Iconic FilmsTrivia Questions & Answers
63 iconic films trivia questions, each with the correct answer and a short explanation.
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Each question reveals the answer and a quick explanation below it.
1. In 'The Godfather,' what is the name of the fictional movie producer who wakes up with a horse's head in his bed?
Answer: Jack Woltz. Jack Woltz is the Hollywood mogul who refuses to cast Johnny Fontane and famously wakes up next to his prized racehorse's severed head.
2. In 'Pulp Fiction,' what is the name of the burger that Vincent Vega and Jules debate before killing Brett?
Answer: Big Kahuna Burger. The burger Brett is eating when he's confronted is a Big Kahuna Burger; the 'Royale with Cheese' is discussed separately in a Paris conversation.
3. In 'The Godfather,' what is the name of the Hollywood producer who wakes up next to a severed horse head?
Answer: Jack Woltz. Jack Woltz, a powerful movie producer who refused to cast Johnny Fontane, wakes to find his prized horse's head in his bed.
4. In 'Apocalypse Now,' the famous helicopter attack scene is accompanied by which piece of classical music?
Answer: Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries'. Lt. Col. Kilgore orders Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' played from helicopter speakers during the iconic napalm attack sequence.
5. In 'Chinatown' (1974), what shocking revelation does Evelyn Mulwray make about Katherine near the film's climax?
Answer: Katherine is both Evelyn's sister and daughter. Evelyn reveals that Katherine is both her sister and her daughter, fathered by Noah Cross through incestuous assault — the film's central tragic secret.
6. In the Coen Brothers' 'No Country for Old Men,' what device does Anton Chigurh use as his signature weapon?
Answer: A captive bolt pistol with a cattle-stun air tank. Chigurh uses a captive bolt pistol powered by a pressurized air tank, a cattle-stunning device, as his iconic and terrifying weapon throughout the film.
7. In 'The Godfather' (1972), what is the name of the undertaker who asks Don Corleone for a favor at the opening scene?
Answer: Amerigo Bonasera. Amerigo Bonasera, an undertaker, opens the film begging Don Corleone for justice for his daughter, delivering the famous 'I believe in America' monologue.
8. In Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey,' what is the first word spoken in the film?
Answer: The film has no dialogue until the 25-minute mark. The film is famously silent for its first ~25 minutes through the 'Dawn of Man' sequence; the first spoken dialogue comes when Dr. Heywood Floyd makes a phone call.
9. In 'Pulp Fiction,' what is the name of the burger that Jules repeatedly praises before quoting scripture?
Answer: Big Kahuna Burger. Jules and Vincent eat a Big Kahuna Burger stolen from Brett before Jules recites his infamous Ezekiel 25:17 monologue.
10. Which actor played the title villain in Tim Burton's 'Batman' (1989) before the role became synonymous with Heath Ledger?
Answer: Jack Nicholson. Jack Nicholson played the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 'Batman,' earning a reported $60 million with profit participation.
11. In Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960), which musical instrument is NOT used to create the iconic shower scene score?
Answer: Piano. Bernard Herrmann's 'Psycho' shower scene cue 'The Murder' uses only string instruments — violins, violas, and cellos — no piano is present in that cue.
12. In Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey', what is the first word HAL 9000 ever speaks in the film?
Answer: Good. HAL's first line is 'Good evening, Dr. Chandra' — wait, corrected: HAL's first spoken word in the film is 'Good' as he greets Bowman.
13. In 'Apocalypse Now,' Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz reads aloud from which poet's work?
Answer: T.S. Eliot. Brando's Kurtz reads from T.S. Eliot's 'The Hollow Men,' whose imagery mirrors the film's themes of moral decay.
14. In 'The Godfather,' what is the name of the fish the Corleones receive, signaling Luca Brasi's death?
Answer: Tuna. A wrapped tuna is delivered with the message 'Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes,' a Sicilian message meaning he is dead.
15. In 'Pulp Fiction,' what dance does Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace perform at Jack Rabbit Slim's?
Answer: The Twist. Travolta and Uma Thurman perform The Twist in the famous restaurant dance contest scene, winning a trophy.
