User reviews

... of two powerhouse juggernauts. Absolutely dripping with tension, acrimony and bitterness as Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski lock horns in their own uniquely individual way with the backdrop a dark, drenched and run down part of New Orleans. Coupled with a pair of superb supporting performances that amplify and escalate the whole to a unique plateau, you'll feel as though you've been run down by an out of control steam train, flattened by a steamroller to be reformed in a furnace fuelled by fear, frustration and desire.

The performances in this movie are so awesome they make you forget how reprehensible most of the characters are. And the fact that Brando didn't win the best actor award is mind blowing (he lost to Borgart in The African Queen)

This is a Tennessee Williams script so you know there will be plenty of drinking and drama and destitution. And awesome lines like "you can't describe someone you're in love with" and "funerals are pretty compared to deaths" and of course "I don't want realism. I want magic!"

Brando's Stanley Kowlaski is the alpha of this story. He is the loud, abusive, good-looking über-male whose wife is seemingly turned on by his apathy and even abuse. And the fact that Vivien Leigh's Blanche is also aroused by Stanley's persona only emboldens his behavior. I'm torn by situations like this because I've always believed men who physically abuse women are horrible. But women who forgive those men also enable them. And that's the challenge I have with these situations whether they are in real life or in the arts. Who am I to condemn a guy for smacking his woman around when she is so quick to forgive?

This is the original film version of this story and I think it's better than any of the remakes. I don't like Stanley Kowlaski but I love how Marlon Brando plays him. And again, he was robbed not getting the Oscar (and I LOVE Humphrey Bogart).

I read the play before watching this film and...there isn't much to be said that hasn't already been said before but it's a gripping story with an intricate script brought to life my talented actors who gave great performances. This was first time I watched a film starring Leigh and Brando but they definetly elevated this piece. Leigh is really impressive playing the complex Blanche going on the edge of insanity. She gave a fine and nuanced performance that definetly deserved her oscar for best actress. Brando on the other hand embodied the masculinity of his character and created a veritable cinema icon.

A dramatic and disturbing film based on Tennessee Williams's play . It deals with the tarnished Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh is unforgettable as a fading southern belle) who moves to live in New Orleans with her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter) , but there things go wrong when she meets her brutish , heavy-drinking brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski (a sweaty , animalistic Marlon Brando , a role who shot him to superstardom) in his rattrap New Orleand apartment . As Blanche is a sexually disturbed woman who lives in a world of illusion . Her world starts to crumble when she moves in with her sister, as circumstances become unbearable when rumors of Blanche's dark past begin knowing among neighbors and then the happenings go awry ...When she got there she met the brute Stan, and the side of New Orleans she hardly knew existed. The Pulitzer Price Play of New Orleans' Latin Quarter...of a Lonely Girl...of Emotions Gone Savage!... Blanche, who wanted so much to stay a lady... Warner Bros. Bring the screen all the fire of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Well-deserved Academy Awards were garnered by Vivien Leigh as main actress , while Kim Hunter and Karl Malden won as secondary actors, providing all of them terrific and hypnotic qualities on their extraordinary interpretations . The excellent production design is first-rate , being competently set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the restless years following World War Two . Main and support cast are frankly magnificent delivering excellent interpretation. Vivien Leigh is awesome as a fragile and neurotic woman who has suffered a series of calamities in her thunderous life . Marlon Brando gives a terrific acting as the abusive ,sinewy , brutish brother-in-law who believes to live under Louisiana's Napoleonic code what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband. They're very well accompanied by a great support cast , such as : Kim Hunter , Karl Malden , Rudy Bond and Nick Dennis. However , one reservation , all the roles are just fairly unbelieable and really exaggerated with the exception for Kim Hunter.

