AFI Top 100: #47
A Streetcar Named Desire is one of those classic films that I have heard about for years: both because of its status as one of the most recognizable plays of all time and its supposedly legendary reputation. I had fantastic expectations going into this film, given that it stars one of the most beautiful actors of all time (wearing QUITE the sweaty t-shirt) and while it still definitely has its merits, I was very underwhelmed by this entire film. Director Elia Kazan's adaptation is a bit far from interesting and while I can not speak on the authenticity of the film from its original stageplay, I was still lost as to why this might be considered one of the greatest American films of all time. This film never quite decides what it wants its central focus to be and this division is the main reason why I became uninterested. The performances from the cast are all fantastic and Kazan makes great use out of such a limited location but I could not help but grow bored because of its mismanaged story.
Stella (Kim Hunter) and Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando) are one day greeted by Stella's estranged sister Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) and the couple invites Blanche to stay at their small, New Orleans apartment to reconnect. When Blanche begins to question the power dynamic around the place and Stella tries to keep the peace between her and her husband, the familial relationships between them start to crumble, along with the societal expectations that came with being family at the time. Although I ended up not being the biggest fan of this social drama, there are a lot of elements to love about it and the performances from the cast were absolutely the standout. Leigh, Brando, and Hunter are all extraordinary in their roles and there is no doubting that any other actor cast as their characters would have been much worse. The chemistry between Stella and Blanche as sisters who have not seen each other in quite some time was phenomenal and seeing them interact was very genuine. Blanche having to take care of their parents' old farm and eventually selling it created such a tense environment for her and her sister and this tension made way for some excellent scenes together right out the gate. While Leigh and Hunter shine in their scenes together, Brando was an absolute star as well, taking his character and running with him in the most toxic and honestly hard-to-watch ways. He absolutely nails the uneasy and jealous aura of his character and every scene with his character was extremely difficult to process, which was definitely the point. Another shining element of this movie that redeemed it for me in some minor ways was its set design and utilization of the location. I loved how small-scale this film felt and only having it set it in Stella and Stanley's apartment was such a great choice, especially for ramping up the rigidity between them all. And of course, it makes Marlon Brando absolutely belting out "Stella!" that much more impactful.
The main aspect of Tennessee Williams' script adaptation of his own play that I just could not get behind was how unnecessarily melodramatic the entire story was. There are some fantastic bits and pieces of the previous family life shown that Blanche and Stella shared but updating their history to Stanley just felt way too dramatic for my own taste, especially in the way he responds to everything. The relationships and way that the major plot points are laid out become outlandish and even only twenty minutes in, I felt like we had reached the main climax. A Streetcar Named Desire almost verges into soap-opera territory because of how overly exaggerated everything was and this got to be a bit too much for me, to the point where it almost felt unrealistic. There always has to be a certain level of dramatic flair for a film to stand out but I just do not think that this movie stood out in the right ways. I'm sure that seeing this story on a live stage is absolutely exhilarating given the nature of the plot but for this film, it just felt exhausting. The main cast's performances were solid but placing them in this world with the script that they were given was just strange because I felt like I was invading this small family's life. My other main issue with this film is how unfocused the direction from Kazan is and who I, as an audience member, am supposed to be rooting for. Old films like this don't always have to be black and white in who the directors want their viewers to root for but not enough development was really shown on either side of this story to make me care one way or another. I was frustrated with Stanley being an abusive and gaslighting husband but was also nonchalant about Blanche's struggles and why Stella would even start to care about her whining sister. This dichotomy created quite a contrast in my head and one that I feel Kazan did not handle too well. As mentioned, plots do not have to be black and white but like the film's frankly ugly cinematography from Harry Stradling Sr., it balances on a morally grey thematic pole that I could barely even care about.
Elia Kazan's A Streetcar Named Desire might be an iconic adaptation of one of Tennessee Williams' most notable works but I was, unfortunately, incredibly let down by this film. While I knew nothing of the story going in, I also had no clue what the story was going to shape up to be throughout its runtime but regardless of my blindness towards its plot, I was still only mildly entertained. I think this film could have been much stronger in its direction and despite the chemistry between characters carrying the whole film, I would probably not recommend this movie for much else.
My Rating: ★★★
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