Philosophy And Existential Angst: How Well Do You Know Eastern European Films?
Written by Vasilii Kulev
Last updated · 5 min play time
Eastern European cinema can be an enigma — many filmmakers that emerged from the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc never quite achieved success in the West. Still, their works are often regarded as some of the finest works of cinema ever made. How much do you know about them? Find out with our quiz!
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!
Quiz written by
Vasilii KulevVasilii 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?
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AThe Devil's Advocate
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BRosemary's Baby
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CThe Tenant
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DBrotherhood of Blood
<i>Rosemary's Baby</i>
<i>Rosemary's Baby</i> depicts a young pregnant woman in Manhattan who suspects her neighbors are members of a Satanic cult training her in order to utilize her baby in their rituals. The film, which received many nominations and awards, explores themes of paranoia, feminism, and Christianity.
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?
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AThe Maids of Wilko
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BAshes and Diamonds
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CThe Promised Land
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DThe Birch Wood
<i>The Promised Land</i>
Directed by Andrzej Wajda, <i>The Promised Land</i> was released in 1975, and it depicts a terrible portrait of the city, complete with filthy and hazardous industries and extravagantly rich homes devoid of taste and culture.
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?
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AAudrey Tautou
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BJuliette Binoche
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CEva Green
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DJulie Delpy
Juliette Binoche
<i>Three Colours: Blue</i> is the first of three films that make up the <i>Three Colours</i> trilogy, all of which are based on the French Revolutionary values. The film is set in Paris, and follows a woman, portrayed by Juliette Binoche, who loses her husband and kids in a car crash.
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.
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AA Sixth Part of the World
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BCosmic Voyage
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CEnthusiasm
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DMan with a Movie Camera
<i>Man with a Movie Camera</i>
<i>Man with a Movie Camera</i> is a 1929 Ukrainian film directed by Dziga Vertov. When the film was first released, it was widely rejected, as the work's rapid editing and focus on form over substance were all criticized. However, in the 2012 survey conducted by the British Film Institute, it was crowned the greatest documentary of all time.
Question 5
Following two young girls as they engage in bizarre pranks, what 1966 film from Czechoslovakia was directed by Vera Chytilova?
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AClosely Watched Trains
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BPearls of the Deep
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CDaisies
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DThe Jester and the Queen
<i>Daisies</i>
Initially conceived as a parody on bourgeois decadence, <i>Daisies</i> is meant to speak to people who doggedly adhere to norms. It was described by the director, Chytilova, as a "necrologue about a bad way of life."
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?
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AMilos Forman
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BRoman Polanski
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CIstvan Szabo
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DBela Tarr
Milos Forman
Milos Froman directed <i>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</i> in 1975. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a prisoner in a mental hospital. After <i>It Happened One Night</i>, the film was the second to win five Academy Awards (Best Picture, Actor in Lead Role, Actress in Lead Role, Director, and Screenplay). This remarkable feat not duplicated until 1991's <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i>.
Question 7
Directed by Andrey Zvyginastev in 2014, which film from Russia does an excellent job of portraying contemporary Russian sociopolitical problems?
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ALeviathan
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BLoveless
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CElena
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DThe Return
<i>Leviathan</i>
<i>Leviathan</i> is set in the fictitious village of Pribrezhny, and it chronicles the terrible circumstances that impact Kolya, a brash auto mechanic, his wife Lilya, and their adolescent son Roma. Kolya's property is being expropriated by the town's corrupt mayor, Vadim.
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?
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A4 hours
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B10 hours
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C2 hours and 20 minutes
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D7 hours and 30 minutes
7 hours and 30 minutes
<i>Satantango</i> lasts more than seven hours, or more precisely for 7 hours and 30 minutes. It's based on Laszlo Kraszanhorkai's 1985 book of the same name. Bela Tarr wanted to create the film in 1985 but was unable to do so because of Hungary's harsh political climate.
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?
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A1988
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B1976
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C2005
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D1962
1976
<i>Fate's Irony</i>, directed by Eldar Ryazanov, was released in 1976 and is based on the director's play <i>Once Every New Year</i>. The film perfectly encapsulates life's unpredictability and the notion that small actions can change our entire lives.
