Test Your Knowledge Of Brian De Palma And His Most Iconic Films With Our Quiz
Written by Vasilii Kulev
Last updated · 8 min play time
De Palma's work has always been defined by polished, sophisticated aesthetics. In fact, there are very few filmmakers who are as adept at using time-lapse and split-screen, much to the delight of his viewers. How well do you know his films? Embark on our quiz to find out!
Some people consider Brian de Palma a skilled imitator; others, an American cinema genius endowed with his own distinct style. The truth is, De Palma idolized Alfred Hitchcock. He is a member of the club of filmmakers who have often imitated the work of the master suspense director - or, in other words, brought it forward.
De Palma was a part of the inner circle of "New Hollywood," a creative and varied movement that arose at the end of the '60s and continued to upend the old studio structure throughout the next decade.
Along with Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas, De Palma was a daring and dynamic director who could experiment with his films but at the same time appeal to wider audiences.
How well do you know his films in the crime genre? Take our quiz to find out!
Quiz written by
Vasilii KulevVasilii Kulev is a digital marketing specialist during business hours and a trivia writer in his spare time. His areas of interest range from cars and music to science, history, and food. Whenever he's not busy writing quizzes, you can catch him at the local used records store or the newest craft beer bar. He also wrote this entire bio himself in third person.
Brian De Palma Films Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 109 Plays · No comments
Question 1
Casualties of War is yet another anti-war Brian de Palma film, loosely based on a 1969 essay by Daniel Lang in New Yorker magazine. Who portrays Private First Class Max Eriksson in the film?
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AGuy Ritchie
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BMichael J. Fox
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CSean Penn
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DDon Patrick Harvey
Michael J. Fox
<i>Casulties of War</i> is a 1989 film starring Michael J. Fox as Private First Class Max Eriksson, Sean Penn as Sergeant Tony Meserve, and Don Patrick Harvey as Corporal Thomas E. Clark. De Palma invited Steven Spielberg to a private screening of the film, and after the screening ended, Spielberg allegedly told a Columbia Pictures exec "You'll be thinking about this for a week."
Question 2
Starring Sissy Spacek as a timid sixteen-year-old who is often ridiculed and harassed in school, what Brian De Palma film is not about crime, but is still filled with blood?
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AA Nightmare on Elm Street
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BTamara
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CThe Exorcist
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DCarrie
<i>Carrie</i>
<i>Carrie</i> is a 1976 American film based on Stephen King's book of the same name. It was the first of more than 100 film and television adaptations of King's written novels, and was the first installment in the <i>Carrie</i> franchise.
Question 3
What classic Brian de Palma film follows Cuban exile Tony Montana as he lands destitute in 1980s Miami and rises to prominence as a drug lord?
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ABlow
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BSavages
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CSicario
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DScarface
Scarface
<i>Scarface</i> is a 1983 remake of a 1932 film of the same name, and it features a classic by Al Pacino. It also stars Steven Bauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. De Palma's adaptation was devoted to the film's original screenwriters, Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht.
Question 4
What famous director said that Blow Out is one of his all-time favorite films, and that after seeing Scarface he realized how to make his own film?
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ADon Mancini
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BRonny Yu
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CTerrence Malick
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DQuentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
De Palma has supported and nurtured the careers of filmmakers like Mark Romanek and Keith Gordon, with whom he worked twice as an actor. He also inspired many other filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino who claims that his favorite film is <i>Blow Out</i>.
Question 5
Which 2006 Brian De Palma film is an adaptation of a James Ellroy book inspired by the highly-publicized assassination of Elizabeth Short?
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AAmerican Tabloid
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BL.A. Confidential
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CThe Black Dahlia
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DWhite Jazz
<i>The Black Dahlia</i>
<i>The Black Dahlia</i> is a 2006 neo-noir film starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, and Mia Kirshner. It's an adaptation of James Ellroy's 1987 book of the same name. Although the film was a commercial disaster, it got nominated for Best Cinematography at the 79th Academy Awards.
