A Streetcar Named Desire (1995) (TV)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Glenn Jordan

Writer:

Tennessee Williams (play)

Release Date:

29 October 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the restless years following World War Two, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE is the story of Blanche DuBois...

Plot Keywords:

Rape Victim | Pregnancy | Pulitzer Prize Source | Mental Illness | Sister Sister Relationship

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 8 nominations

Cast

Alec Baldwin	...	Stanley Kowalski
Jessica Lange	...	Blanche DuBois
John Goodman	...	Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell
Diane Lane	...	Stella
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frederick Coffin	...	Steve (as Fred Coffin)
Carlos Gómez	...	Pablo
Jerry Hardin	...	The Doctor (as Jerry Harden)
Patricia Herd	...	The Matron
Matt Keeslar	...	Collector (as Matt Keesler)
Tina Lifford	...	The Neighbor
Rondi Reed	...	Eunice
Carmen Zapata	...	Flower Seller

Runtime:

Germany:150 min | Israel:149 min | USA:156 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Germany:12 | UK:15 (video premiere) | Australia:PG

Company:

CBS Entertainment Production

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on December 3, 1947 at ran for 855 performances. This production also opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on April 12, 1992 and ran for 137 performances.

Quotes:

Stella: But there are things that happen, between a man and a woman, in the dark, that sorta make everything else seem unimportant
Blanche: What you are talking about is brutal desire. Just desire. The name of that rattletrap streetcar that bangs through the Quarter, up one old narrow street and down another.
Stella: Haven't you ever ridden that streetcar?
Blanche: It brought me here, where I'm not wanted, and where I'm ashamed to be.

Movie Connections:

Version of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Only diehard Jessica Lange fans need to watch this

If you are a major fan of Jessica Lange then I would rent this, otherwise stay away! While Ms. Lange's portrayal is interesting, I'm not sure it is the Blanche, that Tennessee Williams envisioned. At times her slyness distorts the character of Blanche's and gives her the appearance of being nothing more than a manipulative, self-centered woman. Blanche is a woman holding onto her sanity by the skin of her delicate fingernails. Her lies and illusions are her retreat from the cold reality of life and the bad hands of cards she has been dealt. "Streetcar" is a series of encounters between the Kowalski world and the Blanche DuBois world. Each of these encounters will intensify with each subsequent meeting. The conflict is between the oversensitive aristocratic world of Blanche and the brutal, realistic, present-day world represented by Stanley. But as an afternote, it should be added that Stanley is the type of person who likes his "cards on the table." He doesn't go in for subtleties and deception that Blanche has created to survive. As for the rest of the cast, ugh. Diane Lane is adequate at best, she can read lines but she's nothing to telegram home about. John Goodman is all wrong with to start with and he only gets worse as the film goes on. At times I felt like I was watching one of the "dramatic" episodes of Roseanne, which were always self-serving and preachy. I've seen better acting in high schools. This leaves Alec Baldwin who can be summed up with one word - why? His acting is so pedestrian; it's amazing he even works. He is horrible in this production; I now can understand why his performance in this role on Broadway elicited belly laughs. The audience wasn't laughing with him they were laughing at him. He preens and over-emotes, uses an accent (? Strange yet geographically untraceable) then changes it mid-sentnce. One of the most challenging roles in the theater due to its predecessor and the demand of acting with the fullness and variety of a brash jazz band, Baldwin's register is that of a kazoo. He prisses about and poses then delivers lines as though he's reading them for the first time. At times it seemed as though Blanche wasn't physically afraid of him, but more afraid that he was going to go into her trunk and start parading around the apartment in her wardrobe and "tributes from an admirer". If anyone doubts his abilities, this performance will confirm all your suspicions. Save for Ms. Lange's performance this "Streetcar" belongs on Mystery Science Theater 3000. It is almost like a work of science fiction. It is that jaw-droppingly bad. While the 1951 version certainly has superior actors, the Ann-Margaret-Treat William's "Streetcar" is a true ensemble production in which all four principals shine. This production is truer to the theme of the play of the artist (Blanche) ultimately being destroyed by realism and the harsh realities of a world that does not understand her (represented by Stanley).