Philosophy And Existential Angst: How Well Do You Know Eastern European Films?

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Eastern European cinema might seem like an untamed beast to Western audiences. With great influence from art, literature and Marxist ideology, it's often as daring and innovative as it is melancholic and philosophical. 

Films by directors such as Andrei Tarkovsky or Bela Tarr are hardly an exhilarating watch, but a rewarding one. These films usually deal with themes of existentialism, spirituality and frustration of the human condition. 

How familiar are you with the greatest filmmakers to emerge from the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc? Do titles such as <i>Man with a Movie Camera</i> and <i>Come and See</i> ring a bell? Take out quiz to find out whether you're a true expert of the poetry in motion, created by the great Eastern European filmmakers! 


Vasilii Kulev is a digital marketing specialist during business hours and a trivia writer in his spare time. His areas of interest range from cars and music to science, history, and food. Whenever he's not busy writing quizzes, you can catch him at the local used records store or the newest craft beer bar. He also wrote this entire bio himself in third person.

Eastern European Films Quiz Questions

20 Questions · 85 Plays · No comments

Question 1

What 1968 horror film was written and directed by Roman Polanski, and stars Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Ruth Gordon?

  • A
    The Devil's Advocate
  • B
    Rosemary's Baby
  • C
    The Tenant
  • D
    Brotherhood of Blood

Question 2

What 1975 Polish film follows a Pole, German, and a Jew as they struggle to establish a business amid the harsh world of 19th century capitalism?

  • A
    The Maids of Wilko
  • B
    Ashes and Diamonds
  • C
    The Promised Land
  • D
    The Birch Wood

Question 3

Co-produced by France, Poland, and Switzerland, the classic The Three Colours trilogy was directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. What actress stars in Three Colours: Blue?

  • A
    Audrey Tautou
  • B
    Juliette Binoche
  • C
    Eva Green
  • D
    Julie Delpy

Question 4

A whole film course in itself, this documentary invented and developed a variety of cinematic techniques, including multiple exposure, fast motion, and slow motion. Name the movie.

  • A
    A Sixth Part of the World
  • B
    Cosmic Voyage
  • C
    Enthusiasm
  • D
    Man with a Movie Camera

Question 5

Following two young girls as they engage in bizarre pranks, what 1966 film from Czechoslovakia was directed by Vera Chytilova?

  • A
    Closely Watched Trains
  • B
    Pearls of the Deep
  • C
    Daisies
  • D
    The Jester and the Queen

Question 6

Considered one of the greatest films ever made, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest won five major Academy Awards, including Best Picture. What Eastern European filmmaker directed it?

  • A
    Milos Forman
  • B
    Roman Polanski
  • C
    Istvan Szabo
  • D
    Bela Tarr

Question 7

Directed by Andrey Zvyginastev in 2014, which film from Russia does an excellent job of portraying contemporary Russian sociopolitical problems?

  • A
    Leviathan
  • B
    Loveless
  • C
    Elena
  • D
    The Return

Question 8

Satantango is a long, epic black and white movie directed by the Hungarian director Bela Tarr. What is the total running time of the film?

  • A
    4 hours
  • B
    10 hours
  • C
    2 hours and 20 minutes
  • D
    7 hours and 30 minutes

Question 9

Both a tale of love and a screwball comedy, Fate's Irony is a classic New Year's Eve film for Russians all around the world. When was it released?

  • A
    1988
  • B
    1976
  • C
    2005
  • D
    1962

Question 10

What famous Czech filmmaker directed 1988's Alice, a rough version of Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which depicts a little girl as she follows a white rabbit into a strange world?

  • A
    Jan Nemec
  • B
    Jiri Menzel
  • C
    Jan Svankmajer
  • D
    Jaromil Jires

Question 11

Mephisto follows a performer who discovers unexpected fame during the Nazi takeover of pre-WWII Germany. Name the Hungarian filmmaker who directed it.

  • A
    Miklos Jancso
  • B
    Zoltan Fabri
  • C
    Istvan Szabo
  • D
    Marta Meszaros

Question 12

Mirror is a Russian art film organized into non-linear stories, revolving around recollections of a dying poet about his life and Soviet culture. Who directed it?

  • A
    Andrey Konchalovskiy
  • B
    Sergey Bondarchuk
  • C
    Nikita Mikhalkov
  • D
    Andrey Tarkovsky

Question 13

Battleship Potemkin is a Soviet film portraying the mutiny aboard the Russian battleship Potemkin in 1905 when the crew revolted against their commanders. Who directed it?

  • A
    Dziga Vertov
  • B
    Andrey Konchalovskiy
  • C
    Sergei Eisenstein
  • D
    Andrei Tarkovsky

Question 14

The Cranes are Flying is one of the many Soviet films that deals with the effects of war. It's brief, straightforward, serious in its treatment of the topic, and directed by whom?

  • A
    Sergey Urusevsky
  • B
    Alekey Balatov
  • C
    Vasili Merkuryev
  • D
    Mikhail Kalatozov

Question 15

Cold War is a 2018 film set in Poland, France, and the United Kingdom, which tells the story of a musical director as he falls in love with a teenage singer. Who directed it?

  • A
    Krzysztof Kieślowski
  • B
    Roman Polanski
  • C
    Pawel Pawilkowski
  • D
    Andrzej Wajda

Question 16

One of the most satisfying miniseries ever produced, 1965's War and Peace is less like a film and more like an event. Who directed it?

  • A
    Mark Donskoy
  • B
    Sergei Bondarchuk
  • C
    Mikhail Kozakov
  • D
    Alexander Dovzhenko

Question 17

Because it included graphic sexual scenes, Little Vera was the most popular Soviet film in the U.S. since Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. Who directed it?

  • A
    Fyodor Bondarchuk
  • B
    Vasili Pichul
  • C
    Alexander Kott
  • D
    Aleksei Fedorchenko

Question 18

Directed by Aleksei German, this 2013 science fiction art film was set on another planet, in the city of Arkanar, amid a civilization that bears a striking resemblance to the Middle Ages on Earth. Name it.

  • A
    Hard to Be a God
  • B
    Khrustalyov, My Car
  • C
    Stalker
  • D
    Days of Eclipse

Question 19

Telling the epic tale of two friends from the outbreak of World War II to the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars, what Yugoslavian film won the 1995 Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or?

  • A
    Time of the Gypsies
  • B
    Life is a Miracle
  • C
    Underground
  • D
    On the Milky Road

Question 20

What film centers on the German Nazi occupation of Belarus, with events witnessed by a young Belorussian boy named Flyora who joins the resistance against his mother's wishes?

  • A
    Defiance
  • B
    The Cranes Are Flying
  • C
    Ivan's Childhood
  • D
    Come and See

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