Review of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) by Michelle W — 30 Sep 2009

I wasn't sure what to think about this, I mean 'A Streetcar named Desire,' what sort of a name is that?

Well we find out straight-away, the very first line. This film is very well written and it's rather obvious it was a play, the dialogue is so good. And the acting is incredible all of them, especially Marlon Brando, he was so natural and his performance as Stanley is flawless. I am not entirely sure about Vivien Leigh's performance though. It was very stage, very contrived, very old-fashioned. This is just her style, and I hated it in 'Gone with the Wind' but it rather works here. I'm torn between my personal dislike for it and the fact that it so suited her character.

Desire, relentless from the beginning, and you see it in the eyes of all the characters, the actors all did a great job with that, you would look into their eyes and it'd hit you in the face, the sheer intensity. It's powerful and it makes this film so, so memorable.

The shots were very clever, the set, small but efficient. The film looked great. This is what, for me, justifies it being made into a film, because the only difference between stage and film is the fact that the camera chooses what you see and has it's own language. The camera was used to great effect.

With all that said, it's a great film. But I still believe that this would have been greater on stage, and I hope I will see it there one day.