About This Quiz
The 1960s marked an era of rapid cultural change unprecedented in American history. As the squeaky clean idealism and brave, new world optimism of Kennedy's Camelot gave way to the hard realities of political upheaval, war and racial strife, art responded to and reflected the times as never before. Just as the baby boomers were growing into young adulthood, the movies were growing up as well.
By the 1960s, film was at last becoming accepted as a legitimate art form as the French new wave became obsessed with deconstructing classic movies and inventing the language of film theory. By the decade's end, staid genres that were often dismissed as kiddie fare, like science fiction and horror, began to tackle adult issues and philosophical themes as films like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Rosemary's Baby" became box-office hits. Even the tried and true all American Western became a vehicle for social commentary with films like "The Wild Bunch" and "A Fistful of Dollars" that abandoned the white-hatted good guys of the past for morally ambiguous antiheroes.
So, if you were at Woodstock (or just wish you'd been there), this quiz is definitely your bag. Although it's been said that if you can remember the '60s, you weren't there, this is our challenge to all you flower children young and old alike: Can you ID these '60s movies?
"West Side Story" is a 1961 musical based loosely on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Set in Cuban Harlem, the film is set against a backdrop of a conflict between rival gangs — the Sharks and the Jets. To this day, it holds the record for the musical film with the most Academy Award wins.
With a screenplay by "Twilight Zone" scribe Rod Serling and Michael Wilson, groundbreaking makeup from John Chambers and an iconic performance from Charlton Heston, "Planet of the Apes" is one of the most powerful sci-fi films ever. With endless sequels, remakes and parodies, it's pop culture gold.
1969's "Easy Rider" directed by and co-starring Dennis Hopper, is the story of two bikers in pursuit of an alternative American dream. A landmark of independent cinema, its soundtrack features the iconic Steppenwolf tune "Born To Be Wild" as well as tracks by Jimi Hendrix and the Byrds.
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Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" is a romanticized and incredibly violent cinematic retelling of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow's infamous 1930s crime spree. Starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as the infamous gangster duo, the film was considered revolutionary in style upon its release.
Director Stanley Kubrick played Cold War paranoia for laughs in the 1964 black comedy "Dr. Strangelove." Starring Peter Sellers in multiple roles, including the titular Dr. Strangelove, the film is a biting satire of the early 1960s political climate outlining the absurdity of atomic warfare.
Loosely based on Daphne du Maurier's 1952 short story, nature goes berserk in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." Starring Tippi Hedren in her first film, "The Birds" is the tale of a bloody and unexplained avian onslaught on the citizens of Bodega Bay, California.
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Roger Vadim's sexy 1968 sci-fi cult favorite "Barbarella" stars Jane Fonda as the titular outer space heroine on a mission to find a mad scientist who's planning to destroy the human race. '80s new wave rockers Duran Duran took their name from the film's villain Dr. Durand Durand.
Based on the novel by Boris Pasternak, David Lean's 1965 epic "Dr. Zhivago" is a sweeping tale of love and loss set in the turbulent years of the First World War and the Russian Revolution. Omar Sharif stars as the titular Dr. Zhivago with Julie Christie as his forbidden love, Lara.
"Midnight Cowboy" starring John Voight and Dustin Hoffman is the oddly touching tale of a prostitute and a dying conman. Holding the distinction of being the only X-rated film to win an Oscar, the movie was a hit with both audiences and critics. Hoffman's famous "I'm walkin' here" was improvised.
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"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" directed by Stanley Kramer was one of the first films to address interracial marriage. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star as white, open-minded intellectuals who must face their own prejudice when their daughter brings home an African American man.
"2001: A Space Odyssey" directed by Stanley Kubrick from Arthur C. Clarke's story "The Sentinel" garnered its director an Academy Award for Best Special Effects. A psychedelic trip through human evolution and space travel, "2001" remains an unrivaled sci-fi masterpiece.
The animated 1968 feature "Yellow Submarine" marked the third time the Beatles hit the silver screen. Based on their 1966 song, "Yellow Submarine" finds John, Paul, George and Ringo on a musical mission to liberate Pepperland from the Blue Meanies.
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A dream project for its star, beloved Western actor John Wayne also directed and produced 1960's "The Alamo." Wayne portrays frontier hero Davy Crockett during the events of the 1836 siege of the Alamo Mission by Santa Anna. Richard Widmark co-stars as Jim Bowie in this historical epic.
1962's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" paired Hollywood titans Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne in the story of a morally upright lawyer who challenges an outlaw terrorizing a small Western town. Directed by legendary filmmaker John Ford, it is considered one of the greatest Westerns ever made.
George Romero's groundbreaking 1968 zombie opus "Night of the Living Dead" is a modern horror classic inspiring countless imitations and homages. However, it was itself inspired by writer Richard Matheson's 1954 novel "I Am Legend."
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A submarine crew of doctors and scientists is miniaturized and injected into the bloodstream of a scientist with a brain injury in this 1966 science fiction film. The tiny crew must fight antibodies, turbulent blood and a saboteur in their midst as they race the clock to save their patient.
Based on the novel by Ira Levin, "Rosemary's Baby" stars Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse, the young wife of a handsome actor, who is chosen to bear the child of the devil. Directed by Roman Polanski, "Rosemary's Baby" was a star-making vehicle for Farrow and earned actress Ruth Gordon an Oscar.
Mike Nichols' 1967 film, "The Graduate" stars Dustin Hoffman as an aimless college grad who's seduced by an older woman. The film's soundtrack features songs from the popular folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, including the hits "Mrs. Robinson" and "The Sound of Silence."
