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A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

September. 19,1951
|
7.9
|
PG
| Drama

A fading southern belle tries to build a new life with her sister in New Orleans.

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TinsHeadline
1951/09/19

Touches You

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VividSimon
1951/09/20

Simply Perfect

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SoTrumpBelieve
1951/09/21

Must See Movie...

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SnoReptilePlenty
1951/09/22

Memorable, crazy movie

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davidcarniglia
1951/09/23

Brando and Leigh fill in all of the dark corners in the New Orleans flat and its ornate courtyard, the claustrophobic, even haunting world of A Streetcar Named Desire.Many reviewers have commented on Leigh's/Blanche's affected speech, as well as Brando's contrasting inarticulateness. It's sometimes almost impossible to figure out what either of them mean to say, even if you can understand them. But I think it helps both characters: Brando's Stanley pretty much doesn't care what he says; like a more seasoned James Dean, he's action-oriented, talking just gets in the way of doing.Blanche, on the other hand, depends on talking as a sort of prop--to build herself up; thus her elaborate explanations and digressions about trivial or imaginary topics. She's all about keeping up appearances, while Stanley could care less how he looks, or even, to a certain extent, how he acts.Though Stanley is a capable person, and grudgingly respected, he's also deeply flawed. Being a wife-beater wasn't then seen as the disgusting and unacceptable behavior that it now is; but it's clearly the most obvious manifestation of his problems. He doesn't seem to feel right unless he's angry.The interesting thing about Stanley is that he can be calm, even cordial. It's as though he becomes a better person when he puts on better clothes. In a way, he's worse than Blanche, because he can control himself; but he simply has more fun being Mr. Hyde then Dr. Jekyll.Instead of fading in and out like Stanley's Jekyll and Hyde poses, Blanche gets steadily worse. In fact, the last part of the movie plays closer to horror, as Blanche's delusions give us flickering lights, ethereal voices, and the mournful lady selling "flowers for the dead." The creepy doctor from the asylum adds a final scare. He's literally come to take her away; she's undergoing a figurative death, the end of her delusional lifestyle.Maybe it's good that Kim Hunter's and Karl Malden's characters are relatively weak compared to Brando and Leigh. Otherwise, either Stella would stand up to Stanley, and Blanche would never leave, or Mitch would marry Stella, and then maybe he would go nuts. No resolution possible in either alternative plot. With all the yelling and acting out, the physical confines of A Streetcar Named Desire are dwarfed by the psychological tumult. Maybe the best film adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play.

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callandobs
1951/09/24

With a screenplay by Tennessee Williams, direction from Elia Kazan and quite possibly the greatest performance ever in Vivien Leigh's Blanche DuBois- you can't go wrong. This movie is dark, gritty and, at times, disturbing in its portrayals of domestic abuse and mental illness. It's astonishing how much of a punch this movie still has after all these years. This just goes to show what a true genius Tennessee Williams really was. The characters he wrote, with all their own complexities and contradictions, and the script with its haunting poetry and now iconic lines are all classic. But what good is a great script without great actors? Well, luckily, the cast couldn't have been better. Here we have a young Marlon Brando as the brutish Stanley Kowalski, who is truly ferocious in the role. We then have Kim Hunter who gives a great performance as the weak-willed Stella. Stella is the most likeable character in the movie for all she wants is for everyone to get along. Karl Malden is equally great as Mitch, who is seemingly weak and simple and serves as a contrast to Stanley's brutality. Then we have Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois. As I said above, I believe Leigh's performance here to be the greatest ever to be committed to film and here's why- Blanche DuBois is probably one of the most complicated characters ever written. She's a compulsive liar, who lives in a world of her own, choosing to create her own reality rather than acknowledge her bleak surroundings. She's a snob, a hypocrite and a user but at the same time she's an underdog who's had a tough life and just wants to be loved. Tennessee Williams himself said of Vivien's performance that 'she brought everything I intended to the role and even much more than I had dared dream of' which pretty much sums up her performance here. She truly gives herself to the darkness of Blanche DuBois, she's unpredictable, tormented and haunting while still somehow sympathetic. Through Leigh's mastery of her character we see that Blanche is really just a daffodil in a windstorm rather than a bad person. Every time I watch this film I notice a new nuance in her performance, whether it's a look in her eye that I hadn't noticed before or a change in her voice as Blanche lets her mask slip- never has there been such a true embodiment of a character.So all this considered, with Kazan's brilliant direction, great cinematography and the unique "jazzy" score, is why I consider 'A Streetcar Named Desire' one of the greatest films ever made. It's not a film for everyone- it's heavy from the start, it's quite talky and most of the film takes place within the Kowalski's apartment but if you want a movie with brilliant acting and a dark, poetic script then there's no better film than this.

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Smoreni Zmaj
1951/09/25

For two hours I desired to jump into the screen and strangle one of my favorite actresses. I think Vivien Leigh was bit kook, cause something like this can not be completely faked. One of the most deserved Oscars I have ever seen. All 4 leading actors were nominated and only Brando didn't win it. I consider him one of the greatest actors of all time and his performance here definitely is on the level of Leigh, Karl Malden and Kim Hunter. I'm most sorry that Tennessee Williams didn't win the Oscar for screenplay, cause story of this depth and strength is rarely seen in movies. Mandatory for all film lovers.............................

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lillismonica
1951/09/26

I got this DVD from the library and settled down on a Sunday afternoon to watch. Possibly, it was one of the worst films I have ever seen. There is no plot, no action, it consists of the female character, blanche getting more pathetic, in her quest to lure a local bachelor/ and/or her brother in law, as she stays at her sister and brother in law's home for months. and it's unclear if she is mentally ill or just an over the top drama queen/exhibitionist. The so called 'smouldering sexuality' and 'chemistry' between brando and the character just looked like pure hate and aggression. Maybe the novel is better. Don't waste your time.

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