A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire started off life as a critically acclaimed stage play created by famed American playwright, Tennessee Williams, in 1947 and is still considered to be one of his best pieces of work despite how influential his stories have been for the entertainment medium. The story of a former Southern Belle retreating from her failed life to her sister’s shabby apartment only to face ridicule and harassment from her sister’s abusive boyfriend which pushes her to the brink of insanity, was a project that was expectedly praised for its gripping tension, gothic atmosphere, and uncomfortably dedicated performances, but was also bizarrely praised for its brutality and cruelty (which is pretty uncommon for that era which was more reservist and cautious about ”dangerous” material). After multiple re-runs and revivals that kept the story alive and in the public eye, it was eventually transformed into a movie in 1951 headed by Warner Brothers and was met with even higher acclaim than when it was on the stage, proving the power behind this script, characters and atmosphere, and be the starting point for a whole new slew of filmed adaptations in the future.

A 30-something year old Blanche DuBois (played by Vivien Leigh) arrives in the smoky streets of New Orleans to reunite and stay with her sister, Stella (played by Kim Hunter) in her cramped and dilapidated apartment after losing the old family home to creditors. Also living there is Stella’s husband, Stanley (played by a then unknown Marlon Brando), who takes issue with Blanche’s refined and demure manner in contrast to his crude, brutish behaviour, which causes severe physical outbursts which are specifically targeted at her and his wife. Throughout her stay, Blanche’s wavering mental state becomes more apparent, questions about her past as well as how truly innocent she is start to arise, and with Stella expecting a baby and with Stanley at the risk of going even further with his cruelty, Blanche will regret ever taking that streetcar named Desire to this location.

A Streetcar Named Desire won big at the Academy Awards (taking home three of their ten nominations), earned enough at the box office to make it the fifth biggest hit of the year, and is still considered to this day to be one of the greatest films ever made, for its captivating yet brutally intense performances, engrossing atmosphere and production design, and wonderfully constructed scripting.

The story was prime for the stage due to its singular focal location and connective characters, dialogue and tone, and it being transitioned into a more active medium didn’t hinder it at all due to the richness of the scripting and themes, as well as its incredibly flawed and tortured characters who tackled disturbing truths in an unfiltered way. While being an incredibly controversial story that did have to deal with some setbacks when it came to portraying said topics (as any piece of media would’ve done during this time period), it still managed to grab people in a meaningful way because of its timeless nature and strength in dissecting topics of wealth, class divide and mental illness. All the main performers (excluding the lead) returned to portray their characters on film, which was also true for the director, Elia Kazan, who directed the stage version and agreed to return for the film after being personally push by Williams, and because of this familiarity with the text and theatre version, the film carries a similar intensity, atmosphere, pacing and staging to a strong Broadway show, while still emulating the feel and look of a dramatic film production. It’s paced very effectively, the manner in which it holds the audience hostage in this muddy unstable state of mind is unnerving in the best way possible, and it always feels on-edge and like something is going to go wrong with every passing line of dialogue, it’s a brilliantly executed atmosphere that makes people almost as frantic as the lead. The film was forced to either censor or completely remove elements of the stage play, like any strong hints towards rape, domestic abuse and homosexuality (all of which are front and centre in the original version), and It’s ironic to see a story so dedicated to portraying hard truths in an abrupt but respectable manner, still be silenced by the Hollywood system out of fear of shaking their established status quo.

A lot of the plot’s aggressive qualities come from a real place, as Williams based a lot of the story off his own life experience, with Blanche’s attitude and Southern personality resembling his mother, Stanley’s attitude towards Blanche and his usual aggressive personality resembling his father, and even Blanche’s mental state and paranoia resembling his sister who suffered from mental illness and was later even lobotomized. It makes the story feel all the more real and engaging and considering how sadly universal a lot of these situations can be, it no doubt left an impact on people of the era who weren’t expecting to see something that bold and open. The screenplay written by Williams, Kazan and Oscar Saul, is expertly crafted, and how it manages to unveil the troubled past of the lead in such a natural and flowing way is incredibly interesting to pick apart. Everything from the hints of her past to her character quirks, even down to the constant reuse of certain phrases does a great job laying out not only what kind of person she is but also explains why she is the way she is and how it has affected her in the present, it’s wonderfully written all around and even the slight changes feel like they add to the story rather than take away.

