I’m a big tennis fan so have been loving the French Open, which seems to have more storylines than ever. My post on Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s rivalry got me thinking about what examples there are in films. Below is a mixture of friends, families, industry competitors, students and athletes fighting for a myriad of reasons. Do you have a favourite? How many can you work out?
1. (1950s)
2. (1960s)
3. (1980s)
4. (1980s)
5. (1980s)
6. (1980s)
7. (1990s)
8. (1990s)
9. (1990s)
10. (2000s)
11. (2000s)
12. (2000s)
13. (2010+)
14. (2010+)
15. (2010+)
Answers below
1. East of Eden (1955)
2. West Side Story (1961)
3. The Karate Kid (1984) – August
4. Amadeus (1984) – September
5. Rocky IV (1985)
6. Top Gun (1986)
7. White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
8. Legends of the Fall (1994)
9. Prefontaine (1997)
10. Zoolander (2001)
11. Mean Girls (2004)
12. The Prestige (2006)
13. Black Swan (2010)
14. Thor (2011)
15. Rush (2013)
Alex Raphael 
13 out of 15. I didn’t know Legends of the Fal, and I thought Rush was called Race. I know its a cheesy pick, but my favorite out of the films you have listed is “The Karate Kid.”
Nah, it’s an 80s classic. Great score. I really enjoyed Rush. I hope it’s commercial success inspires Hollywood to do more. There is a the Battle of the Sexes to look forward to. And an extra well done for getting Prefontaine.
Thank you.
121/15 – missed east of eden, zoolander and mean girls! great idea for a quiz as always alex!
Shame what happened to Lindsay Lohan. Mean Girls was a fun film. Great stuff on your scoring. Impressed you got Prefontaine. A superb sports film and one of my favourites, though don’t think it’s too well known.
I saw without limits and have been meaning to watch prefontaine for quite a while
I look forward to your take on it.
One day!
7 🙂
Not too bad. There was a real mix between daft, light-hearted, intense, tragic and inspirational.
I got 5 1/2 – The half was because I didn’t know which Rocky 🙂
Yeah air cons be confusing. Rocky is the original fight. The second is the rematch. The third is when he fights Mr T. The fourth is when it’s USA v the Soviet Union and the fifth is best ignored.
Heck yeah! Rocky is the only one anyone needs to know! Man I love those movies ❤️
I’ve tried ranking them but the order always changes haha.
10 out of 15. Happy Thursday. Great quiz
That might be your best work. Well done Tosha. Have a glass of champagne. Or seeing as it’s super early you might want an orange juice instead.
Thanks, only if you’re buying and it’s by the bottle. Cheers.
Deal!
12! Prestige is definitely one of my favourites.
For me too. An astonishing film.
13/15 I haven’t seen Mean Girls or Rush – what a really fabulous collection of films. I loved Prestige!
A brilliant score. And a thumbs up to you too for your love of the Christopher Nolan classic. You might recognise it here 😊https://alexraphael.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/film-quizzes-my-favourite-film-part-1/
10 out of 15! 🙂
Great stuff Kim!
10 out of 15 but I haven’t seen the other 5 🙂
Solid stuff. Do love that photo.
13/15. Missed East of Eden and Prefontaine. Makes sense since I’ve never seen either.
Superb score. I’ve read East of Eden and seen the film. Steinbeck was so gifted. I hope you get to see Prefontaine some day.
I knew about half, mean girls and black swan are my favs
Nice choices. I wish there were more film like Mean Girls.
11. And lovely to see The Prestige and Black Swan here both in my top 5
The Prestige really is an incredible film. So much love for it. Nice to see Black Swan getting so much attention here too.
Rivals always make for compelling stories. There’s something extremely relatable within them.
The first ones that came to mind were Rush, Top Gun, Amadeus and Prefontaine. But so many more seemed so obvious when I started thinking more about it. It was pretty straightforward to get a good mix between them.
Amadeus and Prefontaine are being added to my list. Both look extremely watchable and intriguing.
13/15. I figured East of Eden or Giant but didn’t commit so no point there and I couldn’t name Prefontaine. Is that about Bruce Jenner? Or a marathon runner who lived a short life? Anyway, great post. 🙂
Very strong score Lloyd. I enjoyed both East of Eden and Giant. Is there a worse mother than Cathy? (shivers). I loved Prefontaine. More than any other film that first comes to mind, I really felt I was in the mind of an athlete. I really do recommend it.
Will have to check them out.
I did poorly on this quiz. I am a classic film buff so I’m disappointed in myself. Had fun though 🙂
There are some real gems on this list. I hope you get to see some of them 🙂
I have seen some, Rebel is a favorite…🌞
Which number?
I thought #1 was Rebel. Without a Cause..but no, it’s East of Eden. I like that too.
I liked all of James Dean’s films. Such a talent.
He really was…I also loved Amadeus. It’s hard to imagine Tom Hulce as Pinto in Animal House.
https://alexraphael.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/lines-of-the-day-amadeus/
An archaic and saucy…a brilliant combination.
I really like many of these movies, Alex! I missed #s 5, 9, and 13. Probable brain freeze from eating ice cream. . . 🍦😊
Still a really good score. I really like Prefontaine if you get the chance.
I know my running brother recommended this! I still haven’t seen it, believe it or not.
You’ll love it!
I remember the name and ads, just must have had other choices at the time it came out. . . (excuses, excuses!)
One last bit of persuasion 🙂
https://alexraphael.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/lines-of-the-day-prefontaine/
80’s classics indeed! Rocky, KK, Top Gun… for whatever reason I tend to thing about Director John Avildsen’s movies, Rocky 1 and Karate Kid, both with small budget and at that time unknown actors/actresses and yet both made a huge success worldwide. So, if it was not for the huge budget nor for the popularity of the actors the last reason given to their success, relies on the storyline and the directors talent. For my surprise even today, 30 years later, fans – and news fans not born in 1984 – are still visiting the filming sties of Karate Kid in San Fernando Valley… that shows how the audience enjoyed the movie. I actually found articles showing how the filming sites were in 1984 and now (not a lot of change though, since John used real life scenarios).
There’s a show called The Goldbergs that I think you’d love. It is set in the 80s, with a voiceover that looks back. Its characters and storylines are inspired by Rocky, Ferris, Maverick and co.
1 and 8 wrong, I need to start to watch more classic cinema I think
Very good score. And you got some tough ones. I didn’t think many would get Prefontaine.
I remember watching it on a late night movie channel when I was away for work. I though wow Jared Leto looks funny with a moustache
Yeah I’m struggling to think of a film that better captures the mind of an athlete. I’ve seen him in a few things. He was great in My So-Called Life too.