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Based on Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel, "Lolita" stars James Mason as Humbert Humbert, a middle-aged professor who develops an obsession with the teenaged Dolores Haze played by Sue Lyon. Director Stanley Kubrick faced considerable challenges because of the film's controversial subject matter.
"Camelot" is a 1967 adaptation of Lerner and Lowe's stage musical of the same name. Based on the Arthurian legends, the film stars Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave as Arthur and Guinevere. Despite being the 11th most popular film of 1967, "Camelot" was lambasted by critics and failed to turn a profit.
The creepy 1962 cult classic "Carnival of Souls" was shot in Lawrence, Kansas and Salt Lake City, Utah. Director Herk Harvey, inspired after driving past the desolate and abandoned Saltair Pavilion, took three weeks off from his job in industrial film to shoot this supernatural shocker.
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Don Knotts is a wannabe investigative journalist with a hot lead on a haunted house in "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." As bumbling typesetter-turned-reporter Luther Heggs, Knotts' exploits are met with frequent cheers of "Attaboy, Luther!" when his article is a hometown hit.
Roger Corman's "X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes" stars veteran actor Ray Milland as a scientist who develops eye drops that improve the range of human vision beyond the visible spectrum. Milland's vision is enhanced to the point that he sees beyond the edge of the universe, driving him to madness.
Using the crew from his TV show, Alfred Hitchcock changed the shape of horror cinema with this black-and-white classic based on Robert Bloch's novel. Best remembered for the 45 seconds of sheer terror that comprise its famous shower scene, "Psycho" set the tone for the next half-century of cinema.
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A young Kurt Russell stars in this 1969 family comedy from Walt Disney Productions. Russell plays college student Dexter Riley who gains incredible intellectual powers after being electrocuted while replacing a computer component. Thanks to his super-human IQ, Riley becomes a quiz show star.
Starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray, director Billy Wilder's 1960 satire "The Apartment" is a tale of ambition and infidelity in the big city. It swept the Academy Awards in 1960, garnering 5 Oscars including Best Picture.
French filmmaker François Truffaut directed this 1966 adaptation of Ray Bradbury's novel. In a future where individualism and independent thought are anathemas, books have become contraband and fireman are dispatched to torch them. Fireman Guy Montag rebels after meeting a free-spirited young woman.
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Blake Edwards' 1961 adaptation of Truman Capote's novella "Breakfast at Tiffany's" stars Audrey Hepburn in her most popular role. As country-girl-turned-society-lady, Holly Golightly, Hepburn established herself as a Hollywood icon with both style and substance.
Laurence Harvey is a Korean War soldier brainwashed into being an assassin in this taught espionage thriller. Directed by John Frankenheimer, crooner Frank Sinatra co-stars as Harvey's former commanding officer. It was remade in 2004 with Liev Schreiber and Denzel Washington.
"Tales of Terror" is the fourth of eight Edgar Allan Poe films directed by Roger Corman for American International Pictures. An anthology, the film collects three Poe stories: "Morella," "The Black Cat" and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar."
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Controversial for its use of violence, Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" is a bloody retort to the sanitized, morally absolute Hollywood Westerns that preceded it. Considered revolutionary for its stylized editing and cinematography, "The Wild Bunch" is among the most influential films ever made.
"A Fistful of Dollars," directed by Sergio Leone, was Clint Eastwood's first starring role. Shot in Italy, the film launched the so-called Spaghetti Western genre into worldwide popularity. Although "A Fistful of Dollars" was released in Italy in 1964, it didn't reach the States until 1967.
Based on Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel, "The Haunting of Hill House," Robert Wise's "The Haunting" is a subtle and terrifying take on its source material. Julie Harris stars as Eleanor, a sensitive young woman invited to take part in the paranormal investigation of an allegedly haunted house.
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Antonioni's thriller about a swinging '60s photographer who inadvertently captures a murder on film features a rare glimpse of The Yardbirds with both Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Antonioni's only English language picture, "Blow-Up" is a veritable time capsule of the British mod subculture.
"Beach Party" was the first in AIP's wildly popular series of teen surf movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. Horror legend Vincent Price, star of AIP's Edgar Allan Poe films, has a memorable cameo performance as the mysterious surf guru Big Daddy.
"Dr. No," released in 1962, is the first film in the long-running James Bond film series. Starring Sean Connery in his first outing as the suave 007, "Dr. No" finds Bond battling a metal-handed madman bent on sabotaging a space launch.
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Federico Fellini's 1963 masterpiece 8½ stars Marcello Mastroianni as a famous film director struggling with a creative block. Walking a line between autobiography and absurdist comedy-drama, 8½ examines the search for happiness within the artistic life.
A cornerstone of the British folk horror subgenre, "The Conqueror Worm" (titled "Witchfinder General" in England), stars Vincent Price as legendary witch hunter Matthew Hopkins. Price, best known for his arch and broadly villainous roles, tackles his part with a sense of genuine sadism and menace.
"Peeping Tom" is the story of Mark Lewis, a voyeuristic murderer who kills with a camera tripod. Emotionally damaged by his father who used him in psychological experiments, Mark films the last moments of his victims. Dismissed by critics on its release, the film is now considered a horror classic.
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Based on Maria von Trapp's book "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers," "The Sound of Music" is a 1965 musical directed by Robert Wise. Adapted from the stage play by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the film follows the trials and triumphs of the Trapps as they escape Austria during World War II.