Best biography movie questions of all time

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Blow picture

Question: Considering how small her role was (in relation to the film's running time), why did Penelope Cruz earn second billing behind Johnny Depp?

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: A star's screen time does not equate to what position they are billed at on a film. It generally relates to the selling power of their name. The film's main star would obviously be Depp. Cruz however would still be higher than people like Liotta, Reubens, etc. as her name is more known. It also helps with selling the film to audiences than just a one actor film.

Lummie

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A Beautiful Mind picture

Question: What is written on the rear window in a foreign language?

Answer: You do not specify to which scene you are referring. The only window I recall with writing on it would be the window in Nash's room. John had covered this window in mathematical equations, theorems and geometric patterns. While most of the symbols used are Greek in origin, the language is simply that of mathematics.

Michael Albert

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Cadillac Records picture

Question: Did Little Walter really shoot a person who was posing as him, as portrayed in the movie?

Answer: From what I have read, this is total fiction, apparently to show his real-life alcoholism and short temper.

raywest

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Girl with a Pearl Earring picture

Question: Does Greit say yes when Peiter asks her to marry him? I couldn't work this out.

Answer: Obviously, since she married him in the end.

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Into the Wild picture

Question: Alexander shoots the moose with a rather rapid fire action: it sounds as if the rifle is semi-automatic. What was the true story, and why did Alexander specifically ask for a a cal .22 rifle? Was it because he planned to hunt small game, and knew that a heavier rifle/calibre would be unsuitable? To plan for moose hunting, he would choose something like cal.308.

Answer: Having read Krakauers book: The rifle was a .22 Remington scoped semiautomatic. Accounts at the time mention that this may not have been the best choice, and it is clear that McCandless did not have enough experience to live in the wild, although it is impressing enough that he managed to survive for 16 weeks.

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Geronimo picture

Question: When the jug was hit, how did the bullet not hit the horse behind it?

Answer: In reality, the bullet probably would have hit the horse, injuring it. Movies tend to gloss over details like that to serve and simplify the plot. Older movies particularly fudged reality, assuming audiences would not notice or care. It is also possible that the bullet was somehow deflected or broke up upon impact.

raywest

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Lone Survivor picture

Question: What did they mean in their meeting about no medicine on the mission?

Answer: The exact quote was "there's no medicine in a gunfight," meaning the SEALs couldn't just stop shooting at the enemy to help another SEAL who was injured. They're speaking more broadly of the "Self-aid" concept, where each person needs to look out for himself until someone else can come provide medical assistance.

Excellent answer.

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Chosen answer: Michael Douglas was not playing the piano himself. Special effects were used to digitally graft Douglas' head onto the body of Philip Fortenberry, a Julliard-trained pianist who also once played at the now-closed Liberace Museum in Las Vegas.

raywest

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Mask picture

Question: How did Rocky die? Was it because of his condition?

Answer: His official cause of death was listed as "sudden arrhythmic death syndrome," which is basically just when someone dies unexpectedly, usually during sleep. It's widely believed that it was caused by his disorder, as his disorder often causes early death, but to my knowledge it was never definitively proven.

TedStixon

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First Man picture

Question: A lot of fuss was made over the omission of the lunar flag planting in this movie. However, when I saw the movie in the theater, I distinctly remember seeing the flag on the moon, just not the actual planting. However, that particular shot seems to be missing in the home video release. Does anyone know the reason for this?

Answer: The home release includes a clear shot of the lunar lander with the American flag next to it.

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Foxcatcher picture

Question: Dave Schultz trained Kurt Angle. Did Kurt (or at least someone playing him) appear in the film?

Answer: No actor is credited for the role of Kurt Angle, and there are no overt references to him in the film.

BaconIsMyBFF

Thank you.

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Private Parts picture

Question: Did that woman really manage to put that huge sausage down her throat or was it really good cgi?

