The 20 quiz questions
Question 1 : The movie Titanic (1997) cost more to produce than the actual Titanic ship.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! The original Titanic cost $7.5 million in 1912 (about $200 million today). James Cameron's film cost $200 million in 1997, slightly more in adjusted dollars.
Question 2 : The "Pixar Theory" connecting all Pixar films is officially confirmed by the studio.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: FALSE! This popular theory was created by a fan (Jon Negroni). Pixar has never officially confirmed that all their films take place in the same universe, even though they love hiding easter eggs.
Question 3 : Sean Connery wore a wig in all his James Bond films.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! Sean Connery started losing his hair in his twenties. He wore a hairpiece in all 7 films where he played 007, from 1962 to 1983.
Question 4 : The word "mafia" is never spoken in The Godfather.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! Francis Ford Coppola agreed to never use the words "mafia" or "Cosa Nostra" in the film, following an agreement with the Italian-American Civil Rights League.
Question 5 : The lion's roar in the MGM logo is actually that of a tiger.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: FALSE! The roar is indeed from a real lion. However, it was mixed with other sounds to make it more impressive. Leo has been the current lion's name since 1957.
Question 6 : Psycho (1960) was the first American film to show a toilet on screen.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! The Hays Code prohibited showing toilets. Hitchcock circumvented censorship by showing the flush, necessary to the plot. It was a small revolution!
Question 7 : In The Shining, Jack Nicholson improvised the line "Here's Johnny!".
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! This iconic line wasn't in the script. Nicholson improvised it as a reference to Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show". Kubrick kept it.
Question 8 : Oscar statuettes are made of solid gold.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: FALSE! Oscars are made of bronze plated with 24-carat gold. During World War II, they were even made of painted plaster! An Oscar weighs 3.85 kg and is worth about $400 in materials.
Question 9 : The lightsaber sound in Star Wars partly comes from a broken television.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! Ben Burtt created this sound by combining the hum of an old film projector and TV interference. The movement comes from a microphone passed in front of a speaker.
Question 10 : Avatar (2009) is the highest-grossing film of all time, even adjusted for inflation.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: FALSE! Adjusted for inflation, Gone with the Wind (1939) remains the biggest success with about $3.7 billion. Avatar is first in nominal receipts ($2.9 billion).
Question 11 : Charlie Chaplin once entered a look-alike contest of himself and lost.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! This famous anecdote says Chaplin placed 3rd (or even 20th in some versions) in a look-alike contest in San Francisco. Without his Tramp costume, he was unrecognizable!
Question 12 : The Jazz Singer (1927) was the very first talking film in cinema history.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: FALSE! It was the first commercially successful talking feature film, but not the first sound film. Sound shorts existed since 1900, and Don Juan (1926) already had a synchronized soundtrack.
Question 13 : Tom Hanks didn't receive a fixed salary for Forrest Gump, but a percentage of the profits.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! Hanks chose a percentage of profits rather than a fee. With the phenomenal success of the film ($678 million), he reportedly earned about $40 million!
Question 14 : E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was initially planned as a horror film.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! Spielberg first developed "Night Skies", a horror project with hostile aliens. E.T. was born when he imagined a friendly alien left behind on Earth.
Question 15 : The creature costume in Alien was worn by a 7-foot-2 Nigerian actor.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! Bolaji Badejo, a 7-foot-2 Nigerian graphic designer, was spotted in a London bar. His unique silhouette was perfect for bringing H.R. Giger's Xenomorph to life.
Question 16 : The Avengers films were shot in chronological order of the story.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: FALSE! Marvel films are never shot in narrative order. Avengers: Endgame was filmed at the same time as Infinity War, and scenes are shot based on set and actor availability.
Question 17 : The green code scrolling in The Matrix is made up of Japanese sushi recipes.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! Designer Simon Whiteley scanned sushi recipes from his Japanese wife's cookbooks, then reversed and colored them green to create the famous code.
Question 18 : Steve McQueen performed all the stunts himself in the Bullitt car chase.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: FALSE! While McQueen drove in some shots, stuntman Bud Ekins performed the most dangerous maneuvers. The chase remains legendary with its 10 minutes without dialogue.
Question 19 : Ryan Gosling learned piano in just 3 months for La La Land.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: TRUE! Gosling took intensive lessons for 3 months, 2 hours a day. In the film, it's really him playing. Damien Chazelle wanted to film his hands without a double.
Question 20 : Avatar (2009) was the first film to surpass one billion dollars at the box office.
Possible answers:
- True
- False
Explanation: FALSE! Titanic (1997) was the first film to reach this milestone. Then The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (2006) did it before Avatar.
