How many beats per minute did the 2017 French drama film directed by Robin Campillo, which deals with the ACT UP movement that fought the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, have
LEVEL 2 — 🎬 FILM ENTHUSIAST
Welcome to the Film Enthusiast level of our cinema quiz series! Below is an exciting tour through twelve remarkable films. Read through to refresh your cinematic knowledge before taking on the quiz—while keeping every target answer strictly protected!
Robin Campillo's acclaimed 2017 French drama tells the moving story of the ACT UP activist movement fighting the AIDS epidemic in 1990s Paris. Starring Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, and Adèle Haenel, the film's title holds a double meaning: it refers to both a fast heartbeat during intense moments and the energetic pulse of house music that dominated the club scene at that time.
Fred Schepisi's 2013 romantic comedy-drama Words and Pictures explores a playful rivalry between an English teacher and an art teacher at a preparatory school. Screened in the Gala Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, the film features Bruce Davison and Amy Brenneman in supporting roles, bringing warmth and humor as the two teachers inspire their students to debate whether words or images carry more power.
Pedro Almodóvar's 2011 psychological thriller reunited the Spanish director with star Antonio Banderas 21 years after their iconic 1989 collaboration Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!. Adapted from Thierry Jonquet's novel Mygale and co-starring Elena Anaya, the film deals with medical experimentation and obsession. Film scholars frequently note its striking similarities to Georges Franju's 1960 French horror classic Eyes Without a Face, starring Pierre Brasseur and Alida Valli.
Walter Lang's 1951 musical comedy On the Riviera, written by Phoebe and Henry Ephron alongside Valentine Davies, holds a fun piece of studio history: it was 20th Century Fox's fourth film adaptation of Rudolph Lothar and Hans Adler's 1934 play The Red Cat. Following earlier versions like 1935's Folies Bergère and 1941's That Night in Rio, the movie also offers audiences a rare chance to see Gene Tierney's famous portrait from the classic film Laura in full color.
William Wyler's 1940 film noir classic The Letter, based on W. Somerset Maugham's famous play, opens with one of the most memorable dramatic sequences in Golden Age cinema. Featuring striking cinematography by Tony Gaudio and an evocative musical score by Max Steiner, critics often cite the production as a major visual precursor to the hardboiled film noir genre that officially emerged the following year with The Maltese Falcon.
John Milius's 1975 adventure epic The Wind and the Lion is loosely based on the real-life 1904 "Perdicaris affair" in Morocco, where Berber leader Ahmed al-Raisuli kidnapped Greek-American citizen Ion Perdicaris. Perdicaris spent several weeks in the mountains and became friendly with his kidnapper, an experience later associated with so-called Stockholm syndrome. The incident caused an international reaction, and because of Perdicaris's political connections and wealth, the United States sent the South Atlantic Squadron to Morocco. For the film, however, Milius changed Perdicaris into an American widow named Eden Pedecaris and invented the two children, the attack on the Bashaw's palace and the final battle between American and German forces, creating a much more spectacular version of the real incident.
Gavin Hood's 2015 military thriller Eye in the Sky offers a gripping look at modern drone warfare, following a British officer tracking terrorists in Kenya through remote surveillance. Produced by Colin Firth and filmed by Greek-Cypriot cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos—who trained under legendary cameraman Conrad L. Hall—the film holds deep emotional weight as the final live-action screen appearance of beloved actor Alan Rickman, who co-stars alongside Aaron Paul.
Nicolas Roeg's 1986 survival drama Castaway brings the true story of Lucy Irvine and writer Gerald Kingsland to the screen. In 1981, 25-year-old Irvine answered a newspaper ad seeking a companion to spend a year living on an uninhabited island in the Torres Strait, even agreeing to marry the older writer to meet travel regulations. After returning home, Lucy Irvine wrote about her experience in the book Castaway (1983), which later became the basis for the film. Co-starring Amanda Donohoe, the production approached pop star Kate Bush for the lead role; when she declined due to extensive nudity, Bush instead wrote and sang the theme song "Be Kind to My Mistakes."
Sydney Pollack's 1974 crime drama The Yakuza, set in Japan, marked the screenwriting debut of film critic Paul Schrader, who wrote the original script with his brother Leonard before Robert Towne added further depth. The story follows an American private detective who travels to Tokyo to rescue a friend's daughter alongside Ken Takakura and Brian Keith. Though Pollack spoke no Japanese and cinematographer Kōzō Okazaki spoke no English, the two built a surprisingly effective working relationship on set. This was also Pollack's first collaboration with composer Dave Grusin, with whom he worked many more times.
Shekhar Kapur's 2002 historical adventure The Four Feathers, set in 1884 Sudan, represents the seventh film adaptation of A.E.W. Mason's classic 1902 British novel. The story follows a young man who secretly embarks on a dangerous journey with Wes Bentley, Kate Hudson, Lucy Gordon, Djimon Hounsou, and Michael Sheen, co-starring. The first three film versions of the novel were the silent films Four Feathers (1915), The Four Feathers (1921) and The Four Feathers (1929), which starred Fay Wray. They were followed by two versions directed by Zoltan Korda: The Four Feathers (1939), which he directed alone, and Storm Over the Nile (1955), which he co-directed with Terence Young.
John Milius's 1989 World War II adventure Farewell to the King features a memorable musical score by Basil Poledouris. The storyline follows an American soldier who escapes execution in the Pacific and rises to become the respected leader of a headhunter tribe in the Borneo jungle, co-starring Nigel Havers. The narrative was adapted from Pierre Schoendoerffer's 1969 novel, which the author originally wrote as a movie script before turning it into a book.
Jason Winer's 2019 romantic comedy Ode to Joy is inspired by the real-life story of Matt Frerking, originally featured on the radio show This American Life. The plot centers on a man living with cataplexy—a rare neurological condition where strong positive feelings, especially pure joy, cause sudden loss of muscle control. The film is not a faithful biographical adaptation. Instead, the filmmakers took the central idea of the true story and turned it into a fictional romantic comedy. Co-starring Morena Baccarin, the film transforms this unusual condition into a warm, funny story about finding love.
Now that you know the behind-the-scenes trivia and real-life origins of these twelve films, step up to the table and test your movie knowledge!