The characters are so wonderfully broken and acted in such a beautifully honest manner that it creates a real sense of authentic grit that elevates this story from something that could come across like a soap-opera and turn it into a truly disturbing psychological character study. Vivien Leigh was chosen for the role because she had a stronger box office appeal than Jessica Tandy (the original Blanche from the America Broadway show) and she had previously played the role in the London production directed by her then-husband, Laurence Olivier, so she was still at least familiar with the part. Despite being the only one not from the original cast (which definitely made her feel isolated on set which no doubt worsened her own struggles with mental illness at the time), it doesn’t distract from an absolutely fantastic performance. She is chillingly effective as this character and portrays her with such complex emotions and motives that it makes her an incredibly interesting protagonist to watch. She jumps between an airy, fast-talking and seemingly high-class Southern Girl archetype, and a broken, quivering, mentally tormented woman on the edge who suffered several failures and traumas so naturally and easily, and while it tragically sounds like the part’s requirements proved problematic when dealing with her own bipolar disorder, it still left the audience with a truly special performance that managed to secure Leigh a second Best Actress Oscar win (which was very much deserved).

The same can be said for Marlon Brando as Stanley, as despite being a relatively new name at the time, his method acting garnered him specific appraisal and made people pay attention to him and see him as a future star. His performance is strikingly effective and feels disturbingly real in his brutal treatment of the women in the apartment, but in spite of doing a great job that grips you despite playing a fairly stereotypical character, he doesn’t quite carry the same level of intrigue as Blanche carries. Everybody else in the film does a solid job acting wise, as you would expect from those that have had practice with these characters for several stage performances, but their characters can be a little lacking in parts. None of the other characters are really that engaging next to the lead, and even though actors like Kim Hunter and Karl Maden feel like they have the potential to do more than what they’re given, they never quite evolve past the base level which is a little disappointing.

A Broadway production has certain limitations that a movie doesn’t have to deal with due to its cinematic presentation, mainly with how it can showcase more than one location and utilize its cinematic scale to heighten the atmosphere of the project rather than take away from it. Despite seeing more of the environment and going to more locations, the apartment is still the central focus and piece of interest in this story, and it still works even in movie form. It’s cleverly designed to not only look small and cramped but also grow smaller and smaller with each passing scene to truly emulate the claustrophobia that is being experienced by the lead character.

Through the black and white film quality, the smoke-filled streets and the harsh lighting constantly shining throughout every room, it makes this place feel like a muddy, unpleasant, lower-end form of residence that would make the more prestigious-looking Blanche stand out even more, its overall very solid production design by Richard Day, Bertram Tuttle and George James Hopkins. The music by Alex North has a wonderful jazz vibe that heightens the mood by giving off an uncomfortable, almost noir-type atmosphere that is weirdly more chill than the subject matter would have you believe.

A Streetcar Named Desire was an incredibly successful Broadway show, which evolved into an incredibly successful film, which became an iconic piece of media that would last the ages and be cemented as one of the greatest in film history. It’s honestly surprising that such a controversial product from an era mostly known for elements that probably should be left in the past, isn’t as such due to problematic components, but rather because its material (or at least the portrayal of its material) was groundbreaking and ahead of its time. Despite its age, its content, performances, production, and writing haven’t aged at all and can still be appreciated years later for what it wanted to achieve and managed to accomplish. The story is simple but effective, the acting is incredibly raw and memorable, the writing is tight and full of flavor yet not to an unrealistic manner, the production is cleverly handled, and the tone of the story is incredibly uncomfortable and tense but will keep you watching regardless. Another old classic that, while no doubt still containing its own cracks in the seam that aren’t always perfect, will still result in a pretty memorable viewing experience regardless of when you watch it.