Answer: David Lean
"A Passage to India" was David Lean's last film, released after a 14-year break following the fiasco of "Ryan's Daughter". The movie starred Peggy Ashcroft (who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress), Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, James Fox and Alec Guinness; Maurice Jarre's original score also won an Academy Award. Forster's 1924 novel, based upon the author's own experiences in India, detailed the tensions between the country's British rulers and the native population. Lean directed a number of iconic literary adaptations, such as "Doctor Zhivago", "Great Expectations" and "Oliver Twist", as well as the epic "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Bridge on the River Kwai".
The other three options are all award-winning English directors.
From Quiz: Reading the Silver Screen
Answer: Idgie and Ruth
This is based on the novel 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café' by Fanny Flagg. Cathy Bates plays a dissatisfied middle aged housewife who meets an elderly lady who tells her the story of the two girls at the café, and helps her to live her own life. Idgie is a tomboy and Ruth is an ultra feminine girl. Idgie is a support for Ruth who has an abusive husband. They grow closer and closer, and eventually Ruth leaves her husband and moves in with Idgie. A gay relationship is hinted at but it is not overt.
From Quiz: Movies Based on Novels
Answer: The Passing of Mr. Quin
This 1928 British silent film starred Clifford Heatherley, Mary Brough, and Ursula Jeans. It is based on the short story "The Coming of Mr. Quin" but deviates radically from the original plot (most notably, in the character of Mr. Quin himself).
From Quiz: Agatha Christie Adaptations
Answer: King John
This 1899 silent short presents King John's death scene. A British film, it stars the great Herbert Beerbohm Tree in the title role.
From Quiz: Shakespeare at the Movies
Answer: The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Old Man and the Sea" was cast as a film at least three times, in 1958, 1990 (a miniseries) and 1999. The 1958 version featured Spencer Tracy as the Old Man, a fisher called Santiago. The screenplay was adapted nearly word-for-word by Peter Viertel. The film won Best Original Score, Best Color Cinematography, and Tracy was nominated for his performance. Hemingway's fourth wife Mary played a tourist. Despite his arguments with Tracy, Hemingway liked this film. Some critics said watching the Old Man, then a struggling marlin, Old Man, then marlin, was not good movie material. The 1990 miniseries starred Anthony Quinn. The 1999 animated film won an Oscar for Animated Short Film, and many other awards.
From Quiz: Ernest "Papa" Hemingway Movies
Answer: Juliet becomes a cow monster
Juliet becoming a cow monster may be the strangest point in a film that includes dismemberment by motor vehicle, along with gratuitous amounts of nudity, sex and violence. The film does have a "happier" ending than the play: Tromeo and Juliet discover they are siblings, but they get married and have kids anyway. What is truly disturbing is that this one of the more normal films directed by Kaufman.
Toxic waste is a key element in the "Toxic Avenger" series by Kaufman. Radioactive marijuana is central to "The Class of Nuke Em High" (1986). And the kabuki superhero is from "Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD" (1990). If you are looking for a good version of "Romeo and Juliet" try either Franco Zeffirelli (1968) or Baz Luhrmann (1996).
From Quiz: An Earthquake in Stratford
Answer: The Colour Out of Space
Instead of the meteorite landing on a remote American farm, this movie had it working its deadly mutating magic in England, and made farmer Nahum Gardner into scientist Nahum Witley (played by Karloff).
From Quiz: Lovecraft Through the Lens
Answer: Dakota Fanning
Dakota had been widely known for being in movies like "War of the Worlds" and "Dreamer", and she got one of the lead roles in "The Secret Life of Bees". The original novel was by Sue Monk Kidd. The movie also starred Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson.
From Quiz: Books Transformed Into Movies
Answer: Blade Runner
The film noticeably avoids two of the main themes in the book, namely social status based upon ownership of live animals, and the fictional religion of Mercerism.
From Quiz: Films Inspired by Philip K. Dick
Answer: The Light in the Forest
The movie starred a very young James MacArthur, Carol Lynley, Jessica Tandy and Fess Parker. MacArthur, son of famed actress Helen Hayes, later became better known for his role in "Hawaii Five-O" - "Book 'em Danno".
Question by MargW
From Quiz: Why Read When You Can Watch?
Answer: Clueless
The 1995 story of Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), an over-indulged and ostensibly shallow student in Beverley Hills, is a modern re-telling of Jane Austen's Emma Woodford. Like Austen's heroine, Cher uses her wit and charm to arrange relationships between people in her life, without realising that her own true love is closer than she thinks.
From Quiz: Classic Literature Rehashed in Films
Answer: 10 Things I Hate About You
Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) can't date until her sister Kat (Julia Stiles) does. Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wants to date Bianca and arranges to have Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) date the "mean" Kat. The movie also stars David Krumholtz, Susan May Pratt, Andrew Keegan and Larry Miller.
From Quiz: Modernizing Shakespeare
Answer: The Princess Bride
"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman is a wonderful novel and an excellent movie. Some parts are better in the book (read the lightning sand scene or the Pit of Despair.) But the movie has such great performances, excellent sword-fighting, etc. Both book and movie are worth your time. The movie stars Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon, Fred Savage and Peter Falk.