Answer: She actually can do it, and became somewhat famous for it. She was on the Howard Stern radio show, and WOR-TV show several times.

wizard_of_gore

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12 Years a Slave picture

Question: In one of the very first scenes set in one of the plantation slave huts, Solomon is struggling to sleep. He is sleeping on the floor squashed amongst many other slaves. During this scene, what looks like a white youngish woman encourages him to touch her. A little earlier we see her sitting on the porch of the slave hut eating alone whilst the slaves are eating. As far as I could tell, she doesn't appear again in the film. Who is she? Does she play a greater role in the book? Was there more of a story here that ended up on the cutting room floor?

Answer: It was a fellow slave. As to whether or not she has a greater role in the book I can't say, but I interpreted the scene to demonstrate how far removed from his former life Solomon had fallen; rutting on the floor in front of everyone else like an animal.

Phixius

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Man on the Moon picture

Question: What is the meaning of bit at the end of the movie, the big guy with the sunglasses? It shows Andy's 'sidekick' and the guy on stage, who was in the suit entertaining the crowd?

Answer: We're supposed to wonder if Andy didn't really fake his own death.

Xofer

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Ted Bundy picture

Question: How did Ted Bundy manage to fool law enforcement, and evade them for years before finally being arrested?

Answer: I don't think he fooled police. He was clever and able to commit murders without leaving enough evidence to directly tie him to the crime. Eventually there was enough physical as well as circumstantial and eye witness accounts to convict him. He evaded police for stretches of time by flying under the radar and carefully calculating his moves. Weird writing about this as he terrorized my city.

raywest

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King of Kings picture

Question: How did anyone ascertain that Orson Welles read the spoken narrative in this film and that it was written by Ray Bradbury? Similarly, how did they come to know that Agnes Moorhead coached Jeffrey Hunter with dialogue? None of these persons feature in the credits though things like the choreography for Salome's dance are printed.

Answer: In the introduction he wrote for Ray Harryhausen's book, 'Film Fantasy Scrapbook', Bradbury mentions writing Orson Welles' narration for 'King of Kings'. A number of online sources cite Agnes Moorehead as coaching Hunter on the post-filming dialogue. She had years of experience performing in radio drama and had a Master's degree in Public Speaking. She likely coached other actors. Not every person involved in a film's production is credited and a voice coach is not a particularly significant role, even for a notable actress. Bradbury was not the screenwriter and only wrote the narration. Scripts often have multiple writers (i.e. script doctors) who are uncredited. Welles demanded more money to allow his name be listed in the cast credits, so the studio left him uncredited. Even uncredited, his voice is quite recognizable.

raywest

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Marie Antoinette picture

Question: Why wasn't it acceptable for Marie to breastfeed her daughter?

Answer: It was typical for royalty and the aristocracy to remain extremely "hands off" regarding child rearing. Nannies, wet nurses, and tutors tended to all their offsprings' needs, and parents usually spent relatively little time with their children. It would be considered extremely odd for a queen to engage in something so personal and common as breastfeeding her child.

raywest

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Ed Wood picture

Question: Does anyone know why this is the only Tim Burton film for which Danny Elfman hasn't written the score? All I can think is that time-wise it might have clashed with Black Beauty, but I'd like to know a definite reason.

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: According to Tim Burton in an interview at the time, they were "taking a little vacation from each other", - he also said that he was not sure what the situation between them was, which certainly implied a falling out. Danny Elfman is a bit more open, describing what happened as "a family feud" - he says that after working on six films together in ten years, they had a bit of a creative fallout, which led to Howard Shore doing the music for Ed Wood. Afterwards, according to Elfman, they realised that they missed working together and went back to collaborating happily.

Tailkinker

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Valkyrie picture

Question: Why did all of the officers and high-ranking officials put out their cigarettes when Hitler's plane landed at the airfield?

Answer: Hitler was fanatically anti-tobacco: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/the-nazis-forgotten-anti-smoking-campaign/373766/.

Brian Katcher

Answer: They are supposed to stand at attention when he arrives and salute when he walks past them. It is considered bad form to salute the Führer (or any leader) with a cigarette in your mouth or hand.

lionhead

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Rush picture

Question: Why does James vomit before each race?

Answer: It's a case of bad nerves before a race and has developed into a habitual behavioral pattern.

raywest

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