The motion picture was stunningly directed by Elia Kazan and considered to be one of the best films of the year , as he said it was one of his favorites of all the movies he made . Although gloomy and sordid throughout A Streetcar Named Desire fascinates rather than alienates the audience , thanks to the unpredictability of the play and riveting art decoration and set decoration that were both also rewarded with Academy Awards. During his long career, Kazan won two Oscars as Best Director and received an Honorary Oscar, won three Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Kazan directed four performers to Best Actress Oscars: Celeste Holm, Kim Hunter, Eva Marie Saint and Jo Van Fleet. Greek-Turkish director Elia Kazan who being a child emigrated along with his family to United States made magnificent films . Some of them describe memories , emotions and infancy images , narrating the persecution to Greeks and Armenians by Turkish that finished in genocide as in ¨America , America¨ . Kazan directed a string of successful films as ¨Gentleman's agreement¨, ¨Man on a tightrope¨, ¨panic in the streets¨, ¨Pinky¨ , ¨Splendor in the grass¨, ¨Baby doll¨, ¨the engagement¨, ¨a Street named desire¨, ¨East of Eden¨ and especially his greatest hit : ¨On the waterfront¨ , the latter includes biographic elements ; in fact, Kazan worked in this waterfront area in 1934 during the height of the Great Depression .

There are other versions , but roughly inferior , based on the classic play by Tennessee Williams titled ¨A Streetcar Named Desire¨ , such as : 1984 by John Erman Ann-Margret as Blanche DuBois , Treat Williams as Stanley Kowalski and Beverly D'Angelo as Stella DuBois Kowalski. And 1995 rendition by Glenn Jordan with Jessica Lange , Alec Baldwin , Diane Lane , Randy Quaid and John Goodman.

"They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and get off at Elysian Field(heaven)."

A strange woman took it and came to her sister and brother-in-law. He tried to undress her past because she irritated him. I think needy women like her live happily only in their own narrow world. I was fed up. She couldn't keep herself only by being made much of by men. And she also wanted to see only that world. How happy she was! Her heart was reflected in the environment. But she couldn't accept it. So I felt horrible a little. It's a kind of the horror movies for women who are particular about the feminacy. She was killed by her own overstepping desire. What did she find at the 'heaven' where she finally arrived? I wonder if it was a fairyland which was full of lies. The images was so amazing. I was impressed with the specific shading and the fog by black and white movie! The performance of the flower selling reminded me of the Death.

Most people may call Marlon Brando a beautiful and charming man but he is no where close to charming in this film. He is primitive, controlling and territorial. He kicks a poor woman while she's down but brings a tremendous acting performance to the screen. It is very surprising that Brando shows such class and maturity yet this is only his second film. Absolute delight to watch him.

Vivien Leigh is terrific as Blanche DuBois. Her spiral into insanity is wonderful as she is dominated physically and mentally by Brando's character.

Kazan is a genius with the camera. His direction in this film is flawless. I would've loved to see the actual stage performance under his direction and with all these great performers.

This is on my list as one of the best films in cinema history.

She's a prissy "wannabe sophisticated", but past her prime for the times, and out of men to play. He's her social opposite. He's living in the "now", won't allow dreamy non-sense to be spoken in his castle, which just happens to be a seedy basement apartment in New Orleans French Quarter. Their surrounding are cheap and that's where the confrontations begin. Vulgar and bright, is our testosterone fueled ogre, barely draped in a t shirt so tight that imdv lists it amongst its' trivia! She's a freaking nutcase who attempts to cover up the truth behind her many shameful transgression with endless blabber about a dreamworld that's just as nauseating. This is one of the best dramas I ever had the pleasure of losing myself in. Elia Kazan doesn't let you out of your small corner while you await each confrontation, yet this would have boiled over early if not for our married sister caught in the middle.Marlon Brando was absolutely brilliant and Vivien Leigh, in the later stages of her "Scarlett" genre was completely terrifying in her cover up acting inside of the characters she floated willingly down the Denial River. The sympathetic plight belongs to Kim Hunters' Stella until the censored end. Would get 10/10 if not for those who stole our script and meaning. This is a story of confrontation that could have been even more of a social juggernaut!