From Quiz: Movies From Books
Answer: Oliver Twist
'Oliver Twist' was released in August 1912, just two months after Vitagraph's version in America which was the first US film release to last more than one hour. An ex-beauty queen, Ivy Millais, starred in the title role.
From Quiz: A Dickens of a Film
Answer: Cape Fear
The 1962 version was directed by J. Lee Thompson, and starred Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum. Another version was made in 1991, directed by Martin Scorsese, and starring Nick Nolte and Robert de Niro.
From Quiz: Book Titles Changed For The Movie
Answer: Austen, "Clueless"
The movie "Clueless" is a modernization of Jane Austen's novel "Emma." This clever update makes the heroine's love interest her step brother, rather than her brother-in-law.
From Quiz: Author, Movie
Answer: Movie
Muldoon, the game warden of Jurassic Park, was killed by velociraptors in the movie, but managed to survive until the end of the book. People who perished in the book but lived in the movie included John Hammond and Ian Malcolm, who was magically brought back to life for "The Lost World."
From Quiz: Book or Movie?
Answer: The Third Man
Post-war Vienna and zither music make this a memorable movie mystery.
From Quiz: From Book to Film
Answer: Ian Fleming
Yes, the same person who created James Bond.
From Quiz: Novels Into Movies
Answer: Aged in Wood
"All About Eve" may be the ultimate backstage film. Great performances by Bette Davis and Anne Baxter have much to do with the movie's success and longevity. Nominated for a record 14 Oscars, it won six, including a best supporting actor award for George Sanders.
Bette Davis, a brilliant actress, appeared on Broadway numerous times before and after achieving movie stardom. Her Broadway debut came in a long-forgotten play entitled "The Earth Between" in 1929. In 1961-62, she appeared in the original production of Tennessee Williams' classic "Night of the Iguana."
Please note that the three alternate answers are all Davis films based on Broadway plays.
From Quiz: Plays in Movies That Have Plays in Them
Answer: Italy
Directed by James Ivory in 1985, "A Room With a View" is a delightful romantic movie starring a veritable who's-who of British cinema: besides Bonham-Carter in her breakthrough role as Lucy Honeychurch, the cast includes Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Denholm Elliot, Simon Callow, Julian Sands and Daniel Day-Lewis. Ruth Prawer-Jhabwala won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The first half and the ending of the film are set in Florence (Italy) and the surrounding countryside. Forster's 1908 novel is a critique of early 20th-century English society, whose staid, repressed mores are contrasted with the warmth and spontaneity of Italy.
From Quiz: Reading the Silver Screen
Answer: Arsenal
This is based on Nick Hornby's best selling book of the same name. It is a very funny film about a fanatical soccer supporter and his on/off girlfriend who is definitely NOT a fan. The character Paul, played by Colin Firth is a teacher and his students know that he is an Arsenal supporter, and there is a lot of banter about that in the classroom. In the last scene Arsenal have won the cup final and there are a mass of fans celebrating outside their ground.
From Quiz: Movies Based on Novels
Answer: Germany
"Die Abenteurer G.m.b.H." is the literal translation of "Adventurers, Inc.". The German title of the novel is "Ein gefährlicher Gegener" ("A Dangerous Foe"). This book, Christie's second, introduces Tommy and Tuppence, who (lamentably) only appear in four novels and one collection of short stories.
From Quiz: Agatha Christie Adaptations
Answer: Olivia de Havilland
Born in Tokyo to British parents, two-time Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland is most famous for her role as Melanie Hamilton in "Gone with the Wind". The sister of actor Joan Fontaine, she plays Hermia in "Midsummer", which also features James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Joe E. Brown, and Victor Jory.
From Quiz: Shakespeare at the Movies
Answer: Spain
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1943) was an elaborate and grand film, set in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Hemingway chose a stoic Gary Cooper (Robert Jordan) to play an American who is set on blowing up a bridge. Ingrid Bergman (Maria) was Jordan's love interest, living in the hills with Gypsies who had rescued her. The movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Outstanding Motion Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress. Katina Paxinous (Pilar) debuted as a strong female Gypsy, and won Best Supporting Actress. The camera makes haunting use of shadow and bold close-up on war-torn faces. John Donne penned the title in 1624: "...and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee".
From Quiz: Ernest "Papa" Hemingway Movies
Answer: Angelina Jolie
Ms Jolie played Gina Malacici, who falls in love with Rosario Capomezzo, played by Nathaniel Marston. The film is a "Romeo and Juliet" remake set in the present day Bronx. It was directed by acting couple Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor (Fran's mom on "The Nanny"). It is one of Jolie's very first film roles, and probably the sweetest and most innocent character she has ever played on screen. "Love Is All There Is" received mixed reviews, and while it isn't the worst remake of "Romeo and Juliet", there are numerous better ones.
From Quiz: An Earthquake in Stratford
Answer: Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks had already been known worldwide for being in movies like "Big" and "Toy Story". In "Big", he was Josh Baskin as an adult, and in "Toy Story", he was Woody, a drawstring cowboy. Robert Langdon is the protagonist of "The Da Vinci Code". The original novel "The Da Vinci Code" was written by Dan Brown.
