Review of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) by Natalie ! — 18 May 2012

"You must be Stanley".

Synopsis: After losing the family plantation to creditors, aging Southern belle Blanche DuBois travels to New Orleans seeking solace in her sister, Stella. Instead, she goes toe-to-toe with Stella's brute of a husband, Stanley.

With millions of teenage girls waiting in great anticipation for the culmination of the Twilight series with the imminent Breaking Dawn finale, there may be no more appropriate time to review Elia Kazan's 1951 classic A Streetcar Named Desire. After all, the films share similar themes of sexual repression and primal urges, as well as a strikingly neat coincidence of also throwing age into the mix.

For all that Streetcar has to offer; a fantastically realized adapted screenplay, fine direction and a plethora of other goodies, it's the acting that's the real draw. As the script unravels and the actors settle into their roles, I dare any first time viewer to not be thrown for a loop, the performances onscreen create a incredibly powerful force, one that seems to leap from the celluloid and hit us right in the Jaw. These performances sweep away 61 years of age that may be inherent in the production and create a lasting, devastating all too palpable emotional tour de force.

Even 61 years later, you just have to throw your hands in the air and say "damn, they didn't even need vampires".