I feel a little depressed by the fact that I had watched Blue Jasmine (2013) before watching this one as according to me this movie was a big inspiration of-sorts for the Woody Allen's film. This is a classic movie with lots of emotions. Though some places I felt disconnected with the characters and found some very serious scenes rather funny. It is basically my fault as sometimes, the emotions become too much for me. Vivian plays the character of Blanche superbly and convinces me almost as much as she tries to convince herself of her made-up story. She will make you love her and hate her at the same time. Marlon did a pretty nice job himself. Overall, a nice classic and worth a watch.

Elia Kazan was noted during the 1940s as one of America's most creative stage directors, and yet he'd also proved his film-making prowess on such films as the film noir thriller 'Panic in the Streets (1950).' Naturally, he was a prime choice to adapt Tennessee Williams' acclaimed 1947 play "A Streetcar Named Desire" for the screen. Eschewing the naturalistic visual style of his previous film, Kazan unashamedly directs 'A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)' as a filmed play, utilising a small, intimate cast and few sets. The film's success spawned a number of Tennessee Williams adaptations, including 'Baby Doll (1956)' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958),' the first of which was directed by Kazan. 'A Streetcar Named Desire' also launched the Hollywood career of one of the all-time great actors, Marlon Brando, whose mesmerising performance as Stanley Kowalski (and especially his inimitable cry of "Stella!" at the foot of the apartment stairway) continues to resonate even with those who have never seen the film in its entirety.

Blanche DuBois is an intriguing character because she is a tragic victim despite bringing much of her fate upon herself. Having shamed herself in scandal following the loss of her family home, Blanche arrives in New Orleans in complete denial of her moral failings. While desperately maintaining a facade of upper-class respectability, Blanche continually speaks of her brother-in-law Stanley with utter condescension, deriding his Polish heritage and working-class habits. Only by disparaging others can she sustain her self-enforced illusion of lingering youth and grandeur, and yet every attempt at remaining young ironically makes her seem as old as Norma Desmond. But Stanley is also a brute, exuding primitive cruelty and sexuality through every sweaty pore. Had he understood Blanche's psychological condition, and offered kindness instead of resistance, her breakdown might have been averted. Stanley's pig-headed selfishness is despicable, and yet his behaviour seems to arise not from deliberate cruelty, but from child-like naiveté, an obliviousness towards the consequences of his actions.

There's no doubt that 'A Streetcar Named Desire' finds its performers at the peak of their work, but, even so, I consider it a minor miracle that such contrasting acting styles were able to coexist so comfortably. Though Marlon Brando had previously performed the role on Broadway to great acclaim, the studio-appointed casting of Vivien Leigh provoked some consternation among the crew, who feared a clash of "classical" and "method" acting styles. Leigh, speaking with a Southern accent that is, I think, inherently theatrical, accentuates every twitch of insecurity in the emotionally-decaying Blanche DuBois. Brando, on the other hand, was a student of Lee Strasberg at the Actors' Studio, an influential proponent of method acting, and his Stanley Kowalski speaks in an often- incomprehensible drawl that works precisely because you can imagine hundreds of uneducated New Orleans workers speaking in the same manner. The gamble on Leigh proved successful, with she and co-stars Karl Malden and Kim Hunter taking home Oscars for their fine work; Brando lost out to Bogart in 'The African Queen (1951).'

Disturbed Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) moves in with her sister Stella (Kim Hunter) in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law Stanley (Marlon Brando) while her reality crumbles around her.

Karl Malden (as Mitch) is always nice to see, and his story of the cigarette case is delightful. Unfortunately, like all the men in the film, he has a violent streak. I like the classic acting, which is very dramatic (but not a surprise as this was a stage production first with much of the same cast).