Question 6
Carlito's Way chronicles the life of a Puerto Rican gangster who pledges to turn his life around and retire in paradise, but finds that life rarely goes according to plan. Who portrays Carlito's lawyer and best friend David?
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AAl Pacino
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BLuis Guzman
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CSean Penn
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DJohn Leguizamo
Sean Penn
Sean Penn portrays David Kleinfeld, Carlito's unscrupulous lawyer, and closest buddy. Sean Penn and Palma got together and analyzed the appearance of the 1970s mafia attorneys. They discovered that those lawyers were stranger than the drug lords they were representing. That's why Penn cut his frontal hairline - to appear weirder.
Question 7
In De Palma's Scarface, Frank Lopez's mistress Elvira later marries Tony Montana. What actress portrays Elvira in the movie?
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AMichelle Pfeiffer
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BJodie Foster
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CCameron Diaz
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DJulianne More
Michelle Pfeiffer
Elvira Hancock is a fictitious character played by Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1983 American crime thriller <i>Scarface</i>, a part which turned out to be the breakout role for Pfeiffer. In the film, Elvira is Frank Lopez's mistress; after his death she becomes Tony Montana's wife.
Question 8
For Brian De Palma's first chapter of the Mission: Impossible film series, what band released a dance version of the movie's original theme song?
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AColdplay
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BU2
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CSting
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DPretenders
U2
<i>Mission: Impossible</i> tells the story of Ethan Hunt, portrayed by Tom Cruise, and his quest to identify the mole responsible for the assassinations of the majority of his team. Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton of U2 created a dance version of the film's theme song, which became a worldwide hit.
Question 9
What De Palma film included many obvious references to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, including a guy dressed as a woman committing murders?
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ARear Window
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BDressed to Kill
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CPsycho 2
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DSe7en
<i>Dressed to Kill</i>
<i>Dressed to Kill</i> was released in 1980, and starred Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, and Keith Gordon. The film chronicles the circumstances leading up to the death of a New York City housewife, and then follows a prostitute who sees the crime. Can you say seedy?
Question 10
Femme Fatale was a box office failure in 2002, but has since developed a cult following. Where does the film's diamond heist take place?
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ACannes Film Festival
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BHollywood Bowl
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CA Bollywood Theater
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DThe Academy Awards
Cannes Film Festival
In the film, Laurie Ash is a mercenary burglar and a member of a gang committing a diamond robbery at the Cannes Film Festival. The diamonds are worn by a model escorting the real-life director Regis Wargnier to the premiere of his film.
Question 11
Body Double is an erotic noir thriller starring Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, and Deborah Shelton. De Palma dedicated the film to what famous director?
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AAndrey Tarkovsky
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BStanley Kubrick
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CAlfred Hitchcock
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DIngmar Bergman
Alfred Hitchcock
<i>Body Double</i> is a blatant tribute to Alfred Hitchock's 1950s films, particularly <i>Rear Window</i>, <i>Vertigo</i> and <i>Dial M for Murder</i>, borrowing story lines and motifs from the first two.
Question 12
The Fury is a supernatural thriller that Jean-Luc Godard himself praised, with a score written by what famous composer?
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ADanny Elfman
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BEnnio Morricone
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CHans Zimmer
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DJohn Williams
John Williams
<i>The Fury</i> is a 1978 film starring Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, and Amy Irving. John Williams' music was lauded by reviewer Pauline Kael, who described it as "appropriate and finely diversified a soundtrack as any horror film ever had."
Question 13
De Palma's directorial techniques often incorporate influences from other films or genres. He is considered to be a key figure in what film movement?
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AFree Cinema
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BGolden Age of Hollywood
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CNew Hollywood
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DBritish New Wave
New Hollywood
New Hollywood, also known as the American New Wave, is a period in American cinema that lasted from the mid '60s to the early '80s and saw the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers in the United States. In contemporary Hollywood films, the filmmaker, rather than the studio, assumed a significant authorial role.