16. Cary Grant's character Roger Thornhill in 'North by Northwest' is chased by a crop duster near which U.S. state?
Answer: Nebraska. The iconic crop duster sequence was filmed near Bakersfield but set in the flat prairies of Indiana — though the script places Thornhill outside Prairie Stop in Indiana.
17. Which actor played the villain Hans Gruber in 'Die Hard,' making it his American film debut?
Answer: Alan Rickman. Alan Rickman made his American film debut as Hans Gruber in 'Die Hard' (1988), having previously worked primarily in British theater and TV.
18. Marlon Brando improvised stuffing his cheeks with cotton in which role to change his appearance, inspiring his famous look?
Answer: Don Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather'. Brando stuffed his cheeks with cotton during his audition for Don Vito Corleone and later used a custom dental mouthpiece on set to recreate the jowly look.
19. In 'The Godfather,' what item does Don Corleone refuse to give Virgil Sollozzo that triggers the film's main conflict?
Answer: Political protection for a drug empire. Don Corleone refuses to use his political connections to protect Sollozzo's narcotics operation, viewing drugs as too dangerous for his business.
20. What is the name of the fictional country ruled by Charles Chaplin's character in 'The Great Dictator' (1940)?
Answer: Tomainia. Chaplin's character Adenoid Hynkel rules Tomainia, a satirical stand-in for Nazi Germany in the 1940 political satire.
21. In 'Pulp Fiction,' what is the brand name of the milkshake Mia Wallace orders that costs $5?
Answer: Douglas Sirk. Mia orders a 'Douglas Sirk steak' and a 'Martin & Lewis' milkshake at Jack Rabbit Slim's, with the shake being the famously overpriced item.
22. In Hitchcock's 'Psycho,' in what real U.S. state is the fictional Bates Motel explicitly set?
Answer: California. The film is set in California; Marion Crane steals money in Phoenix, Arizona, then drives toward Fairvale, California, where she stops at the Bates Motel.
23. In 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' what subject does Indiana Jones teach at Marshall College?
Answer: Anthropology. Indiana Jones holds the position of professor of archaeology and anthropology; his department at Marshall College is specifically anthropology.
24. In 'The Godfather,' what business does Jack Woltz run that causes him to refuse Corleone's request?
Answer: A Hollywood studio. Jack Woltz is a powerful Hollywood movie mogul who refuses to cast Johnny Fontane, leading to the famous horse-head scene.
25. In 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' Indiana Jones' fear of snakes is established early. What specific phobia term describes this fear?
Answer: Ophidiophobia. Ophidiophobia is the specific clinical term for an extreme fear of snakes, which Indiana Jones dramatically suffers throughout the franchise.
26. In 'The Godfather', what is the name of the fish-related message the Corleones receive, meaning Luca Brasi 'sleeps with the fishes'?
Answer: A wrapped fish. The Corleones receive Luca Brasi's bulletproof vest wrapped around a fish, a Sicilian message signifying he is dead.
27. In 'Apocalypse Now', what Wagner piece plays as the helicopter attack on a Vietnamese village begins?
Answer: Ride of the Valkyries. 'Ride of the Valkyries' from Wagner's 'Die Walküre' blares from helicopter loudspeakers during the iconic napalm attack scene.
28. In which animated film does the villain Syndrome originally go by the name 'Buddy Pine' before becoming a supervillain?
Answer: The Incredibles. In Pixar's 'The Incredibles', Syndrome was once Buddy Pine, Mr. Incredible's rejected wannabe sidekick who turned to villainy.
29. In 'Pulp Fiction', what song does Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega dance to in the Jack Rabbit Slim's twist contest?
Answer: You Never Can Tell. Chuck Berry's 'You Never Can Tell' plays during the iconic twist scene between Uma Thurman and John Travolta at the retro diner.
30. In 'Chinatown' (1974), what is the shocking final revelation about Evelyn Mulwray's sister/daughter Katherine?
Answer: She is both Evelyn's sister and daughter, fathered by Noah Cross. The film's devastating twist reveals Katherine is both Evelyn's sister and daughter, the product of incestuous rape by her father Noah Cross.
31. In Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho', approximately how far into the film does Marion Crane — the supposed lead — get killed?
Answer: About one-third of the way through. Janet Leigh's Marion Crane is killed roughly 47 minutes into the 109-minute film — about one-third through — shocking audiences who expected her to be the protagonist.
