9. Elia Kazan And Marlon Brando
Films Together: A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront and Viva Zapata. Everybody knows Marlon Brando is one of the greatest screen icons and possibly even the greatest actor ever, but he could be notoriously difficult to work with, but with Elia Kazan, another man who spent his life surrounded by controversy, he created magic. Kazan unleashed the raw power of Brando in the iconic role of Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, and cinema was changed forever. Brando had everything, and Kazan exploited that unlike any other director during Brando's early career as he sent this imposing and sexually charged man to the top of Hollywood. Kazan embraced Brando's unique acting style, and in the process directed him to two of the finest performances in cinema history. Brando had the unique attribute of being able to appeal equally to men and women, and that's usually where the divide appears when discussing his best movie with Elia Kazan. Women tend to prefer the passion of Streetcar, but men usually lean in the direction of On the Waterfront and its famous "I coulda been somebody" speech. There's no denying that Brando had complete success when acting away from Kazan, but the early period of his career was defined by the three classics they made together. Kazan too, received great success with other actors such as James Dean and Warren Beatty and remains one of the most acclaimed and controversial men in cinema history, but for the short period of time they collaborated, it was truly special.