The film was toned down from the play, removing most of the homosexual references. Oddly, though, they seem to be okay with rape. Not sure why, though I guess the story would not make sense without it. Also loved the scenery -- I know it is New Orleans, but it almost looked more like France after the Nazis blew it to pieces. A very barren, cold, emotionless place.

While the film won four Academy awards (including three for acting), it was still passed by "A Place in the Sun", which had six. Interestingly, neither of these films received best picture -- that distinction goes to "An American in Paris" (which also had six), a decision I strongly disagree with.

This movie was loaded with talent, and they were all great and perfect for the roles they played! I'm also glad the Production Code made the movie have a different ending than the play, so Stanley has to yell "STELLA!!!" in vain; this time she's NOT COMING BACK!!

I heard Jessica Tandy was fabulous onstage, but I can't picture anyone but Vivien Leigh playing Blanche, and she really makes you feel for the character, how sad and pathetic she was, trying to keep up a facade of genteel southern lady when she was lightyears from that anymore. Yet despite everything, you can find yourself wishing she and Karl Malden had a happy ending.

One thing I had an issue with, was when Stanley told Stella that Blanche called him that ethnic slur used against Polish people. That was wrong! Stanley was a horrible person, and should have been put in jail for what he did to Blanche, but before that happened, although she had every right not to like him, she had no right to call him that name. He wasn't a creep because he was Polish, he was just a creep!

The director directs his Tramway with a master's hand, assisted by excellent talented actors, including Vivien Leigh, troublingly truthful in the role of Blanche DuBois.

This great actress constantly explores and pushes the boundaries of the game. Able to transform herself completely from one character to another, like a chameleon, Leigh is here more extraordinary than ever! She flirts with neurosis and madness, with dry and nervous gestures, without ever falling into the trap of psychodrama.

In the role of his rival, Stanley Kowalski, Marlon Brando is more real than life. His swollen testosterone performance (but tinged with sensitivity) compares to that which he created the role on Broadway, in 1947, before resuming cinema.

What is fascinating is that Blanche DuBois is on a different note, but Stella is still Blanche's little sister. She was raised in the same place in the same family. Here, they appear born on two different planets!

"I can't stand a naked light bulb anymore than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action"

Opening in December 1947, Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire proved even more successful than his previous Broadway outing, The Glass Menagerie.

Jessica Tandy starred as the fragile Blanche Dubois, with relative newcomer Marlon Brando wowing audiences as her nemesis, Stanley Kowalski.

Adapted for film in 1951, director Elia Kazan, along with most of his cast, headed for Hollywood. One notable exception? Leading lady Jessica Tandy failed to make the cut, replaced by Vivien Leigh. Tandy possessed the talent but lacked Miss Leigh's star power. Who wouldn't pay good money to watch haughty Scarlett O'Hara driven to madness by the brutal Kowalski. A man not fit to polish the boots of the refined Ashley Wilkes.

Vivien Leigh passes muster with (muted) bugles blaring as Blanche. One of those rare creatures, beautiful AND gifted, she turns in a powerhouse performance.

No stranger to mental illness, Leigh bravely tackles a role that must have hit home. A good actor need only express insanity, they don't have to know it first hand. That Leigh and Blanche share some of the same bedevilments lends a poignancy to her portrayal. How she endured an extended London run in the play prior to making the movie stands as a testament. To dedication to her craft or total disregard for her well being. Take your pick.

A tragic tale about a genteel dreamer destroyed by the "deliberate cruelty" of others, it adheres closely to the play. To appease the censors, Blanche makes no mention of her late husband's homosexuality and the ending gets a reworking. None of these changes dilute the intensity of the story.

Beautifully written, the Gay Tennessee Williams knew first hand the perils a vindictive world could inflict on a sensitive soul. A Streetcar Named Desire endures as a rebuke to that world. Just as Blanche's call for kindness at its finale is answered, the play's plea for mercy continues to be heard.