Question 14
Brian de Palma not only directed some of the greatest films of the '80s, but also which music video for Bruce Springsteen?
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A"My Hometown"
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B"I'm on Fire"
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C"Tougher Than the Rest"
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D"Dancing in the Dark"
"Dancing in the Dark"
In "Dancing in the Dark," Springsteen included uptempo synthesizer chords into his style and the results were a unique and enduring song, which sold over a million copies in the U.S. Bruce leveled up his video game with this song, bringing on Brian De Palma to direct. The video also featured a yet undiscovered Courteney Cox.
Question 15
Brian De Palma wrote and directed Blow Out which starred John Travolta and Nancy Allen, and was advertised with which of the following taglines?
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A"Murder has a sound all of its own"
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B"In space no one can hear you scream"
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C"Check in. Unpack. Relax. Take A Shower"
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D"They're young...they're in love...and they kill people"
"Murder has a sound all of its own"
<i>Blow Out</i> is a 1981 neo-noir that tells the story of a film sound effects specialist, who accidentally records audio proof of a presidential candidate's murder while recording noises for a low-budget horror film. In advertising for the film, the cheesy slogan read "Murder has a sound all of its own."
Question 16
The story of Sisters centers on a French Canadian model whose twin is accused of being involved in a horrific murder, which is seen by a newspaper reporter. When was this De Palma film released?
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A1972
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B1969
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C1978
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D1981
1972
<i>Sisters</i> is a 1972 film directed by Brian De Palma starring Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, and Charles Durning. The film's script was inspired by the Soviet siamese twins Masha and Dasha. This is another of De Palma's films containing narrative and visual references to Hitchcock films.
Question 17
The Untouchables is yet another Brian De Palma film about Al Capone, but this time the protagonist is portrayed by De Niro. Who composed the Grammy-winning score to the film?
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ABernard Herrmann
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BJohn Williams
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CEnnio Morricone
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DMax Steiner
Ennio Morricone
<i>The Untouchables</i> was released in 1987 and starred Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, and Sean Connery. The film chronicles Costner's character as he created the Untouchables squad in order to bring Al Capone to justice. Ennio Morricone wrote the Grammy Award-nominated score, which includes music by Duke Ellington.
Question 18
Every budding Hollywood director dreams of reaching the level of success of Brian De Palma and taking home Academy Awards. How many Oscars has De Palma won for his work?
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ATwo
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BFive
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CZero
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DFour
Zero
Amazingly, as one of America's best genre directors, and the man behind many masterpieces, De Palma has never won an Academy Award. While <i>The Untouchables</i> was nominated for four awards, Brian de Palma himself has no Oscars to show for it.
Question 19
Obsession was released in 1975, and follows a New Orleans businessman who falls in love with a woman who has an uncanny resemblance to his deceased wife. What famous film critic wrote the script?
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AAaron Sorkin
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BRobert Towne
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CNora Ephron
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DPaul Schrader
Paul Schrader
<i>Obsession</i> was directed by Brian De Palma and written by Paul Schrader. The tale follows a New Orleans businessman who is plagued by guilt after his wife and children were killed during a botched kidnapping rescue operation. His life turns upside down again when he meets a young woman who resemblances his late wife.
Question 20
What classic Brian De Palma film is a fictionalized account of the 2006 Mahmudiyah murders in Iraq?
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AGreen Zone
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BThe Hurt Locker
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CRedacted
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DIn the Valley of Elah
<i>Redacted</i>
<i>Redacted</i> is an American military film directed by Brian De Palma, and is a fictionalized account of the 2006 Mahmudiyah murders in Iraq, in which US Amy troops raped and killed an Iraqi girl and her family. The film won the Silver Lion at the 2007 Venice Film Festival.
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