A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writers:

Tennessee Williams (original play "A Streetcar Named Desire")
Oscar Saul (adaptation)

Release Date:

1 December 1951 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

...When she got there she met the brute Stan, and the side of New Orleans she hardly knew existed.

Plot:

Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.

Plot Keywords:

Neurotic | Pregnant Sister | Pregnant | Streetcar | Giving Birth

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 14 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 10

10:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Vivien Leigh	...	Blanche DuBois
Marlon Brando	...	Stanley Kowalski
Kim Hunter	...	Stella Kowalski
Karl Malden	...	Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell
Rudy Bond	...	Steve
Nick Dennis	...	Pablo Gonzales
Peg Hillias	...	Eunice
Wright King	...	A Collector
Richard Garrick	...	A Doctor
Ann Dere	...	The Matron
Edna Thomas	...	The Mexican Woman
Mickey Kuhn	...	A Sailor

Runtime:

122 min | USA:125 min (re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:GP (1970 re-release) | USA:Approved (certificate #14871) (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | France:Unrated | South Korea:12 | UK:12A (re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:PG (1993 director's cut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Charles K. Feldman Group

Trivia:

The role of Blanche was first offered to Olivia de Havilland whose wage demands proved to be too excessive.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Stanley says that Louisiana utilizes the Napoleonic Code (which was promulgated a year after the Louisiana Purchase). Actually, Louisiana uses as its private law the Louisiana Civil Code. Although it is similar to the Napoleonic Code, it has always been the controlling legal authority in the state.

Quotes:

Stella: Mr. Kowalski is too busy making a pig of himself... Your face and your fingers are disgustingly greasy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Atomic Brain (#6.18)" (1993)

A true milestone in cinema history

"A Streetcar Named Desire" is along with "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" the best movies adapted from a play ever. Vivien Leigh is excellent in the most difficult role of the world theatre and far more impressive here than in "Gone With the Wind". With the performance she gives she proves what a great actress really means. Marlon Brando is equally impressive in a role that made him a star. He gives a different dimension to Stanley and introduces method acting to Hollywood. This role that deserved an Oscar is maybe the best of his career. Kim Hunter and Karl Malden are ideal in the supporting roles. The scene that Stanley and Stella are reconciled after a fight they have is full of passion and desire and is now regarded a classic. But the person that created the atmosphere and helped the actors create their roles is Elia Kazan (to me he is the best director ever lived). Kazan manages to create a great atmosphere and make the movie not be just another stagy play. "A Streetcar Nemed Desire" is undoubtedly a milestone in cinema's history that nobody should miss.