Directed by Elia Kazan, "A Streetcar Named Desire" is a powerful adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play. The film delves into themes of mental illness, desire, and the decline of the Southern belle.

Vivien Leigh stars as Blanche DuBois, a troubled woman who comes to stay with her sister in New Orleans and whose presence unravels the lives of those around her. Leigh's portrayal of Blanche is both heartbreaking and electrifying, capturing her character's fragility and delusions with incredible depth. Her performance earned her a second Academy Award for Best Actress.

The film is lauded for its intense drama and powerful performances, with Leigh's portrayal standing out as a remarkable exploration of psychological complexity. Her work in this film is often cited as one of the finest performances in cinema history.

I will not watch this movie again, full of domestic violence and chaos, the situation of women is suffocating, reflecting the complicated problems of times, the heroine's hysteria is really too terrible, which is caused by the social environment, you can understand this tragic character, it is regrettable. In the film peoples towards desire in order to escape death...it is really worth thinking about. It was depressing. The film is well completed, revealing the contradictions and darkness in reality, maybe I don't like to watch this kind of movie. The characters are complecated and the leading actress had a wonderful action in the film,i am so sorry and pity to see her like that,it is crazy and desperate to see a beatiful and graceful woman being that kind,sorrow...

I think when it comes to iconic film actresses you think of the greats like the Hepburns, Streep, Bergman, Davis, and maybe even MacLaine and Garland. But I think Vivien Leigh gets swept under the rug sometimes and I'm not entirely sure why. She won two academy awards for two of the most iconic female roles of all time. She absolutely killed both of the roles. Leigh is quite simply one of the great actors Hollywood has ever seen. In terms of Streetcar Named Desire, I think it's a role that only a few actresses in history can pull off. There's so much mystery and complexities with Blanche that it takes someone of her caliber to nail, and she definitely did.

The premise is similar to Blue Jasmine of a few years ago, a woman with some mental issues and going through a crisis hopes to find solace in living with her sister for awhile. Only, her sisters husband is an abusive man. Basically, all the things that could be pinned against her, are. Leigh is almost unrecognizable 12 years after her turn as Scarlett O'Hara. And I don't mean just because of looks, I mean because it's such a subtle but yet identifiable transformation into Blanche. Marlon Brando, on the other hand, had his coming out party with this film. It was basically his first big film role and although it's not as much of a lead role as the film initially suggests, he eats the role up. I can definitely see how this film was once a play. It can be over-dramatic at times but I think the script calls for it. And it's of those stories that is only as good as the lead performances, which clearly means it's a classic.

I think the supporting performances could have been better, but that could be due to them being overshadowed by the leads. I'm also not sure how re-watchable the film is but the leads make it memorable enough to watch it once. For awhile I thought the film dealt with abuse to lightly and it's portrayal of women could have been better. But by the end of the film I realized why and everything came together. Stay strong mujeres.

+Brando's coming out party

+Leigh's iconic performance

+Script

-Supporting performances

8.3/10

In the heart of New Orleans' humid and seductive embrace, Elia Kazan's cinematic adaptation of Tennessee Williams' masterpiece, A Streetcar Named Desire, unfolds with an intensity that ignites the senses and sears the soul.

Kazan's direction artfully balances the tension between the film's theatrical roots and the nuances of cinematic storytelling. The stark contrasts between Blanche DuBois's imagined world of gentility and the gritty reality of Stanley Kowalski's domain are expertly conveyed through the film's visuals. The interplay of light and shadow underscores the characters' internal struggles, highlighting the chasm between their aspirations and their harsh truths. Williams' incisive dialogue retains its potency on screen, capturing the labyrinthine dynamics of family, desire, and societal constraints. Stanley's turbulent relationship with Blanche becomes a captivating dance of power and vulnerability, igniting sparks that illuminate the dark corners of their psyches.

