Customer Reviews
Searingly seductive 'Streetcar' - By: Elizabeth Greenfield, 25 Dec 2008 
Elia Kazan's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' translates beautifully to the screenin this 1951 film version. Anchored primarily by screen giants Vivien Leigh (Blanche DuBois) & Marlon Brando (Stanley Kowalski), the film tells the story of a faded Southern Belle (Blanche) & her struggle to come to terms with her own existencein an increasingly faded world, & illustrates the dramatic conflict between Blanche & her brother-in-law Stanley, played by the sensual Brando.
Having directed the play just years earlier on the Broadway stage, Kazan was keen to put his own mark on this film translation, where there is an overwhelming sense of the steamy South, encapsulated & enclosed, literally, within the walls of the Kowalski apartment. Although Leigh holds her own against Method giant Brando, her performance ultimately pales into insignificance compared to Brando's revolutionary interpretation of Williams' sexually-charged hero. Not only did it signal the dawn of a style of acting unseenin film - paving the way for such performances of James Dean's Jim Stark & Paul Newman's Brick Pollitt - but represented an archtypein male sexuality & sensualityin post-war America. Wearing t-shirts that reveal rippling biceps, quite self-consciously on the part of Brando, & a body that reminds one of a modern-day Adonis, Brando stalks through Kazan's film. Certainly, it is Brando's Stanley, & not Leigh's Blanche, who becomes the eroticised object of the film, something that, it is worth noting, Williams' original play did not intend.
Through the use of lighting & sound, & through, of course, the magic of Leigh's performance, the film represents Blanche as a woman undonein the emotional & physical sense. The film tracks her emotional disintegration, choosing to use Williams' original sound effects (most notably with the Varsouviana when Blanche talks of her dead husband), & lighting & shading that come to represent the darker sides of her behaviour. Karl Malden as Mitch is also a casting masterstroke, & with Kim Hunter as Stella, the film fails not to impress with its delve into the dynamics of sexual desire & mental illness.
Brando, however, becomes the film's scene-stealer - something Williams did not originally intendin his play. Brando is just too good looking for us to perceive his character as a menace & a bully. Kazan's attempts to translate & open out Williams' play on the silver screenin a Hollywood riddled with industry censorship ultimately created a landmarkin film-making. A recommended watch at the highest level!
Don't listen to the synopsis. - By: A. Russell, 16 Jul 2008 
The synopsis for this prodoct is awful:
'The story of the fragile sentimentalism of a former prostitute who visits her sister only to be taunted mercilessly by her childish brother-in-law.'
First, the point of the play was that she wasn't meerly a prostitue- not to mention that we are never explicitly told that she is. Only that she slept around for shelter & food. This is not your average prostution as the synopsis makes out. Also, he brother-in-law isn't just 'childish'- what a stupid thing to say. He has been working class his whole life & is resentful that someone with an 'easy like' (in his opinion) is here lying to people & acting like she is better. He doesnt 'taunt' her like a child. He destroys her sanity further, purposly, sneekily- that is not childish but malicious.
The film is a fantastic adaption of Willliam's masterpeice- about class, & social status- homosexuality- intellect versus animalistic instinct- survivalin a harsh world- relationships- society- sexuality- & much more.
The perforamnces of leigh as Blanche & Brando as Stanley are fantastic (leigh is better than Brando thoguh at portraying her character).
The only real flaw is the ending (which I will not spoil). The entire was play was meant to be about how the brutes survivein this world instead of those fragile ones who mean well. Yet the ending was changed completely- so you will not recieve the same message after watching this that was originally intended with the play. I reccomend buying the play & reading it before watching this. Though it is still great.
