What's In A Title? Masters of Cinema Quiz

Answer: Metropolis

"Metropolis" is one of the most influentail films of all time, despite the fact that so many versions have abounded since its release. Furthermore, the various cuts change the film's plot so drastically that interpretations also vary wildly, making it one of the most fascinating films in film history. It has, of course, been interpreted as a critique of capitalism, although more recent versions steer critics towards gender politics. Religious overtones are also abundant.

"Metropolis" was the first film to be added to UNESCO's "Memory of the World Register".

At the end of the day, Lang's masterpiece (or one of his masterpieces, rather) is simply a joy to watch. If you have never seen it, search out the version which includes many scenes thought to have been lost until they turned up in Argentina in the late 2000s.

About the red herrings (all released 1927): "The Chinese Parrot" is a lost Charlie Chan film, "The Unknown" is a horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney as Alonzo the Armless and Joan Crawford as the girl he's got an eye for, "The Stolen Bride" was directed by Alexander Korda.

Answer: The Rules of the Game

The title "The Rules of the Game" seems to refer to the acceptance of infidelity amongst the upper crust of French society, but hints that one should still retain a certain decorum even in the face of ludicrous perfidiousness.

Although "The Rules of the Game" went down like a lead zeppelin on its release in 1939 for its mockery of the French upper classes, in the 1950s it staked its place and became a perennial on "best films ever made" lists, arguably for the very same reason. The pro-Nazi Vichy government of World War II wasn't keen on it either and banned it, adding to its legacy.

Renoir (Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir's son) was already a big name director when he embarked on the project "The Rules of the Game", but apparently took its commercial and critical failure very hard and was so self-deprecating that he agreed to reedit his masterpiece in the hope of pleasing the masses. However, he didn't wallow in fake modesty and years later, he keenly agreed to restore the film to its former glory.

About the red herrings (all 1939): "Gone with the Wind" is one of the most popular and successful films of all time, "Daybreak" (original title "Le Jour Se Lčve") was directed by Marcel Carné, and "Confessions of a Nazi Spy" is a great anti-Nazi film starring Edward G. Robinson.

Answer: Rome, Open City

In wartime, "open city" can be declared if a city's guardians feel helpless against invaders, thus limiting damage and fatalities. In 1943 just this happened in Rome.

Right after WWII Rossellini wanted to make a film about the Italian resistance despite the fact that the country was still sharply divided along political lines and the wounds were still very much open. In fact, when the film premiered in Rome, it was a catastrophe according to Rossellini's wife, Marcella De Marchis, and the film's reputation was built in France. It has since been recognized as a classic of Italian cinema.

The film is blatantly political, but it's also more than that. It spearheaded Italian Neo-realism, and its pioneering use of non-actors and real locations also make the film remarkable, but its plea for humanity is one of its great strengths. The iconic scene of the pregnant Pina (played wonderfully by Anna Magnani) racing after the German truck which is taking her fiancé (Francesco) away is one of the most powerful and shocking I've ever seen. Incredibly for a film with such hefty themes, there are also moments of humour, often thanks to Aldo Fabrizi as don Pietro Pellegrini.

About the red herrings (all released 1945): "Children of Paradise" was directed by Marcel Carné during the German occupation of France in WWII, Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend" was one of the most successful films of 1945, and ""National Velvet" stars Mickey Rooney and Elizabeth Taylor in a film centred on horse racing.

Answer: Ordet

"Ordet" means "the word", and the title clearly points to the Logos of Christian tradition. Apparently, an overdose of Danish theologian/philosopher Sřren Kierkegaard is what has sent Johannes over the edge. One of the most interesting encounters in the film is when the fresh-faced new pastor, who is perceived as somewhat lightweight by Johannes, visits the family home and is received by the would-be Christ. There is further sectarian trouble between the master of the house, Morten Borgen, and his son's prospective father-in-law, Peter Peterson.

The grand climax of the film must be one of the strangest in a serious drama film, and even for a confirmed atheist, the supernatural potency of Dreyer's direction is persuasive. The film showcases Dreyer's crisp vision and minimalist sets splendidly, which suit the emotional heights and awe of the narrative. Dreyer's films have been "thoroughly vacuum-cleaned of humour" as fellow Dane Lars Von Trier put it, however, despite this purity, tidiness and solemnity, there is human warmth.

About the red herrings (all released 1955): "The Trouble with Harry" is one of Hitchcock's funniest films, "Rebel Without a Cause" is arguably the film James Dean is best-remembered for, and "Les Diaboliques " is a taut, unsettling thriller directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.

Answer: The Valley of the Bees

The title refers to young Ondrej's love of beekeeping. As a lad, it's his fondness of other beasts that initially gets him in trouble since he presents his father's bride (who is closer to Ondrej's age) with some flowers under which he has craftily hidden some bats. His father loses his rag and chucks him against a wall, almost killing him. His repentant father begs the Holy Virgin for forgiveness and promises his son will lead a puritanical life, thus he's packed off to the Teutonic Order.

Frantisek Vláčil is anything but a household name, and "The Valley Of The Bees" is probably even less known than "Markéta Lazarová" (which has been voted "best Czech film of all time"), but his poetic artistry and painterly vision, along with his sense of pace, is up there with the greats of art cinema in my book. Unfortunately, he fell out of favour with the authorities under communism and ended up making kids' films. It has been debated that "The Valley Of The Bees" had a political message, and indeed the paranoid Czech censors thought so and banned it.

