You won't be disappointed!

Sorry, this movie sucks

Admirable film.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

The 50's marked an important period for filmmaking, mostly because of the transitory value the decade had. The pictures were changing, that's a certain thing. But in which way? Elia Kazan, already a Broadway legend by the time he directed "A Streetcar Named Desire", is one of the most influential Hollywood directors of all time. His film "On The Waterfront" is widely considered one of most representative pieces of American cinematography and it's often quoted among critics. However, "A Streetcar Named Desire" is not a let-down either. The film is noticed mostly for two reasons: the use of jazz music (being the first film to do use it) and, of course, Marlon Brando. I'll try not to create a Marlon Brando review out of this, so I'll tell you only what you need to know. Brando is one of the first actors to introduce America to the Stanislavski acting system (on screen that is). This style of acting proved to be somehow more effective than the traditional methods because the actors could show a more natural approach to certain feelings and emotions. "A Streetcar Named Desire" is a highly significant film both culturally and historically, and it influenced many later films. Since most critics already spoke about the importance of the film and of Marlon Brando, I myself will try to talk more about the artistical value of the film and Vivien Leigh's performance as Blanche. Blanche's conflict with Stanley (Brando) is destrucitve in every possible way; they hate each other, or at least that's what they think. She's feminine, seductive and easy to hurt; he's barbaric, sexual and strong. She lives in an imaginary world so she can avoid being hurt; he's a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers", Blanche says. A most painful quote to hear (or read). Stanley has a way to deal with reality while Blanche has another. They both have issues. Blanche uses the warmth of strangers to deal with pain while Stanley uses alcohol. It's obvious that one is a victim and the other is a dealer of pain, but they both represent different ways of survival. Blanche's way is self-destrctive and she's aware of this fact; she doesn't show her real emotions and adopts a submissive position. Stanley makes himself heard through the use of violence; the other people need to know who is the dominant individual and they'll learn it by any means. Elia Kazan was one of the most influential directors of Hollywood, and "A Streetcar Named Desire" is just another proof for that fact. The use of unique music, beautiful imagery and memorable dialogue goes along very well with the performances of Leigh and Brando, who represent maybe the most important part of the film's magic. This film is a great study of character and conflict and...well, a great movie overall.

With a screenplay by Tennessee Williams, direction from Elia Kazan and quite possibly the greatest performance ever in Vivien Leigh's Blanche DuBois- you can't go wrong. This movie is dark, gritty and, at times, disturbing in its portrayals of domestic abuse and mental illness. It's astonishing how much of a punch this movie still has after all these years. This just goes to show what a true genius Tennessee Williams really was. The characters he wrote, with all their own complexities and contradictions, and the script with its haunting poetry and now iconic lines are all classic. But what good is a great script without great actors? Well, luckily, the cast couldn't have been better. Here we have a young Marlon Brando as the brutish Stanley Kowalski, who is truly ferocious in the role. We then have Kim Hunter who gives a great performance as the weak-willed Stella. Stella is the most likeable character in the movie for all she wants is for everyone to get along. Karl Malden is equally great as Mitch, who is seemingly weak and simple and serves as a contrast to Stanley's brutality. Then we have Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois. As I said above, I believe Leigh's performance here to be the greatest ever to be committed to film and here's why- Blanche DuBois is probably one of the most complicated characters ever written. She's a compulsive liar, who lives in a world of her own, choosing to create her own reality rather than acknowledge her bleak surroundings. She's a snob, a hypocrite and a user but at the same time she's an underdog who's had a tough life and just wants to be loved. Tennessee Williams himself said of Vivien's performance that 'she brought everything I intended to the role and even much more than I had dared dream of' which pretty much sums up her performance here. She truly gives herself to the darkness of Blanche DuBois, she's unpredictable, tormented and haunting while still somehow sympathetic. Through Leigh's mastery of her character we see that Blanche is really just a daffodil in a windstorm rather than a bad person. Every time I watch this film I notice a new nuance in her performance, whether it's a look in her eye that I hadn't noticed before or a change in her voice as Blanche lets her mask slip- never has there been such a true embodiment of a character.So all this considered, with Kazan's brilliant direction, great cinematography and the unique "jazzy" score, is why I consider 'A Streetcar Named Desire' one of the greatest films ever made. It's not a film for everyone- it's heavy from the start, it's quite talky and most of the film takes place within the Kowalski's apartment but if you want a movie with brilliant acting and a dark, poetic script then there's no better film than this.

