The 33rd National Board of Review Awards were announced on December 19, 1961.

Top Ten Films

1. Question 7
2. The Hustler
3. West Side Story
4. The Innocents
5. Hoodlum Priest
6. Summer and Smoke
7. The Young Doctors
8. Judgment at Nuremberg
9. One, Two, Three
10. Fanny

Top Foreign Films

1. The Bridge
2. La Dolce Vita
3. Two Women
4. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
5. A Summer to Remember

Winners

• Best Film: Question 7
• Best Foreign Film: The Bridge
• Best Actor: Albert Finney (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning)
• Best Actress: Geraldine Page (Summer and Smoke)
• Best Supporting Actor: Jackie Gleason (The Hustler)
• Best Supporting Actress: Ruby Dee (A Raisin in the Sun)
• Best Director: Jack Clayton (The Innocents)