Rating: 
Summary: Death...the opposite is Desire
Review: Tennessee Williams's play of sultry passion set in the French Quarter of New Orleans is a masterpiece flawlessly rendered by the magnificent cast in this classic Elia Kazan directed film. I first laid my eyes on this wonderful work of art over a decade ago, while in my mid-twenties. The stark human drama that unfolded before me on the screen literally had me enthralled. I could not find sufficient words to say enough about it then, nor can I even now, I fear. Yet as it is in my ultra-indulgent nature to do, I shall, amidst all this rambling, try to do this film fair justice -This is the harsh and burning tale of an emotionally fragile woman, Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) who goes to find shelter under her younger sister Stella Kowalski's (Kim Hunter) roof in New Orleans after losing their inherited southern plantation estate. Marlon Brando is Stella's rough, sexually volatile husband Stanley. Driving this fervent tale is the war of wills that is waged between Leigh's fading Southern Belle and Brando's blue collar brute. After having recently viewed this movie after so many years away from it, I was much struck by the distinct transformation that my own reaction to this story had undergone over the years - as if living in the world a decade longer had completely altered my perspective. Watching this in my twenties, I saw a madly impassioned play depicting unheeded fervor and unrequited yearnings - a fierce romance. It had been impossible to take my eyes off Brando, his presence on the screen and the power of his performance were so palpable. I even found some of his cruel outbursts, his pointed darts aimed with such cold precision, amusing. I saw Blanche's off-hand remarks, likening Stanley to animal or bluntly telling her sister that he's "common," more as unfair and underhanded attacks rather than what they actually were: desperately wrought defenses against a heartless, malevolent force. It's far more heart wrenching to view this movie now - it disturbs me to the quick, and on some deep intangible level. Perhaps at 25, I was not yet mature enough to fully appreciate or understand the meaning of this brilliantly insightful play. Indeed, my viewpoint of the movie is no longer so one-dimensional. This film, when viewed as a whole, encompasses a great many ideals - the acting for one, not only by Brando, but by the entire cast - is shear mastery. Forget her stints as Scarlett O'Hara or Anna Karenina; Vivien Leigh's Blanche DuBois is bar none the performance of her life! Her haunting portrayal of the deeply disturbed starlet hiding behind her thin veiled illusions and lyrical genteelness is brilliant. The sexual tension between Blanche and Stanley is riveting to witness - to this day, there's never been an actor anything like Marlon Brando. With mumbled speech and brutish force, his innate mode of sexual energy is unequaled. He belts out a flawless performance here, and it passes me why it did not earn him an Oscar. Kim Hunter as the down-to-earth sister and Karl Malden as Blanche's momma's-boy suitor each won well-deserved Oscars for their respective supporting roles. I can now with equanimity say that I see this amazing play for what it is: a revelation of life's dark truths. "Death...the opposite is Desire," says Blanche as she throws up for the taking the last shreds of her sanity. She had come that way on a Streetcar Named Desire via another called Cemetery. True that human beings from the birth of desire, en route to the grave, grasp in vain for the beauty and innocence of their youth. True that the meek of this earth are easy prey to the ruthlessly cruel. True that illusion and romance are deft sanctuaries from the harshness of reality. Tennessee Williams hauntingly captures these truths in this wonderful, atmospherically alluring play.
