#19: On the Waterfront (1954)
If you were wondering when Marlon Brando would make it on the list, here it is. The crime thriller On the Waterfront is here. Featuring Brando, Lee J. Cobb, and Karl Malden, it was based on a series of articles from the New York Sun. Made in 1954, it was a sensation for its fictionalized true-life story of New York racketeering and mafia life.
Elia Kazan’s film swept the Academy Awards that year, winning nine of its 13 nominations which included Best Motion Picture and Best Actor. Once again, this was one of the first films put into the National Film Registry and became a Broadway play in 1984.