A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Before director Elia Kazan and superstar Marlon Brando teamed up for the unforgettable On the Waterfront, they worked together on the brilliant film based off Tennessee William’s award-winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire. When the film was released, people branded it as vulgar and immoral along with similar adjectives. The film was heightened due to its sexual tension and dark characters. The move was censored by the Production Code. Kazan valiantly fought to keep his cut intact but ultimately failed. His version was not restored until 1993. This is the kind of film that people were not accustomed to. There is hardly any niceness within our characters. If anything, this is a movie that touches the subjects of domestic abuse and mental illness-two things that were overlooked or not worried about in the 1950’s. This film is a great character study and a powerful film with an ending you shall never forget.

 

Tennessee Williams wrote the screenplay based on his own play. In the play, he confined the story to a single apartment, but he expanded it to include scenery from New Orleans’s French Quarter among other places. Elia Kazan was originally hesitant to direct the film because he felt the story has already been told properly in the play, but Williams was able to convince him to sign into the film. It is a good thing too because Kazan directorial prowess is nothing short of awesome. Plus, it gave him a chance to work with Marlon Brando and those two would have another film together.

 

In addition to the themes of mental illness and domestic abuse, hyper-masculinity is another theme that is explored. Marlon Brando and his method style of acting roared to superstardom after his portrayal. His character is vulgar, coarse, and physically abuses women as a sign of the dominant male. His shirt allows his muscles and sweat to shine through. Women went gaga over his “hotness,” but his type of character is hard to watch. Critics at the time called the portrayal realistic. Maybe nowadays it seems a little showy, but this is how men acted to be “cool” during this time. Brando’s style allowed actors like Montgomery Clift and Jack Nicholson to follow in his footsteps.

 

On the side of mental illness, now we turn to Vivien Leigh who turned heads in 1939’s Gone with the Wind. Here she plays an older woman desperately seeking love. Her character has a fragile mental state at the beginning, but it worsens over the course of the film. She is a compulsive liar and even though she truly wants love, she is abound with sexual energy. Never forget the sexual tension between her and Brando when they first meet. Ultimately, Brando is the one to finally cause her to lose her mind.

 

Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) is an English teacher who decided to move in with her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter) after she is displaced from her home. She knows nothing about Stella’s husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando) or their lifestyle. She is shocked to see they live in a rundown apartment. Stanley is very suspicious of Blanche. He believes that she is putting on an act and actually sold her place without Stella getting her dues. He decides to wring out the truth no matter what he has to do. Blanche is trying to find love and maybe she finally does so when she meets Mitch (Karl Malden), one of Stanley’s good friends.

 

The performances are incredible. I already talked about Leigh and Brando. Tennessee Williams went on to say that Leigh really embodied the character he thought he created in his mind. She would go on to win the Academy Award. Kim Hunter and Karl Malden won the supporting Academy Awards for their respective performances. These characters were more sympathetic. All they really wanted is what was best for each person.

 

The film received plenty of censorship when it was released in 1951. The sexual tension between Brando and Leigh upon their meeting for the first time was taken out. Dialogue that implies Blanche’s husband was gay and committed suicide was released. The famous rape scene between Brando and Leigh was shortened. One of the memorable lines is from Brando when he screams “Stella!”. Those lines of dialogue were also changed. Despite these changes, audiences were shocked and thrilled by what was created.

 

A Streetcar Named Desire is a shocking, powerful drama about a family falling apart. The ending is explosive and unforgettable. The cast did an excellent job with Brando and Leigh as my standouts. This movie explores domestic abuse and mental illness in a way many films did not do prior to 1951. Makes it all the more powerful.

 

My Grade: A-