A Streetcar Named Desire

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

116K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

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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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

116K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

742

2,426

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 4 Oscars
- 18 wins & 15 nominations total

Extra
(uncredited)

Irene Allen

Extra
(uncredited)

Mel Archer

Foreman
(uncredited)

Joe Bacon

Extra
(uncredited)

Walter Bacon

Club Patron
(uncredited)

Dahn Ben Amotz

Minor Role
(uncredited)

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
As the film progresses, the set of the Kowalski apartment actually gets smaller to heighten the suggestion of Blanche's increasing claustrophobia.

Goofs
When Stanley comes back from taking Stella to the hospital, he is looking for a bottle opener. He finds it on the mantelpiece, shakes up a bottle of beer, and opens it. The beer foams up and spills on his trousers. But if you watch at the moment when he swings himself up to sit on the table - before he opens the bottle - you can see that the front of his trousers are already wet. Apparently they re-shot it without him changing into dry trousers.

Quotes
Stanley: Hey, STELLA!

Alternate versions
The scene in which Blanche and Stanley first meet was edited a bit to take out some of the sexual tension that both had towards each other when the film was first released in 1951. In 1993, this footage was restored in the "Original Director's Version" of the film. The three minutes of newly-added footage sticks out from the rest of the film because Warner Brothers did not bother to restore these extra film elements along with the rest of the movie, leaving them very scratchy due to deterioration.

Connections
Edited into Un Américain nommé Kazan (2018)

Soundtracks
It's Only a Paper Moon
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and Billy Rose
Sung by Vivien Leigh while doing her hair

User reviews344

Review

Featured review

Hard To Find Any Better Acting

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.