Q 01/05

Which director made Saving Private Ryan, famous for its Omaha Beach opening sequence?

A) Oliver Stone

B) Ridley Scott

C) Steven Spielberg

D) Clint Eastwood

Answer · why

C) Steven Spielberg

Spielberg won his second Best Director Oscar for it, though the film lost Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love.

Q 02/05

In Saving Private Ryan, why is Private James Ryan being sent home?

A) His three brothers have all been killed

B) He has been wounded three separate times

C) His father is a United States senator

D) He was captured and exchanged for an officer

Answer · why

A) His three brothers have all been killed

The story was loosely inspired by the Niland brothers and the US 'sole survivor' policy adopted after the Sullivan brothers died together in 1942.

Q 03/05

Which Vietnam War film is loosely based on Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness?

A) Platoon

B) The Deer Hunter

C) Full Metal Jacket

D) Apocalypse Now

Answer · why

D) Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola's shoot in the Philippines ran wildly over schedule, with typhoons, a heart attack for Martin Sheen and an unprepared lead.

Q 04/05

Which actor arrived on Coppola's Vietnam epic overweight and unprepared to play Colonel Kurtz?

A) Robert Duvall

B) Marlon Brando

C) Dennis Hopper

D) Gene Hackman

Answer · why

B) Marlon Brando

Brando arrived on set overweight and having not read the novella, so Coppola shot him mostly in shadow.

Q 05/05

Who plays the overweight recruit Leonard Lawrence in Full Metal Jacket?

A) Vincent D'Onofrio

B) Matthew Modine

C) Adam Baldwin

D) Arliss Howard

Answer · why

A) Vincent D'Onofrio

D'Onofrio reportedly gained about 70 pounds for the part, one of the largest weight gains ever for a film role.