Easy War Movies Quiz | 10 Questions | Movies

Answer: All Quiet on the Western Front

Remarque was a German veteran of World War I, and his novel and the subsequent film describes the mental and physical stress under which the soldiers fought in the trenches, and the disillusionment and the horrors of war. The film did not glamorize war, nor did it make the soldiers heroic. Lew Ayres starred as Paul Baumer, who shows us the real tragedy of warfare where, in one scene, he seriously injures a French soldier but then cries as he desperately tries to save him.

It also shows the detachment and the difficulty these men have in returning home after the war.

This was the first film to receive an Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director (Lewis Milestone).

Answer: Sergeant York

In 1941, Gary Cooper starred in "Sergeant York" about Alvin York (1887-1964), a Tennessee hillbilly sharpshooter who claimed to be a pacifist but wound up becoming a World War I hero. York was one of the most decorated US soldiers in the war, having received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack against a German machine gun nest, killing 20 soldiers and taking 132 prisoners. Speaking of medals, Cooper's performance won him the Academy Award for Best Leading Actor.

He was in all the movies listed above, and won his second Best Actor Oscar for "High Noon" (1952).

Answer: Black Hawk Down

"The Final Countdown" (1980), "From Here to Eternity" (1953) and "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (1970) were all films centered around the attack on Pearl Harbor from different perspectives. "The Final Countdown" starred Kirk Douglas whose aircraft carrier goes through a time warp and winds up going back to December 6, 1941. "From Here to Eternity" showed what life was life for the soldiers stationed at Pearl Harbor. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" dealt with the events that preceded the attack, as US and Japanese relations were strained over an embargo. "Black Hawk Down" was a 2001 film about the fighting in Mogadishu in the Somalian Civil War of 1993, and was directed by Ridley Scott.

Answer: Alec Guinness

In his pre-Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi days, Alec Guinness was an accomplished actor known for his ability to play several different roles in the same movie (like Peter Sellers and Eddie Murphy) as he did in "Kind Hearts and Coronets" (1946), where he played eight roles including one woman. Guinness played the upright, uptight, uncompromising Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson in "Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) where Japanese captors in WWII force the British POWS to build a bridge, and Nicholson drives his men to finish the bridge on time; we are also provided with a rather ironic ending. Sir Alec won a Best Actor Oscar for his part in the movie.

Answer: The Longest Day

Francis Ford Coppola's vision of the Vietnam War in "Apocalypse Now" (1979) had soldiers being sent on a mission to kill a renegade colonel (Marlon Brando). "Platoon" (1986), directed by Oliver Stone, showed the crises experienced by the young recruits and the horrors of the war in Vietnam. "Full Metal Jacket" (1987) gave us Stanley Kubrick's view of the dehumanizing effect the war had from basic training to bloody street fighting. "The Longest Day" (1962) showed the World War II Allied invasion of Normandy (D-Day) with John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, etc., i.e. a very large cast to recreate the day.

Answer: Steven Spielberg

While all the directors listed are renowned for their films, it was the genius of Steven Spielberg who gave us "Schindler's List" in 1993 and "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998. "Schindler's List" was the story of businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) who staffed his factory with Jewish workers and then protected them from extermination by the Nazis. "Saving Private Ryan" was about sending soldiers behind enemy lines to save a soldier whose three brothers had been killed in combat. Spielberg has been in the movie business for decades and is considered one of the most influential producers and directors in film history, as the Oscar Awards and the box office show!

Answer: The Deer Hunter

DeNiro, Walken and Streep all appeared in the powerful 1978 Vietnam War movie "The Deer Hunter", directed by Michael Cimino. The film presented us with three working class young men from the same Pennsylvania town who wind up in Vietnam only to discover that war is inhumane, not heroic.

The Russian Roulette scene is unforgettable. The movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Supporting Actor (Walken). Of the other choices: "The Great Escape" (1963) starred Steve McQueen, "Gallipoli" (1981) featured Mel Gibson, and "Battle Cry" from 1955 had Tab Hunter as one of the leads.

Answer: Adrian Cronauer

Robin Williams' manic talent was used to great effect in the 1987 story of irreverent radio personality Adrian Cronauer who was sent to Vietnam to act as a disc jockey and bring some comedy and cheer into the lives of the soldiers. "Good Morning Vietnam" was directed by Barry Levinson and brought us the poignancy and humor of the conflict, with a good soundtrack too.

The other choices were all characters in the film, i.e. Edward Garlick was Forest Whitaker, Marty Lee Dreiwitz was Robert Wuhl, and Major Dickerson was played to perfection by J.T. Walsh.

Answer: Lee Marvin

One of my favorite war films is "The Dirty Dozen" (1967) where Army Major Reisman must take a group of convicted criminals behind enemy lines to lead them on a suicide mission to destroy a German stronghold and German officers. The acting is remarkable from Telly Savalas' crazy Archer Maggot to John Cassavetes' cocky Victor Franco to Clint Walker's gentle giant Samson Posey.

Although all the choices had parts in the movie, it was Major Reisman, strongly played by Lee Marvin, who has to get this 'rag-tag' group to act as a team. Lee Marvin (1924-1987) appeared on an early TV show called "M Squad" (1957-1960) and received an Oscar for a dual role in "Cat Ballou" (1965).

Answer: Clint Eastwood

One of Clint Eastwood's more controversial films is "American Sniper" (2014) with Bradley Cooper playing the role of real life Navy S.E.A.L. sniper, Chris Kyle, called the "most lethal sniper in U.S. history". While his marksmanship saved many lives during his four tours in the Iraqi War, his struggle to return to civilian life with his wife and kids is detailed. Clint Eastwood's first foray as a director was "Play Misty for Me" in 1971, starring... Clint Eastwood.

He has gone on to direct many films since then, including "Unforgiven" in 1992 and "Million Dollar Baby" in 2004; he won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for both.