Thursday, February 8, 2018

How Big of a Classic Movie Buff Are You? Take Our Self-Assessment!

Can you name 10 movies starring each?
Sure, you know way more about classic movies than all your friends. But just how big of a classic movie buff are you? Our brief self-assessment below is designed to measure the depth and scope of your classic film IQ and your passion for watching these movies.

You don't need to list your answers or even your final score (unless you want to brag a bit). There's no scientific basis for our assessment, so don't feel bad if your score is lower than you thought it would be. Blame it on the questions! And, more importantly, remember this is just for fun.

1. Do you own one or more of the following books?  The Film Encyclopedia by Ephraim Katz; The Filmgoer's Companion by Leslie Halliwell; Hitchcock by Francois Truffaut; or Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide.

2. Can you name 10 Cary Grant movies and 10 Katharine Hepburn movies (without looking them up...and that goes for all of these questions!)?

3. Have you seen at least one film by each of the following foreign film directors:  Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Jean Renoir, and Federico Fellini?

4. Can you name eight Walt Disney movies, five James Bond films, three Tarzan pictures (any Tarzan will do), and two Thin Man entries?

5. Can you name the film that won the first Academy Award for Best Picture?

6. Do you know John Wayne's real name?

7. Do you know what Rosebud was?

8. Can you name all seven dwarfs from Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? (My personal Achilles heel for years!)

9. Can you explain why The Falcon's Brother was unique among "B" movie detective films?

10. Do you know who played third base?

11. Can you name the actor that had "Cuddles" for a nickname--along with at least one of his movies?

12. Can you complete the following phrase: "Klaatu barada __________"?

13. Can you can name one Hammer horror movie?

14. Can you name five Sidney Poitier films, three Charles Chaplin films, and one film directed by Samuel Fuller?

15. Can you name one film score for each of these classic film composers:  Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner, John Barry, and Bernard Herrmann?


How did you fare? Tally up your "yes" answers and check our scale below. When grading yourself, note that you must answer all parts of a question to get credit for that question as a whole.

13 - 15:  You are the Beauregard Bottomley of classic movie buffs--the best of the best! Take yourself out to dinner and a movie to celebrate...but try not to brag.

10 - 12:  You are a classic movie guru and your love of all kinds of films indicates a high level of passion.

7 - 9:  You may not be a guru, but you know your stuff and could make a lot of money if every Jeopardy category was about classic cinema.

3 - 6:  Your classic movie interest is probably focused on a specific genre, time period, or group of stars. 

0 - 2:  You may love classic movies, but you're not a bona fide classic film buff yet. Try watching more TCM and peruse some of the books in #1.

11 comments:

  1. I surprised myself with a 12. The Kate-Cary question is hard. I saw a scene in "Cries and Whispers" once and have no desire to ever see a Bergman film. On the books, I must be too young. I read about movies on the web!

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  2. Aha! I am a Beauregard Bottomley with 14/15. That was fun.

    Favourite question was number 10.

    Regarding number 5, I can name the first Oscar winner for Best Picture, but not the most recent. (blush)

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    1. And you even know who Beauregard is, having reviewed his movie in the past! I always knew you were a classic movie brainiac.

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  3. I got hung up on the Samuel Fuller movie, as well as the names of all seven dwarves. I may not be a Beauregard Bottomley, but I do know who he is. (Talk about spotty film knowledge!)

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    1. Those darn dwarfs! Sneezy and Sleepy are the ones I have trouble remembering.

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  4. This was a fun one, Rick! I just missed Beauregard Bottomley status but hey, the guy didn't even know his SSN, so I'm not feeling all that bad!

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    1. A very valid point! (And I a big CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR fan...Flame O'Neal--even her name makes me laugh.)

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  5. I'm Beauregard Maverick....no wait, that's wrong.

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  6. I got a 12. I couldn't remember the names of the dwarfs or name five James Bond films off the top of my head (I've seen the one with Donald Pleasence and that's about it).

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  7. 11 here, I didn't absolutely know that many so looked up a few after I made my 'guesses' to make sure they were right, needless to say I got bits and piece of two others and hadn't a a clue on the rest.

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