GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #221 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View A Streetcar Named Desire film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

A fragile woman moves into her sister’s New Orleans home and clashes with her forceful brother-in-law.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Blanche DuBois arrives at the cramped New Orleans apartment shared by her sister Stella and Stella's husband Stanley Kowalski. Blanche's cultivated stories and nervous fragility collide with Stanley's suspicion, physical authority, and determination to uncover her past.

Why it belongs

Elia Kazan transforms one apartment into a pressure chamber where Leigh and Brando embody incompatible forms of desire, class, performance, and power.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Translucent walls, heat, street sound, tight blocking, and Alex North's score make the apartment porous and oppressive; Vivien Leigh's ornate speech and Marlon Brando's bodily directness create conflict before either character's history is fully known.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards4 wins1952 · official ceremony record ↗
Actress1952 · Vivien Leighofficial ceremony record ↗Actor in a Supporting Role1952 · Karl Maldenofficial ceremony record ↗Actress in a Supporting Role1952 · Kim Hunterofficial ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

Golden Globes1 win1952 · official film record ↗
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture1952 · Kim Hunterofficial film record ↗
BAFTA1 win1953 · official BAFTA 1953 Film Awards results ↗
Best British Actress1953 · Vivien Leighofficial BAFTA 1953 Film Awards results ↗
Venice2 wins1951 · official Venice 1951 awards ↗
Volpi Cup for Best Actress1951 · Vivien Leighofficial Venice 1951 awards ↗

Plus 1 additional win

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
FamilyFilm Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 10047
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.2
Engagement9.1
Ease8.0

English · PG
Narrative Feature
Mood: Gripping