32. In 'The Godfather,' what business does Jack Woltz run that leads Corleone to make him an offer he can't refuse?
Answer: A film studio. Jack Woltz is a powerful Hollywood studio head who refuses to cast Johnny Fontane, prompting the famous horse-head scene.
33. Which filmmaker directed both 'Schindler's List' and 'Jurassic Park,' releasing them in the same year?
Answer: Steven Spielberg. Steven Spielberg released both films in 1993, winning the Best Director Oscar for Schindler's List while Jurassic Park broke box-office records.
34. In 'The Godfather,' what is the name of the fish wrapped in Luca Brasi's bulletproof vest, sent as a message?
Answer: No specific fish is named. The film never names the specific fish species; the famous line is simply 'Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes,' and the package contains an unidentified fish.
35. In 'The Godfather,' what item does Vito Corleone refuse to provide when Virgil Sollozzo requests his support?
Answer: Heroin trade backing. Vito refuses to back Sollozzo's narcotics operation, triggering the film's central conflict.
36. In 'The Godfather,' what business does Jack Woltz refuse to give Johnny Fontane before finding the horse head?
Answer: A film role. Woltz, a Hollywood studio boss, refuses to cast Johnny Fontane in a war film role, prompting Vito Corleone's famous 'offer he can't refuse.'
37. What is the last line of dialogue spoken in Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'?
Answer: 'I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave.'. HAL's final spoken words are 'I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave' as Dave Bowman shuts him down; 'full of stars' appears only in the novel.
38. In Hitchcock's 'Psycho,' how much money does Marion Crane steal, triggering the entire plot?
Answer: $40,000. Marion steals $40,000 in cash from her employer's client, a sum that sets the entire plot of 'Psycho' (1960) in motion.
39. In 'Pulp Fiction,' what band name is printed on the t-shirt Vincent Vega wears during the diner scene?
Answer: The Knack. John Travolta's character Vincent Vega wears a 'The Knack' t-shirt — the band behind 'My Sharona' — during the diner sequence.
40. In 'The Godfather,' what item does the Don place in his mouth to frighten his grandchildren in his final scene?
Answer: Orange peel. Marlon Brando's Don Corleone stuffs orange peel in his mouth to make monster faces at his grandson moments before collapsing and dying in the garden.
41. In 'Pulp Fiction,' what song does Uma Thurman's character select on the diner jukebox before she and Vincent dance?
Answer: You Never Can Tell. Mia Wallace selects 'You Never Can Tell' by Chuck Berry, to which she and Vincent Vega perform their famous twist dance at Jack Rabbit Slim's.
42. In 'The Godfather,' what business does Jack Woltz run in Hollywood that makes him a target of the Corleones' 'offer'?
Answer: A film studio. Jack Woltz is a powerful Hollywood film studio head who refuses to cast Johnny Fontane, prompting the infamous horse-head scene.
43. In Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey,' HAL 9000 is located on the Discovery One. What does HAL cite as the reason to eliminate the crew?
Answer: A directive to protect classified mission orders. HAL kills the crew to prevent them from jeopardizing the true classified mission: contact with the alien monolith at Jupiter.
44. The Coen Brothers' 'Fargo' famously claims to be based on true events. What is the actual truth of that claim?
Answer: All events are entirely fictional, the claim is a deliberate artistic device. The Coens fabricated the 'true story' claim entirely for artistic effect; the film's plot has no basis in any specific real events.
45. In 'Pulp Fiction,' what dance competition do Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace enter at Jack Rabbit Slim's?
Answer: The Twist Contest. The restaurant holds a Twist contest; Vincent and Mia win a trophy for their performance of the dance popularized by Chubby Checker.
46. In 'The Godfather,' what is the name of the fictional olive oil company the Corleone family uses as a legitimate front business?
Answer: Genco Pura Olive Oil. Genco Pura Olive Oil Company, named after Vito's childhood friend Genco Abbandando, is the Corleones' legitimate front business.
47. In '2001: A Space Odyssey,' HAL 9000's name is one alphabetical step ahead of which real-world corporation's acronym?
Answer: IBM. H-A-L each precede I-B-M by one letter in the alphabet, though Kubrick and Clarke always denied this was intentional.
