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Quiz about Great French Directors
Quiz about Great French Directors

Great French Directors Trivia Quiz


This quiz takes a look at a few of my favourite French directors, dating mainly from 1960 onwards, although there are a couple whose work precedes that date.

A multiple-choice quiz by Coriolanus. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Coriolanus
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
361,242
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
431
Last 3 plays: Guest 31 (4/10), ankitankurddit (2/10), Guest 136 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Which director, a leading light of the Nouvelle vague (New Wave), directed 27 feature films, beginning with "The 400 Blows", and ending with "Vivement Dimanche" just before his untimely death in 1986? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Another of my favourites is Louis Malle, who began his career as a documentarist before moving on to direct a number of popular - and sometimes controversial - feature films. Which of the following films did he not direct? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Two of my favourite musicals are "The Young Girls Of Rochefort" and the heartbreaking "Umbrellas Of Cherbourg".
Who wrote and directed these beautiful musicals, both of which starred the glorious Catherine Deneuve?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Which classic gangster film, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, starred Alain Delon as a contract killer seeking revenge on the man who hired and then betrayed him? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which film, directed by Francois Truffaut and starring Jean-Pierre Leaud, is the final feature film of the Antoine Doinel series? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. "Les Enfants du Paradis" was voted by the French Film Academy as the greatest French film of all time. Who directed this timeless masterpiece? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which writer/director created the character of Monsieur Hulot? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Rene Clement was a leading director whose career spanned five decades. Which of the following films was not one of his? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Who was the prolific New Wave director whose first feature film was "Le Beau Serge"? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Here's a tough one to finish. Like many European directors during World War II, the great Jean Renoir moved to America for the duration of the war and made several films. Which of the following did he not direct? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 31: 4/10
Mar 10 2024 : ankitankurddit: 2/10
Feb 27 2024 : Guest 136: 6/10
Feb 18 2024 : Guest 109: 5/10
Feb 05 2024 : Guest 24: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which director, a leading light of the Nouvelle vague (New Wave), directed 27 feature films, beginning with "The 400 Blows", and ending with "Vivement Dimanche" just before his untimely death in 1986?

Answer: Francois Truffaut

"The 400 Blows" was a sensation when it was first released, breaking new ground cinematically and winning international praise and awards.
Truffaut went on to direct a number of films which today are recognized among the great classics of French Cinema, including "Tirez Sur Le Pianiste", "Jules et Jim", "La Nuit Americaine" and "Le Dernier Metro".
2. Another of my favourites is Louis Malle, who began his career as a documentarist before moving on to direct a number of popular - and sometimes controversial - feature films. Which of the following films did he not direct?

Answer: Ma Nuit Chez Maude (My Night At Maude's)

Louis Malle worked not only in France but also in America. His best known English language films are "Pretty Baby", which caused considerable controversy for its story line about a young girl growing up in a New Orleans brothel and being groomed for stardom, and "Atlantic City", which starred Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon.
"Le Souffle Au Coeur" was also controversial for dealing with the topic of incest.
"My Night At Maude's" was directed by Eric Rohmer.
3. Two of my favourite musicals are "The Young Girls Of Rochefort" and the heartbreaking "Umbrellas Of Cherbourg". Who wrote and directed these beautiful musicals, both of which starred the glorious Catherine Deneuve?

Answer: Jacques Demy

Jacques Demy was not a prolific director. His first feature film was "Lola", made as a homage to the great Hollywood musicals, as was "Les Demoiselles de Rochefort". Today he's best remembered for those, as well as the beautiful "Parapluies de Cherbourg".
His collaborator on these films was composer Michel Legrand.
Demy was married to director Agnes Varda, herself a leading light of the New Wave.
4. Which classic gangster film, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, starred Alain Delon as a contract killer seeking revenge on the man who hired and then betrayed him?

