Review of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) by Ross M — 20 Dec 2009

Spellbinding. One of the best films of all time.

A Streetcar Named Desire is on of the best written films of all time. The suspense, tension and atmosphere is mostly driven by dialogue, which is just too perfect. It is easily one of the best screenplays of all time from one of the most famous plays in English Literature.

Other than the superb screenplay, there are other factors that make this the classic it is. For instance, the ensemble cast are undeniably excellent.. Marlon Brando, in a performance that easily eclipses his Oscar winning roles in The Godfather and On the Waterfront is magnificent as Stanley, making the character more iconic than it would have been with another actor of the time. He makes the character both likeable and hateable; there are some things you agree with him on but there are other things you will loath him for and this explosive mix was highlighted moreso by Brando's unforgettable acting abillity. Karl Malden appears as Mitch, the complete contrast to Stanley; a kind, loving and shy man. His Oscar was much deserved. His scenes opposite Vivian Leigh are some of the best scenes, out of many, in the film. Leigh herself won another much deserved Oscar and we can see why when we witness the chemistry she has with all of her co-stars. Her performance is one of the best, if not the best female performance of all time. The other winner was Kim Hunter and as with the Malden and leigh, she certainly deserved it.

Elia Kazan directs with pure excellence and creates such a great pace you begin to forget you are watching a film. You get lost in the film due to his use of angles and how he gets the characters to live onscreen. Better than On the Waterfront in directorial terms, Kazan left his mark on cinema with this classic.

The art direction, which won an Oscar, is phenomenal. The home remains strangely yet vibrantly dark, even in scenes set in the day. Shadows are created by the shapes of the sets and this gives it a gothic tinge, like with the staircase, for example. In Streetcar, we witness the cinematography and the set pieces form a strong relationship.

The melodramtic score heightens the emotional tension between all of the troubled characters and contributes signifcantly to many of the scenes. Very well composed and suiting to the story and eveything involved.

A Streetcar Named Desire mixes the drama sub-plots extremely well to present the gripping story. We witness melodrama, romance and an ubiquitous yet subtle thriller undertone.

A Streetcar Named Desire is a flawless classic and is perfect in its tireless attention to detail a must see for any film lover.