The claustrophobic stranglehold of 1950s society, a time when conformity's grip was at its zenith, provides fertile ground for the amplification of human emotions. And amplify they do - through screaming matches, unsettling domestic dynamics, and a descent into mutual madness. It's a maelstrom of emotion where victimhood and oppression intersect in a macabre dance. The characters emerge not as clear-cut villains or heroes, but as multifaceted souls ensnared within their own personal hells. They become both the wounded and the wounders, simultaneously prisoners and jailers of their circumstances. The lines blur between victim and perpetrator, much like the veil that obscures the intentions of the film itself. A Streetcar Named Desire dares us to gaze into a distorted mirror, where societal strictures distort humanity's most basic interactions. Amidst the fiery clashes and whispered heartaches, the film unveils an unsettling truth: we are all, to varying degrees, participants in our own chaos.

As we grapple with the implications of this celluloid kaleidoscope, we find ourselves pondering the dissonance between surface perceptions and the labyrinthine complexities of the human spirit, the clash of old and new worlds, and the destructive power of both delusion and desire. As the echoes of the streetcar's call reverberate through the corridors of the mind, the film's impact endures, reminding us that the pursuit of desire often exacts a steep toll on the human spirit. It's an exhibition of anguish and aggression, a dark ballet where everyone plays their part, and no one escapes unscathed.

I enjoy annoying my friends by shouting "Stella!" at them in my perfect Brando expression. That's of course not the only reason I like this movie. It has great writing, great direction and perfect performances by everyone. Highly recommended.

Taken from the homonymous drama by T. Williams, this film is spot on and successful. It is an excellent film, especially for the great cast: Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh and Karl Malden. Elia Kazan's direction is well thought out but at times seems to give the film too "Noir" an aspect. Brando is perfect and acts (despite his very young age) like a mature actor. The intensity of Vivien Leigh's performance is incredible. The plot, in some points, is long-winded or too complex in defining all the characters' personalities. The rape scene is certainly disturbing, for the years in which the film was made. Kazan, after his success on Broadway, wants to scandalize the public and make them think about the sad reality of the deep south of the United States.

Streetcar named Desire is a classic movie because of very fine acting performances done by Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, and Kim Hunter. The directing of this piece was also superb job done by Elia Kazan. Marlon Brando plays Stanley a character who is a drunkard and is struggling to get through life and is constantly in conflict with his wife Stella played by Kim Hunter. Vivien Leigh is Blanche Stella's sister who has come to live with her and Stanley. The conflicts that Marlon Brandon is able to show vividly that occur between his character and these women is truly astounding. He is able to accurately depict the emotion and rage that his character feels. Vivien Leigh gives a great performance playing her southern bell character that is distraught about the mishappenings of her life. This is a fine piece of cinema and will be a classic for many years to come.

I have always enjoyed the concept of acting.Becoming another person for a short time for the purposes of entertaining an audience has always been an appealing idea to me.I dabbled in it in high school and have always looked back on the experience and wondered why I didn't do more of it.The moment has passed for me I suppose,at this point.I would recommend to any young person contemplating getting involved in acting to study classic films such as this one.The performances of Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh alone will be an educational study for you.They were both masters of getting so deep in character that you had to remind yourself that they were acting.Watch it.Learn.You'll thank me for the advice.

Like I said in my summary, this is, IMHO, the greatest performance of the lovely Ms. Leigh's career, bar none. It's sad to know that she had disturbing mental problems during filming(and it might as well have pushed her over the edge for good)but she brought all her real life troubles into the role of Blanche DuBois and delivered a great performance. In fact, I believe A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the best acted films of all time. Kim Hunter and Karl Malden are superb in their supporting roles as Stella and Mitch. But, it's Marlon Brando who steals the show and matches up with Leigh as the brutal Stanley Kowalski. Brando was one of my favorite actors during this time period--it's too bad that later on(about Apocalypse Now)he became really lazy and picked some really hideous crap(The Island of Dr. Moreau, anyone?). This is one of my favorite films of all time.