America America
1963 Nominee

100 Words
Before it was the nightmare of today, America was a beautiful dream for many, including the main character portrayed here – based on real-life Elia Kazan. He’s the director who named a bunch of people as Communists to avoid being blacklisted, so I’m sure he fit right in once he arrived. On the Waterfront is good, though.

Stavros faces several obstacles in his American dream, including murder, sexual and financial awakenings, and deadbeat cousins. Even when he looks like money, he can’t quite pull off having any; a local man with an eager-to-wed daughter could prevent Stavros’ dream from coming true.