From Quiz: Books Transformed Into Movies
Answer: The Odyssey
With a blind prophet, sirens who lure the intrepid travelers onto the rocks, and a devious one-eyed giant, this hilarious film stars George Clooney as a latter-day Odysseus in his attempts to get to his wife and stop her from re-marrying because she has told everyone he's dead!
From Quiz: Classic Literature Rehashed in Films
Answer: Hamlet
Olivier was the oldest of the four actors to take on the role, at 41. He is the only one of the four who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Danish prince.
Mel Gibson suffered his slings and arrows in Franco Zeffireli's 1990 'Hamlet'. This version is perhaps the most well-known adaptation, even garnering a mention in the 1996 comedy 'Clueless'.
Branagh's 'Hamlet' is notable for being the first unabridged version of the play on film. It also featured an almost literal all-star cast, with stars appearing in everything from supporting parts to cameos and flashbacks.
The 2000 'Hamlet' starring Ethan Hawke modernized the play, but was criticized for some of the choices being too commercial, such as placing the famous "to be or not to be" soliloquy in the action section of a Blockbuster Video.
From Quiz: Shakespearean Movie Madness
Answer: Steven Spielberg
"War of the Worlds" stars Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning. Both of these stars have previously worked with Steven Spielberg. Tom Cruise has worked with Spielberg in the film, "Minority Report", and Dakota Fanning has worked with Spielberg in a mini-series called "Taken".
From Quiz: From Books to the Big Screen in 2005
Answer: Padua High School
Padua is, of course, the city where "The Taming of the Shrew" takes place. For a more traditional movie, check out the 1967 version starring Elizabeth Taylor. For a more comical version, try to get your hands on the episode of TV show "Moonlighting" entitled "Atomic Shakespeare".
From Quiz: Modernizing Shakespeare
Answer: Holes
The book "Holes" by Louis Sachar won the Newberry Award for writing in 1999. The book was very interesting and turned out to be a great novel to be made into a movie. Few movies are so exact to the book, but "Holes" did a masterful job. It starred John Voight, Sigourney Weaver and Shea Labeouf.
From Quiz: Movies From Books
Answer: A Christmas Carol
Francis X. Bushman stars in this early production, directed by Theodore Wharton. The film tells the story of a grouchy landlord who dismisses a kind hearted rent collector when he fails to collect the rent from an impoverished widow.
From Quiz: A Dickens of a Film
Answer: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
"Red Alert" was the US title. It was published in Britain as "Two Hours To Doom," with George using the name Peter Bryant. Unlike the movie, which is almost completely tongue in cheek, "Red Alert" is very serious. "Full Metal Jacket" was based on "The Short Timers" by Gustav Hasford. "Lolita" and "A Clockwork Orange" were based on novels of the same name, by Vladimir Nabokov and Anthony Burgess, respectively.
From Quiz: Book Titles Changed For The Movie
Answer: Shakespeare, "Richard III"
Sir Ian McKellen delivers a powerful performance as Richard III in this 1995 production. Romeo and Juliet is another Shakespeare play that was updated to the 20th century while retaining the original language.
From Quiz: Author, Movie
Answer: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The 1939 live-action version starred Charles Laughton.
From Quiz: From Book to Film
Answer: Wolfe
it was Thomas Wolfe.
From Quiz: Novels Into Movies
Answer: Meryl Streep
"The French Lieutenant's Woman" (1981), directed by Karel Reisz, starred Meryl Streep in the title role, and Jeremy Irons as her lover. Like the novel it is based on, the film tells two parallel stories, one set in the Victorian era, and the other in modern times, with different outcomes. Streep, who had won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1980 for her role in "Kramer vs Kramer", was nominated for Best Actress; British playwright Harold Pinter was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
All the other choices are American actresses who won an Academy Award.
From Quiz: Reading the Silver Screen
Answer: Margaret
This is a dramatization of the wonderful novel by Jane Austen. The two older sisters, Elinor and Marianne, were played by Emma Thompson and Kate Winslett. Emma Thompson also wrote the screenplay. Margaret is a typical girl of about 12 or 13, and often says the wrong thing at the wrong time. Urged on by her mother and sister she climbs up into a tree house to report on developments while her sister Elinor's suitor is proposing.
From Quiz: Movies Based on Novels
Answer: Ernest Hemingway
For this 1944 adaptation of Hemingway's "To Have and Have Not" director Howard Hawks hoped he and Hemingway could make this film together. Hemingway declined, so Hawks enlisted author William Faulkner and co-writer Jules Furthman. Humphrey Bogart and Walter Brennan starred, with Lauren Bacall making her film debut. The movie was true to the first chapter of the novel, then varied extensively, such as moving the setting from Florida to France. Harry Morgan (Bogart) is a small boat owner (a "have not") who reluctantly transports French Resistance members, and falls in love with Slim (Bacall). There are moody nautical scenes, and sharp dialogue. Bogart and Bacall fell in love on set, and married in 1945.
From Quiz: Ernest "Papa" Hemingway Movies