Rating:
Summary: The other streetcar was named ¿Cemetery¿ (really)
Review: "I've always relied on the kindness of strangers," Blanche DuBois tells us near the end of this mesmerizing adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play; but what we have found out is that she has often relied on the warmth of strangers, very often, and now with her looks faded and her charm gone, she has become a sad, neurotic creature desperate for any sort of attention. Vivian Leigh's portrayal of Tennessee Williams's languished southern rose is one of the most memorable and haunting performances of the American cinema. Seldom in the history of film has there been such excellent casting. Leigh of course won the Academy Award for best actress, but she was not alone. Karl Malden won for best supporting actor and Kim Hunter for best supporting actress. Marlon Brando could easily have won for his raw animal portrayal of Stanley Kowalski. Credit should also go to Elia Kazan for the artful mastery of his direction. In short this is one of the most celebrated movies of all time, a classic, period. But no mistake should be made about where the primary power comes from. It's from Tennessee Williams's Pulitizer Prize winning play, a work of theatrical genius second to none in the history of the American theater. Williams had the gift of understanding and the ability to project the melancholy self-delusion and sexual/social angst of the feminine psyche onto the stage, and to do it with objectivity and compassion. (Cf. Laura in The Glass Menagerie and Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.) Brando's interpretation of the animalistic Kowalski, typified by his screaming up the stairs, "Stella!" in tight t-shirt and bellowing voice, and his crude way with women, electrified audiences and established him as a star. A string of cinematic successes followed, highlighted by his work in On the Waterfront (1954) for which he won an academy award. I want to add that we are driven by Desire until this silly dance concludes and we arrive at the Cemetery. In a beautifully observed bit of accidental irony, those names-"Desire" and "Cemetery"-are the names of streetcars that ran back and forth on the same line in New Orleans, giving inspiration to Williams's apt and unforgettable title.
Rating:
Summary: A Streetcar Named Desire
Review: I rented this movie wanting to see what everyone was raving about. I have to say that this film was absolutely fantastic! As a big Janet Leigh fan from her work as Scarlett in GWTW I was blown away. Brando is magnetic and steals every scene he's in. I recommend this movie if you want to see great performances captured on film. All i can say is "wow".
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Summary: Best actress. Best playwright. Best director.
Review: Whether or not you like Elia Kazan as a person--think he's a ..., what have you--his talent for direction is undeniable. And he shows this in the film adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire. With the same aspect as such films as Wuthering Heights is, it's uncoth, it's dark, it's moody, it's creepy. But with reason. Some things just look better in black + white. To think of this in colour is unspeakable, even. This, along with On the Waterfront, rank as Kazan's best work. Both with Marlon Brando. But dare I speak my mind? As much as I agree Brando is a very talented actour, and that his performance as Stanley Kowalski is excellent, a certain word comes to my mind...overrated? Now, perhaps it's because I prefer more of the traditional acting technique myself over method. Although you're not, in essense, "in character", it takes a real talent to pull it off. And in a nest of respected, seasoned methods, the one traditional gives, by far, the most outstanding performance. Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois is, not only the greatest acting in her career, but quite possibly by any female in the history of cinema. As stated before, she's purely technique. But the eery circumstances surrounding her life at this moment made her Blanche, and not with purpose. Although in a shallow perspective, Blanche is an overdramatic nympho whom many want to slap, I won't let it stop at that. Tennessee Williams remarked on how her Blanche was everything he had intended to bring to the role, and more. This I agree. Having read the play beforehand, and realizing that it would undoubtedly difficult to bring to life, I was persuaded by the 'closing credits' that Viv is one of the greatest actresses in cinematic history, at least to my knowledge. And because of that, she ranks as my most favourite. Above Katharine Hepburn, above Greta Garbo, above Joan Crawford. She can't be surpassed. And perhaps it's becuase I too, oddly enough can sympathize with the character. Sure, I'm not an aging, tormented nyphomaniac-of-a-southern belle, some of it is all to eery. Nothing is greater than the line "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers". Damn..in a twisted way, it's the hero of the epic tale--one who can surpass all time and place with what they represent. Can't be better. Karl Malden also gives a great performance as Mitch. Having liked him as an actour [and Mitch as a character], I was satisfied with what I watched. I didn't care much for Kim Hunter, although she's not neccesarily bad. The art direction is everything that it should be, and it's Alex North's finest hour. Should've won best picture. Coming from a huge Tennessee Williams fan, this can't be surpassed in terms of film-adaptations of plays. My favourite play, my favourite movie, my favourite actress, and one of my favourite directors. It can't be defeated.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps The Best Stage To Screen Adaption In Cinema
Review: There are only a few words worthy enough to describe Elia Kazan's 1951 masterpiece. The words are adjetives. The first is Flawless, this would refer to the direction and cinematography that gives the film such an uncannily realistic quality. Incredible is the next word I would use. This word applies to the performances of Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, and all the actors who participated in this film. It's dominance in the acting categories at the Oscars is testimony to this fact. Each actor portrays a character so feasilbe, and so real, it's difficult not to get wrapped up in the film. Reguardless of gender, you can relate and really feel for each character. A Streetcar Named Desire is probably the first REAL movie, with realisic characters to come out of Hollywood at the time. And the final word I would use to describe this film is timeless; all one would have to do is colorize it, and you'd never know the difference as far as time frame is concerned. This is the definative movie that really examplifies what acting is, and should be. It is the film that inspired me to become an actor myself.
