A Streetcar named Desire was released in 1951, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. At the 24th Academy Awards the film received nominations in all 4 of the acting categories; it is only one of 15 films to ever accomplish this feat.
Synopsis
Blanche DuBois, played by Vivien Leigh, is a middle aged high school English teach from Mississippi who comes to the French Quarter of New Orleans to stay with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley, played by Hunter and Brando respectively. Blanche and Stella were both raised in Belle Reve, a larger planation estate that Blanche informs Stella has been lost to creditors. Blanche’s presence in their apartment puts Stanley on edge which often results in him violently lashing out towards Stella. Stanley is also not pleased when Blanche begins a relationship with his friend Mitch, played by Malden. Stanley looks into Blanche’s past and discovers she isn’t quite what she appears to be.
An Unexpected Surprise
I was not expecting to like this movie as much as I did. I didn’t have a relationship to this movie going in. I knew that this was Marlon Brando’s breakout role. I knew that at one point Brando’s character dramatically screams out Stella. I learned that through the Simpson’s episode where Marge plays Blanche in a local production of the play. Unrelated, that’s also the episode where we find out that Ned Flanders is secretly ripped. Needless to say my expectations were pretty low but this movie really delivered.
The revelation in my eyes was actually not Brando, we’ll talk about him later on though. No, the person that I really loved in this movie was Vivian Leigh. She is definitely going over the top with her performance but I could not take my eyes off of her the whole time she was doing her thing. This movie was written by Tennessee Williams adapting his own Pulitzer Prize winning play and it’s very clear that Leigh is using a theater style of acting. Her expressions and actions are over exaggerated, she is playing to the back row. It’s a stark contrast to Brando who is often understated and minimal which make his violent outburst even more impactful. Despite her over dramatic style Leigh manages to bring a depth and sadness to the character of Blanche.
Blanche DuBois: Tragic Complexity
Blanch DuBois is one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever encountered. She is a traditional Southern Belle. Her family has a strong lineage in the South probably built off of slavery considering their family estate is a plantation. By the mid 20th century the DuBois family fortune is gone, their ancestral home sold and Blanche the last of a kind of American nobility. She represents the end of a version of the American dream that existed before and is thrust into the anxieties and complexities of the modern age. She exits the safety of the southern country to the bustling metropolitan city that is New Orleans. When faced with Stanley and Stella’s modest accommodations she recoils. She makes remarks about Stanley’s Polish background. But whenever she makes one of her snide comments she always does so in hushed tones as to maintain her polite Southern Belle disposition.
Blanche is a remnant of an antiquated era but she is also a representation of progress. Blanche is persecuted by Stanley and Mitch for her promiscuous history. Mitch claims that this makes her not clean enough to take as a bride. Blanche is destroyed for having multiple partners while Stanley and his upstairs neighbor are able to abuse their wives and cheat on them yet still be giving second chance after second chance. Blanche’s impurity is cemented when Stanley assaults her towards the end of the film. The movie makes it ambiguous as to what happens but the play is more clear that Stanley in fact does rape Blanche. I view the assault as a critic of how society punishes women who are sexually active. Stanley learns about Blanches promiscuity and deems it acceptable to reprimand her behavior through sexual violence.
Blanche’s Problematic Past
Blanche’s tragic experiences are not limited to sexual assault. In her youth her husband killed himself and she blames herself so she is dealing with the grief associated with that. What makes Blanche a well developed character is that she is not painted as a victim. Blanche is fired from her teaching position because of a relationship she had with a 17 year old student. In the film we see her make advances on a young man going door to door. She was in control of her past sexual relationships. In the scene where Stanley confronts Blanche, Leigh does a brilliant thing where she changes the tone of her voice. She drops the childish affectation that she puts on for the entire movie and speaks to Stanley candidly. She takes responsibility for her past actions but doesn’t think she should be crucified for them. Blanche does things that are pretty despicable. She is constantly lying, even to her own sister. She has a problematic attraction to young boys which may be linked to her obsession with youth. The thing that looms over all of Blanche’s actions is her obvious struggles with mental health.
The Depiction of Mental Health
Blanche clearly suffers from some kind of mental health issue possibly schizophrenia. Leigh herself suffered from a bipolar disorder. Throughout the film Blanche’s actions are erratic and she seems to be fluctuating between different emotions. This kind of depiction of mental health was really ahead of its time for the early 1950s when most of these disorders weren’t being properly diagnosed. After Stanley assaults her, it appears that Blanche has a complete psychological break. She struggles with recognizing what is real and what isn’t. Stella is forced to call a doctor and have her taken away. Just before leaving Blanche utters the famous statement “I’ve always relied on the kindness of strangers”. She says it in a hopeful tone but the moment is full of sadness. Stella clearly cares for her sister but is unable to help her. Blanche must rely on complete strangers to help deal with her condition but its likely that she will spend the rest of her life in a mental institution never getting the proper help she needs.
Marlon Brando: A Horrific Heartthrob
I would be remised if I didn’t spend just a little bit of time on Mr. Marlon Brando. This was Brando’s breakthrough role, he would go on to become one of the most revered actors of all time. I suspect I’ll talk more about Brando when I cover On the Waterfront but right now I want to talk about Brando as a sex symbol. If you read reviews or YouTube comments about this movie the main thing that comes up is Brando’s shirtless scene. He comes home all sweaty from bowling- he makes it seem like bowling 10 frames is equivalent to doing a decathlon- and he changes into a clean tight fitting t-shirt. The scene is memorable no doubt about it and Brando’s charisma is oozing through the screen. That doesn’t change the fact that his character Stanley is an unbelievable asshole.
Stanley might be one of the most unlikeable characters in film history. He is abusive to Stella, he’s an alcoholic, a degenerate gambler, and a rapist. Yet people on the internet are still thirsting after him some 70 years later. It’s exactly that Brando charm that makes the Stanley character seem so believable. If Stanley was some fat slub then it wouldn’t make sense why Stella stays with him. Marlon Brando is so handsome and charming that we as an audience understand why Stella can’t get over her intense attraction for him. At the end of the film we see Stella deciding to finally leave. I think that this is Hollywood’s attempt at an empowering ending. The play ends with Stanley consoling Stella and it seems like they will stay together. This is the much more believable ending. As much as we want Stella to escape that abusive relationship in reality we know that leaving those relationships is much more difficult especially considering Stella has a newborn during a time where society was not particularly accommodating to single mothers.
Final thoughts
This movie is not lost to time but I think to it is misremembered. Most references to this film bring up Brando’s performance or maybe some notable lines. I think that this movie should be remembered for its really complex female characters and its tackling of mental illness. These are topics that modern movies still struggle with and this film handles the issues with a deft hand. I would rate this movie strong 4.5 out of 5 stars.