Answer: Le Samourai

"Le Samourai" was inspired by the 1942 film "This Gun For Hire", which was directed by Frank Tuttle and starred Alan Ladd as the hit man.
"Le Doulos" starred Jean-Paul Belmondo as an informer.
"Le Cercle Rouge" was a heist film which starred Delon, Yves Montand and Gian Maria Volonte.
"L'armee des Ombres" ("Army Of Shadows") was a film about the World War II French Resistance, and starred Paul Meurisse, Lino Ventura and Simone Signoret.
All four films were directed by Melville.
5. Which film, directed by Francois Truffaut and starring Jean-Pierre Leaud, is the final feature film of the Antoine Doinel series?

Answer: L'amour En Fuite

The Antoine Doinel series of films by Francois Truffaut began with "The 400 Blows". There were five films in the series, although the second, "Antoine Et Collette", was not a feature film but a segment of a compendium film called "Love At 20".
The other three in order were "Baisers Voles" ("Stolen Kisses"), "Domicile Conjugal" ("Bed and Board") and "L'amour En Fuite" ("Love On The Run").
All of the films starred Jean-Pierre Leaud as Antoine Doinel.
6. "Les Enfants du Paradis" was voted by the French Film Academy as the greatest French film of all time. Who directed this timeless masterpiece?

Answer: Marcel Carne

Directed by Marcel Carne, and starring Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Marcel Herrand, Pierre Renoir and Maria Casares, "Les Enfants du Paradis" ("Children Of Paradise") is set in the theatrical world of 19th Century Paris.
It was made under appalling conditions during the Nazi occupation of France, but you'd never know it.
The screenplay was by Carne's long time collaborator Jacques Prevert.
Marcel Carne was one of the key figures in the poetic realism movement. Apart from "Les Enfants du Paradis" he is best known for "Les Visiteurs du Soir", "Le Jour Se Leve" and "Le Quai des Brumes".
7. Which writer/director created the character of Monsieur Hulot?

Answer: Jacques Tati

M. Hulot made his first appearance in the charming "M. Hulot's Holiday", and also featured in "Mon Oncle", "Playtime" and Traffic".
Tati was a perfectionist, and spent considerable time over each of his films - years in some cases - which probably explains why he completed only five feature films during his career. His debut feature was "Jour de Fete", which did not feature M. Hulot.
8. Rene Clement was a leading director whose career spanned five decades. Which of the following films was not one of his?

Answer: La Peau Douce

"La Bataille du Rail", "Jeux Interdits" and "Is Paris Burning?" were all set during World War II. "La Bataille du Rail" was about a Resistance unit of railway workers. The beautiful and heartbreaking "Jeux Interdits" ("Forbidden Games") told how two young children dealt with the horror and loss of war by making an animal cemetery.

It featured remarkable performances from a very young Georges Poujouly and Brigitte Fossey. "Is Paris Burning?" was an international co-production about the liberation of Paris, and featured a huge international cast. "La Peau Douce" was directed by Francois Truffaut.
9. Who was the prolific New Wave director whose first feature film was "Le Beau Serge"?

Answer: Claude Chabrol

Claude Chabrol is credited with starting the French New Wave.
He made 57 films, beginning in 1958 with "Le Beau Serge" and worked right up to his death in 2010.
He was a master of the mystery genre and is often referred to as 'The French Hitchcock'.
His films include "Le Boucher", "Les Noces Rouges", "Juste Avant la Nuit", "Que La Bete Meure" and "Le Cri du Hibou".
He was married at one time to the actress Stephane Audran.
10. Here's a tough one to finish. Like many European directors during World War II, the great Jean Renoir moved to America for the duration of the war and made several films. Which of the following did he not direct?

Answer: Caught

While they don't achieve the level of greatness of films such as "La Regle Du Jeu" and "La Grande Illusion", nevertheless Renoir's American films stand up well today, and are worth seeing. The first was "Swamp Water" (1941) which starred Walter Brennan, Walter Huston, Dana Andrews and Anne Baxter.
"The Southerner" (1945) starred Zachary Scott, Betty Field, J. Carroll Naish and Beulah Bondi.
"The Woman On The Beach" (1947) is a film noir starring Joan Bennett, Robert Ryan and Charles Bickford.
"Caught" is a very good thriller directed by Max Ophuls. It starred James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Ryan.
Source: Author Coriolanus

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
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