sacrifices his own happiness in order to help Laszlo in his vital war effort and tells Ilsa to go with him with the much-loved words, "You belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life."