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Summary: Moments of true sensuality
Review: Try as they may, few movies released in recent years have been able to duplicate the feminine sensuality of the scene in which Stella walks down the staircase to meet Stanley. This is one of the greatest films of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Has Become My All-time Favorite Movie
Review: I will admit, the first time I saw "Streetcar"(as a kid), I had been a HUGE "Gone With the Wind" fan. I wanted to see another movie with Vivien Leigh. I hated the film immediately. This strange woman with her sing-song voice was a far cry from the headstrong Scarlett. I see now that my initial reaction to the film speaks to the depth and brilliance of Ms. Leigh's performance. "Streetcar" has become my favorite movie. The acting is superb. I was blown away by Ms. Leigh's performance and can't imagine another actress in that role. The fact that "Streetcar", set in the 1940s, filmed in black and white, having little or no set changes can keep viewers glued to their screen is a true testament to the actors, Mr. Kazan, and of course, the great Williams. Having watched the film several times now, I am consistently mesmerized by Leigh and Brando.
Rating:
Summary: The need to be desired personified...
Review: Desire is a streetcar that brings Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) to the French Quarters of New Orleans where her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter), lives with her husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando). This is Blanche's last resort for help as she has faced numerous hardships such as loosing her parents, her job as a teacher, and an undisclosed secret. These difficulties have left deep scares in Blanche's psyche and left her in a fragile state with neurosis and delusions. Stanley is unwilling to let Blanche stay, but Stella convinces Stanley to let Blanche stay temporally. However, Stanley's unwillingness to help grows to hostility and begins to affect Blanche as she discovers the true nature of Stanley. Streetcar Named Desire is a psychological dramatization based on Tennessee Williams's play with the same name that was adapted to the silver screen. Kazan did a brilliant job in directing the film and the cast performed splendidly with extremely strong performances by Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. The cinematography and mise-en-scene are excellent as it leaves the audience with a brilliant cinematic experience that provides much room for thought as Blanche deals with her inner struggles.
Rating:
Summary: Tourtured Souls
Review: This is a movie about tourtured souls and lose. Stanley is a man who just wants to be left alone and then Blance enters the picture and convinces his wife that he is a bad man. All he is is a tourtured soul. This is a must see movie.
Rating:
Summary: THE MEETING OF THE BEST OF ACTORS
Review: In 1950, prodicer Charles Feldman brought Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando together in order to repeat their theatre-successes(she in London - him on Broadway) og Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski. It became a landmark film. It is a fascinating study of old-timer classical actress Leigh - versus the method prince Brando. THEY ARE DYNAMITE together and the film remains as powerful as it was in 1951. Elia Kazan remained not ON MY SIDE however and claimed she had a small talent, but would have walked on broken glass if she thought it would have helped her career. However; the so-called purists have always been sceptical about the combination of beauty AND talent. A credit to Vivien Leigh: Like all her post-Scarlett-roles; her Blanche is a character made by Leigh and totally unlike Vivien`s other performances.
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