Brando's pleading wail "Stella! Hey, Stella!" (#45 of AFI's 100 Greatest Movie Quotes list) is just one of the many great lines in this essential Tennessee Williams drama; another is Vivien Leigh's "I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers" (#75 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movie Quotes list).Directed by Elia Kazan, Williams's screenplay earned him the first of his two Oscar nominations for Writing (he received his second for his only other collaboration with the director five years later, Baby Doll (1956)). Kazan, who received his second Best Director nomination, would win his second Oscar on his third (of five) Best Director nomination three years later with his Oscar winning Best Picture On the Waterfront (1954), which also features actor Karl Malden. In fact Malden, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in this film, would receive his only other Oscar nomination for his Supporting role in On the Waterfront (1954). I'm guessing the playwright and the actor have nothing but nice things to say about their director.The love story is between Stanley Kowalski (Brando, who received his first Best Actor nomination) and his wife Stella (Kim Hunter, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar on her only nomination). Stella is pregnant with their first child when her older sister Blanche DuBois (Leigh, who earned her second Best Actress Oscar on her second nomination; the other was for Gone With the Wind (1939)) comes to visit.Blanche is a destitute Southern Belle who finds Stanley to be too crude for her tastes, even as his animalistic sexual energy overwhelms her. Stanley thinks Blanche is a phony, and begins checking up on her story, finding financial malfeasance and more in her recent past. Malden plays a card playing buddy of Brando's that believes Blanche is the idealistic, refined lady of the South she pretends to be, until he learns otherwise.In addition to Leigh, Malden, and Hunter, this Best Picture nominated film's B&W Art Direction-Set Decoration also won an Oscar; its B&W Cinematography and Costume Design also received nominations as did its Dramatic Score and Sound Recording. #45 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list. #67 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list. It was added to the National Film Registry in 1999. #19 on AFI's Top 25 Film Scores list.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) **** (out of 4) Diva Blanche DuBois (Vivian Leigh) moves to New Orleasns to live with her younger sister Stella (Kim Hunter) but it doesn't take long for the sister's husband Stanley (Marlon Brando) to aim his brutish ways on her.A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE was a landmark play and it carried over to the big screen thanks in large part to the terrific performances as well as the frank sexuality. Some of the sexuality was edited out upon its original release but thankfully the footage was later restored. While the film doesn't contain the same power that it once had there's no question that it's still a refreshing slice of movie history.The greatest thing going for the film is without question the performances from the four main actors. Leigh delivers the greatest performance of her career as the mentally-ill sister who just can't keep out of her fantasy world. The nervous tension that Leigh gives the character is something truly refreshing to watch. Both Hunter and Karl Malden seem to get overlooked whenever the film is discussed but it's just because they're the supporting players to the leads. Both of them do a wonderful job in their roles and both are given plenty of scenes to shine.The real breakthrough is without question the work of Brando. Needless to say, he would go down in history as one of the greatest actors and in my opinion he is the greatest actor. The first time you see him here you can't help but feel as if a cold breeze just hit you because there really wasn't anything like him before. The method acting is spot=on perfect and there's just a certain rawness that jumps off the screen. This was all new at the time but even today you can't help but feel as if you're watching something original.There's some terrific cinematography, a great jazz score and some really great drama that comes through via the acting. As I said, some of the drama has been watered down over time but that doesn't take away what makes the film great and that are the performances and the direction of Elia Kazan.