Who directed the 1947 film noir Nightmare Alley?
Answer
Edmund Goulding
80 Film Noir Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Film noir trivia explores the shadowy crime dramas and psychological thrillers that defined a major style of mid-20th-century cinema. Expect questions about directors, actors, screenwriters, source novels, gangster characters and the morally complicated worlds of films such as Nightmare Alley, Gun Crazy, The Big Combo and Sweet Smell of Success.
The category rewards both broad film knowledge and attention to credits. You may need to identify the blacklisted writer credited as Millard Kaufman on Gun Crazy, the actor who played Sidney Falco or the subject taught by Edward G. Robinson's professor in The Woman in the Window. It suits classic-film clubs, cinema courses, pub quizzes and serious movie game nights.
What 1949 Max Ophuls noir is based on Elisabeth Sanxay Holding's novel The Blank Wall?
Answer
The Reckless Moment
Which blacklisted writer was credited as Millard Kaufman on Gun Crazy's screenplay?
Answer
Dalton Trumbo
Which actor plays gangster Mr. Brown in the 1955 noir The Big Combo?
Answer
Richard Conte
Which director made his feature-directing debut with They Live by Night?
Answer
Nicholas Ray
Which actor plays press agent Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success?
Answer
Tony Curtis
Which 1952 film noir has Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor on a train protecting a witness?
Answer
The Narrow Margin
Which 1951 film noir stars Robert Walker as Bruno Antony, who proposes a murder swap?
Answer
Strangers on a Train
Which 1950 noir has Richard Widmark as London hustler Harry Fabian?
Answer
Night and the City
Which French critic coined the term film noir in 1946?
Answer
Nino Frank
Which 1949 film noir stars Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell as fugitive lovers?
Answer
They Live by Night
Which 1950 film noir takes its title from a street in Hollywood?
Answer
Sunset Boulevard
Which 1947 film noir stars Tyrone Power as carnival con man Stanton Carlisle?
Answer
Nightmare Alley
Which noir term describes a seductive woman who leads men into danger?
Answer
femme fatale
What 1948 noir was credited to Alfred L. Werker after Anthony Mann directed scenes?
Answer
He Walked by Night
Who wrote the novel In a Lonely Place, adapted into the 1950 noir?
Answer
Dorothy B. Hughes
Which Ida Lupino film is often called the first American film noir directed by a woman?
Answer
The Hitch-Hiker
What 1949 Robert Wise film noir follows boxer Stoker Thompson?
Answer
The Set-Up
What columnist does Burt Lancaster play in Sweet Smell of Success?
Answer
J. J. Hunsecker
Who directed the 1953 film noir Pickup on South Street?
Answer
Samuel Fuller
Which cinematographer shot the 1955 film noir The Big Combo?
Answer
John Alton
What 1947 film noir stars Humphrey Bogart as escaped convict Vincent Parry?
Answer
Dark Passage
Who composed the famous theme for the 1944 noir Laura?
Answer
David Raksin
Which actress played Kathie Moffat in Out of the Past?
Answer
Jane Greer
What noir stars Humphrey Bogart as screenwriter Dixon Steele?
Answer
In a Lonely Place
Which novelist created private detective Philip Marlowe?
Answer
Raymond Chandler
Which actor plays Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly?
Answer
Ralph Meeker
Who directed the 1946 spy film noir Notorious?
Answer
Alfred Hitchcock
What 1950 film noir was based on W. R. Burnett's novel The Asphalt Jungle?
Answer
The Asphalt Jungle
Which actor played Jeff Bailey in Out of the Past?
Answer
Robert Mitchum
Who wrote the screenplay for the 1946 film noir The Blue Dahlia?
Answer
Raymond Chandler
What 1946 film noir stars Veronica Lake as Joyce Harwood?
Answer
The Blue Dahlia
Which actor played Al Roberts in the 1945 film noir Detour?
Answer
Tom Neal
Who directed the 1948 film noir The Naked City?
Answer
Jules Dassin
Which actor played Detective Dave Bannion in The Big Heat?
Answer
Glenn Ford
Who directed the 1953 film noir The Big Heat?
Answer
Fritz Lang
Which actor played Harry Lime in The Third Man?
Answer
Orson Welles
Who directed the 1958 film noir Touch of Evil?
Answer
Orson Welles
What is Walter Neff's job in Double Indemnity?
Answer
Insurance salesman
Who directed the 1950 film noir Sunset Boulevard?
Answer
Billy Wilder
In Sunset Boulevard, what is Joe Gillis's profession?
Answer
Screenwriter
Who directed the 1944 film noir Laura?
Answer
Otto Preminger
In the 1950 film 'D.O.A.', what is the occupation of the protagonist Frank Bigelow?
Answer
Notary public
Film Noir trivia — quick answers
What are good Film Noir trivia questions?
Good Film Noir questions focus on directors, actors, screenwriters, recurring themes, source material, production history and distinctive characters. Titles such as Nightmare Alley, Gun Crazy, The Big Combo and Sweet Smell of Success offer useful entry points for a detailed classic-cinema quiz.
How hard is Film Noir trivia?
Film Noir trivia is usually medium to difficult because many questions concern lesser-known credits, alternate titles and supporting performances. Viewers familiar with classic Hollywood will recognize some films, while cinephiles may have an advantage on writers, adaptations and directorial debuts.
Who directed the 1947 film Nightmare Alley?
Edmund Goulding directed the 1947 film noir Nightmare Alley. Tyrone Power stars as Stanton Carlisle, a carnival performer who becomes a successful mentalist before his ambition and manipulation lead to his downfall. The film was adapted from William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel.
Who plays Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success?
Tony Curtis plays Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success, a 1957 film directed by Alexander Mackendrick. Falco is a ruthless press agent trying to satisfy powerful newspaper columnist J. J. Hunsecker, played by Burt Lancaster. The film is known for its acidic dialogue and dark view of New York publicity culture.
What subject does Edward G. Robinson's professor teach in The Woman in the Window?
In The Woman in the Window, Edward G. Robinson plays Richard Wanley, a psychology professor. Directed by Fritz Lang and released in 1944, the film follows Wanley after he becomes involved with a mysterious woman and a deadly situation. It is a classic example of noir's focus on guilt, temptation and entrapment.