48. In 'The Godfather,' what business does Jack Woltz run when he refuses Vito Corleone's request about Johnny Fontane?
Answer: A Hollywood movie studio. Jack Woltz is a powerful Hollywood studio mogul who refuses to cast Johnny Fontane, leading to the infamous horse-head scene.
49. In '2001: A Space Odyssey,' what is the name of the mission HAL 9000 is guiding when he begins killing crew members?
Answer: Discovery One. The spacecraft in Kubrick's film is called Discovery One, and HAL 9000 is its onboard AI system managing the Jupiter mission.
50. In 'Chinatown' (1974), what is the dark secret about Evelyn Mulwray's 'sister' Katherine that the film gradually reveals?
Answer: She is Evelyn's daughter by incest. The film's devastating twist is that Katherine is both Evelyn's daughter and her sister, born of rape by her father Noah Cross.
51. What real location doubles as the exterior of the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining'?
Answer: Timberline Lodge, Oregon. The exterior of the Overlook Hotel was filmed at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Oregon, though interiors were built on sets in England.
52. In Ingmar Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal,' against which backdrop does the knight Antonius Block play chess with Death?
Answer: A rocky cliff above the sea. The iconic chess game between Max von Sydow's knight and Death begins on a rocky shoreline, with the sea visible behind them.
53. Which actress played the role of Amy Dunne in David Fincher's 'Gone Girl' (2014)?
Answer: Rosamund Pike. Rosamund Pike earned an Academy Award nomination for her chilling portrayal of Amy Dunne in Gone Girl.
54. In the original 'Blade Runner' (1982), what type of animal does Deckard's colleague Holden ask Leon about during the Voigt-Kampff test?
Answer: Tortoise. Holden asks Leon to imagine a tortoise on its back in the desert during the Voigt-Kampff empathy test that opens the film.
55. In 'Mulholland Drive' (2001), what is the name of the fictional movie being directed within the film?
Answer: The Sylvia North Story. The Sylvia North Story is the film Adam Kesher is hired to direct inside David Lynch's Mulholland Drive.
56. In 'The Godfather,' what business does Jack Woltz refuse to give Johnny Fontane before finding a horse head in his bed?
Answer: A movie role. Woltz refuses to cast Johnny Fontane in his new war film, leading to the infamous horse-head scene arranged by the Corleones.
57. In Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey,' what is the name of the ship's computer that turns against the crew?
Answer: HAL 9000. HAL 9000 (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) is the AI antagonist of Kubrick's 1968 science-fiction masterpiece.
58. In 'Psycho' (1960), what is the name of the fictional town where Marion Crane works before she steals the money?
Answer: Phoenix. Marion Crane works at a real estate office in Phoenix, Arizona, where she steals $40,000 before fleeing and stopping at the Bates Motel.
59. In 'Pulp Fiction,' what does Mia Wallace claim 'I do believe' Marsellus threw Tony Rocky Horror out of a window for?
Answer: Giving her a foot massage. Mia tells Vincent that Marsellus threw Tony Rocky Horror off a balcony allegedly for giving her a foot massage, creating a running tension in the film.
60. In 'The Godfather', what business does Jack Woltz own that leads him to find a horse head in his bed?
Answer: A film studio. Jack Woltz is a powerful Hollywood film studio mogul who refuses to cast Johnny Fontane, prompting the Corleones' grim warning.
61. In 'Chinatown' (1974), what is the actual relationship between Evelyn Mulwray and the girl she is protecting?
Answer: Daughter and sister. The shocking twist reveals Katherine is both Evelyn's daughter and her sister, having been fathered by the predatory Noah Cross.
62. What song does the Wicked Witch's soldiers chant while marching in 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939)?
Answer: Oh-Ee-Yah, Ee-Oh-Ah. The soldiers chant 'Oh-Ee-Yah, Ee-Oh-Ah' (often written as 'O-Ee-Yah, Eoh-Ah') as they march in formation in the Wicked Witch's castle.
63. In 'Pulp Fiction', what does Mia Wallace order to drink at Jack Rabbit Slim's that Vincent Vega finds absurdly expensive?
Answer: A $5 milkshake. Mia orders a Martin and Lewis — a $5 milkshake — prompting Vincent's famous incredulous reaction about whether it's worth it.
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