Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievable
Review: I can't imagine anyone giving this movie a bad review. It is simply perfect. Brando's performance has not been topped since, and is the performance by which all others should be compared, because it is completely flawless. Men will watch this movie and come away acting like Stanley Kowalski. Vivien Leigh's performance is almost as perfect. It is very melodramatic, which fits her character like a glove. The directing is par-excellence, as good as directing gets for Tennessee Williams' plays. Of course the screenplay by Williams is simply beautiful, as beautiful as the written word could be. There are lines in this movie that reach into you and stroke your heart from the inside. The characters drive this movie, performing arial stunts with the written word, carrying on from where Williams left off when he wrote the play. It is my favorite movie
Rating:
Summary: Emotionally charged production contains powerful message
Review: "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951) is one of the few masterpieces of American cinema - a true work of art. The story unfolds in New Orleans where former teacher of english, Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) comes to live with her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter) and brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando) in their small, run down apartment in a poor section of town. When Blanche and Stanley meet for the first time, the sparks begin to fly almost immediately, setting the tone for the entire film. Blanche's intentions to leave behind her unsavory past and begin anew (having been run out of her town of Oriole) are at odds with her brother-in-law's determination (intensified by his suspicion that Blanche has duped Stella out of an inheritance) to expose her social airs and genteel manner as a cover for a life of depravity and immorality. The conflict between the two characters builds to a shocking and pathos-filled climax resulting in the disintegration of the last fragile thread of Blanche's sanity. The film's star, Vivien Leigh, gives the greatest screen performance of her life, moving the viewer to feel her character's despair and regret, particularly when confessing to her newly acquired beau, Mitch (Karl Malden), one of Stanley's buddies, the reason behind her husband's suicide when they were both teenagers. Marlon Brando is unforgettable as brutish, antagonistic, slur-speeched Stanley. His presentation of beer & sweat stained, animal-like masculinity is quite sensational even today, 50 years later. Kim Hunter is equally as brilliant in her role of expectant mother, Stella Kowalski. Her valiant attempts to keep peace between her husband and sister prove futile and eventually she, too, is dragged down into a quagmire of disillusion and resentment. The film contains several messages, but perhaps the most striking sentiment is that a careless, unkind word spoken can cause irreparable damage and lead to tragic consequences, ruining many lives in the process. Add these four players' performances to the excellent Tennessee Williams' story, Elia Kazan's great direction and Alex North's outstanding score - what you get is a genuine first rate classic!
Rating:
Summary: Originality, Physicality, Vulnerability...
Review: ...these are the qualities that have made Marlon Brando a legend among actors, and they are clearly evident in A Streetcar Named Desire. The film really is a landmark, not only for his performance (and those of his co-stars), but for the way it forced Hollywood to reevaluate the way it censored movies. There may not be enough superlatives for Brando's performance, and presence, in Streetcar. I am awed by the way he imbues his character, Stanley Kowalski with such realism, but that's what makes Brando such a great actor. Like, he lights his matches on the sole of his shoe - - that's just brilliant. He's incredibly charismatic and magnetic - - so much so that he makes Stanley a guy you hate to love. And he brought this raw sexual energy to the screen that's been much imitated, but never duplicated. Yet, he brings just the right hint of sensitivity to the part, makes you think that beneath Stanley's arrogance and (sometimes) violence, there's a heart. (Until the end of the movie, anyway...) This film definitely deserves it's place among the 100 greatest of all time!!
Rating:
Summary: Take A "Ride" on this Streetcar!
Review: Brando, Leigh, Hunter, and Malden all excel in their respective roles in Tennessee Williams' flawless tale set in steamy and erotic N'Orleans. Everything works in this film: the direction, the acting, the cinematography, and the jazzy and seductive scoring of Alex North. Elia Kazan has given the world one of the greatest adaptations of a Broadway great.
Rating: 
Summary: Brando great, but a missed opportunity
Review: In 1946, Brando appeared on Broadway in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire. His costars were Karl Malden, Kim Hunter, and Jessica Tandy. After well over a year of performing together, the team is probably working perfectly, despite Brando's reputation for pulling focus. Next, they make a movie, and cast Lady Olivier instead of Jessica Tandy, for no other reason than this: the former (and scandalously overrated) Scarlett O'Hara has just played Blanche onstage in the West End, and is much more bankable than Ms. Tandy. Final result: we are all losers! A great acting quartet has been broken up, and an opportunity to preserve some groundbreaking American acting has been lost. Vivien Leigh is OK, but mannered and stagey. Vestiges of Sir Laurence, who never did understand American theatre, abound. Future generations are denied the opportunity to see a great cast enact a great work. Streetcar wins three acting Oscars: Brando, in one of the greatest performances ever recorded on film, loses to Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen (not his best work). Brando earns the respect of Tennessee Williams, which is worth twelve Oscars. This is probably the best of filmed Streetcars. Subsequent efforts find performers such as Ann-Margret and Jessica Lange too strong for the role of Blanche (Vivien Leigh captured the psychic weakness of the character, but I'd still give anything to see Jessica Tandy in the role she created!) and nobody has ever come close to Marlon Brando - to say nothing of Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. Miscasting, coupled with an overly sensationalistic score, makes this film an overrated quasi-classic. IMHO, of course ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Brando is magnificent!
Review: This is one film that smoulders with sensuality but redeems us all by the magnificient performance of Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. I wonder how this thing would look in color.
Rating:
Summary: Blown away
Review: Someone else wrote about how you need to see this film to see what people saw in Brando. God Lord I was completely blown away by this man's acting. What a stunning film. I feel ashamed for not having seen this earlier. Everyone's acting is engaging. I wanted to know more about everyone. Passion (good and bad) just flows out of this movie. I found myself dizzy at one point from the raw emotion before me. I think if you don't connect with the feelings of these people this will seem like a boring movie, as some have noted. I was just mesmerized.
Rating:
Summary: should have swept the academy awards
Review: Outstanding movie and DVD. I tell you, this cast and movie should have swept the top 6 categories at the academy awards. I bet it could today.
Rating:
Summary: Brando's Best Performance
Review: It seems strange that only Brando didn't get an award from his performance in this movie. He was fantastic, and also in TOP shape. He looks better than any male movie star today in this movie. Plus his acting is great. I totally disagree with the guy who bought the DVD version and didn't like it. The picture was superb. Buy it now and thank me later.
Rating: 
Summary: An Okay Movie
Review: Because I'm a huge fan of Vivien Leigh, I bought this movie a while ago to add to my collection. It was somewhat slow. Three times I watched it and ended up falling asleep. I think I'll just read the book instead.
|