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?
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AJan Nemec
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BJiri Menzel
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CJan Svankmajer
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DJaromil Jires
Jan Svankmajer
<i>Alice</i> was directed in 1988 by Jan Svankmajer, a Czech director known for his short films. The film is a hybrid of live-action and stop motion animation, with a dark and austere production design. The director's goal was to turn the <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> story into an immoral dream.
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.
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AMiklos Jancso
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BZoltan Fabri
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CIstvan Szabo
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DMarta Meszaros
Istvan Szabo
<i>Mephisto</i>, directed by Istvan Szabo in 1981, was the first Hungarian film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Kalus Maria Brandauer starts in the film, with Krystyna Janda and Ildiko Bansagi in supporting roles.
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?
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AAndrey Konchalovskiy
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BSergey Bondarchuk
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CNikita Mikhalkov
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DAndrey Tarkovsky
Andrey Tarkovsky
<i>Mirror</i> is a 1975 film directed by Andrey Tarkovsky. The film weaves together current events with flashbacks to childhood, dreams, and newsreel footage. The film's cinematography alternates between color, black-and-white and sepia tones.
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?
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ADziga Vertov
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BAndrey Konchalovskiy
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CSergei Eisenstein
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DAndrei Tarkovsky
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein was a Russian director and film theorist, credited with pioneering the theory and practice of montage. He is best known for his silent films such as <i>Battleship Potemkin</i> and <i>October</i>.
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?
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ASergey Urusevsky
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BAlekey Balatov
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CVasili Merkuryev
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DMikhail Kalatozov
Mikhail Kalatozov
<i>The Cranes are Flying</i> was directed by Georgian-born Soviet filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov, and it portrays the atrocities of war and the psychological harm inflicted on the Soviet mind as a consequence of the conflict. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, the only Soviet film to ever win that award.
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?
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AKrzysztof Kieślowski
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BRoman Polanski
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CPawel Pawilkowski
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DAndrzej Wajda
Pawel Pawilkowski
<i>Cold War</i> was directed by Pawel Pawlikowski in 2018 and based on his parents' life. The film's performances, script, directing, and cinematography were all lauded by critics. The film won numerous honors and awards, including three nominations at the 91st Academy Awards.
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?
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AMark Donskoy
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BSergei Bondarchuk
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CMikhail Kozakov
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DAlexander Dovzhenko
Sergei Bondarchuk
Sergei Bondarchuk is best known for his sweeping historical plays, which include the critically praised four-part version of Leo Tolstoy's <i>War and Peace</i>. This film earned him both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film.
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?
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AFyodor Bondarchuk
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BVasili Pichul
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CAlexander Kott
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DAleksei Fedorchenko
Vasili Pichul
<i>Little Vera</i> was directed by Vasili Pichul in 1988. The film's protagonist and namesake is an adolescent girl who, having just graduated from high school, feels imprisoned in her rural village.
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.
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AHard to Be a God
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BKhrustalyov, My Car
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CStalker
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DDays of Eclipse
<i>Hard to Be a God</i>
<i>Hard to be a God</i> received mixed reviews in Russia, but was loved in the U.S. Peter Bradshaw from <i>The Guardian</i> awarded the film five stars, describing it as "awe-inspiring in its own monumentally insane manner" and "beautiful, clever and strange."
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?
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ATime of the Gypsies
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BLife is a Miracle
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CUnderground
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DOn the Milky Road
<i>Underground</i>
<i>Underground</i> is an Emir Kusturica film released in 1995 and was a collaboration of Yugoslavia, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. With that many countries involved, no wonder the film won so many awards, including the Palme d'Or.
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?
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ADefiance
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BThe Cranes Are Flying
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CIvan's Childhood
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DCome and See
<i>Come and See</i>
<i>Come and See</i> is a 1985 Soviet anti-war film directed by Elem Klimov and Aleksei Kravchenko. The directors of this film fought against eight years of censorship by Soviet officials before they could create the full film. It combines hyper-realism with underlying surrealism and apocalyptic existentialism. Fun!
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