About the red herrings (all released 1967): "Stranger In The House" was based on a fabulous novel by Georges Simenon, "Far From The Madding Crowd" was based on a fabulous novel by Thomas Hardy, and "In the Heat of the Night" was based on a novel by John Ball.

Answer: Eraserhead

The title "Eraserhead" comes from one of Henry's nightmares in which his head pops off only to be replaced by the offspring's. Henry's head is found by a boy who takes it to a factory to have it turned into erasers that go on the end of pencils. If that sounds too outlandish, this film's not for you.

"Eraserhead", which was Lynch's first feature film, is a surreal vision in the tradition of Buńuel in film, but also reminds me of Ernst, Goya and Redon in art, and Gogol and Beckett in literature. As with all artistic traditions of the absurd or surreal, it either makes complete sense to you or is incomprehensible rubbish. The "baby", who is wrapped in bandages, always makes me think of what E.T. would have been like if he'd been befriended by crack addicts from the wrong side of town rather than a mythical nice-kid from an idyllic good side of town.

Whether you like it or not, Lynch's imagery, and to be more precise his link of sound and image, is really powerful. The excellence, relevance, and originality of "Eraserhead" has been recognized and it has been entered onto the National Film Registry at the United States Library of Congress.

About the red herrings (all released 1977): "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is a science fiction film and was directed by Steven Spielberg, "Rabid" is a horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg, who practically invented body horror (of which "Eraserhead" is a prime example) as a film genre, and "The Serpent's Egg" was directed by Ingmar Bergman and stars David Carradine and Liv Ullmann.

Answer: A Short Film About Killing

In 1988, Krzysztof Kieslowski made a cycle of ten hour-long films for Polish television (although the funding was partially foreign) called "The Decalogue", each one loosely based on one of the Ten Commandments of Judeo-Christian tradition. Part of the deal was the agreement that he could expand two of the original short films into feature length films, and thus "Decalogue V", based on the commandment "Thou shalt not kill", filled out and became "A Short Film About Killing". The other was "Decalogue VI", based on the commandment "Thou shalt not commit adultery", which became "A Short Film About Love".

More than any of the other parts of "The Decalogue", "A Short Film About Killing" makes Warsaw look like the dreariest, most miserable place one could have the misfortune to find oneself, which of course fits the bleak narrative, controversial theme of the death penalty, and arguably even a political undertone concerning Polish communism taking its last breath before keeling over and dying. The man behind this grim look is cinematographer Slawomir Idziak who used green filters to give the film the look of a grainy black and white film, although it is actually in colour.

About the red herrings (all released 1988): "To Kill a Priest" is a French film about the murder of priest Jerzy Popiełuszko in communist Poland, "Drowning by Numbers" was directed by Peter Greenaway, while "Appointment with Death" features Agatha Christie's fictional Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.

Answer: Breaking the Waves

Any meaning behind the title "Breaking the Waves" isn't clear to me, and I haven't been able to find any answer going through Von Trier's comments, but the sea is a very obvious motif in the film and there is a DIY funeral towards the end of the film that hints at something. Bess also has what she believes to be a direct-line to God, who at one point goes quiet, which might offer another clue to what Von Trier meant.

Von Trier splits both audiences and critics, but "Breaking the Waves" seems to be one of his more universally-acclaimed flicks. It was the first in a kind of trilogy about "goodness" which was concluded by "The Idiots" (1998) and "Dancer in the Dark" (2000).

About the red herrings (all released 1996) : "The Crucible" is based on Arthur Miller's play, "Mother Night" is based on Kurt Vonnegut's book of the same name, and "The Stendhal Syndrome" is a Dario Argento horror film.

Answer: The Piano Teacher

"The Piano Teacher", based on Nobel-prize-winner Elfriede Jelinek's novel of the same name, is a disturbing film full of unpleasant surprises, as is much of Michael Haneke's output, but the fact that it's a tad less sanctimonious works is in its favour and sets it on a higher shelf than his other films for my money.

Isabelle Huppert plays the part of the sexually-errant psychotic music teacher, and it must be one of her most highly-charged performances for an actress who has hardly shrunk away from difficult roles. Her character asks lots of questions of the viewer, and thankfully not too many easy answers are provided.

About the red herrings (all released in 2001): "A Beautiful Mind" is a biopic about Nobel Prize winner John Nash, "In The Bedroom" is based on "The Killings" written by Andre Dubus, and "Vanilla Sky" is an awful American adaptation of the Spanish film "Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes)".

Answer: The Turin Horse

"The Turin Horse" starts with the tale of Friedrich Nietzsche losing it when he sees a horse whipped in the streets of Turin. Whether that tale is true or not is of no real consequence for Tarr's film, which is not ostensibly interested in Freud or the aforementioned horse biographically, but in things that they both probably cared about. This seems to be time, being, and suffering on a very philosophical level, but also getting up, getting dressed, and being fed.

As with all Tarr's films, "The Turin Horse" is characterized by bleak situations that are dragged out over long shots in which naught and everything can happen. "The Turin Horse" is bleaker than some of Tarr's other films due to the lack of comedy that usually creeps in, but the intensity of very little happening is dauntingly poetic.

Tarr was helped on the screenplay for "The Turin Horse" by highbrow author László Krasznahorkai who had worked with Tarr on four previous films, two of which were adaptations of his own novels.

About the red herrings (all 2011): "Straw Dogs" is a remake of a Sam Peckinpah classic from 1971, "The Artist" is a hugely successful film directed by Michel Hazanavicius, and "A Seperation" is an Iranian film directed by Asghar Farhadi.