A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

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In the classic play by Tennessee Williams, brought to the screen by Elia Kazan, faded Southern belle Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) comes to visit her pregnant sister, Stella (Kim Hunter), in a seedy section of New Orleans. Stella's boorish husband, Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando), not only regards Blanche's aristocratic affectations as a royal pain but also thinks she's holding out on inheritance money that rightfully belongs to Stella. On the fringes of sanity, Blanche is trying to forget her checkered past and start life anew. Attracted to Stanley's friend Mitch (Karl Malden), she glosses over the less savory incidents in her past, but she soon discovers that she cannot outrun that past, and the stage is set for her final, brutal confrontation with her brother-in-law. Brando, Hunter, and Malden had all starred in the original Broadway version of Streetcar, although the original Blanche had been Jessica Tandy. Brando lost out to Humphrey Bogart for the 1951 Best Actor Oscar, but Leigh, Hunter, and Malden all won Oscars. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Starring:: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, (more)

Director(s):: Elia Kazan

Theatrical MPAA Rating:: PG

Format(s):: DVD | Digital SD
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Synopsis of A Streetcar Named Desire

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Theatrical Feature Running Time:: 122 mins

Complete Cast of A Streetcar Named Desire

Vivien Leigh - Blanche Dubois
Kim Hunter - Stella Kowalski
Rudy Bond - Steve Hubbell
Peg Hillias - Eunice Hubbell
Ann Dere - The Matron
Lyle Latell - Policeman
Chester Jones - Street Vendor
Mel Archer - Foreman
Wright King - A Collector

Marlon Brando - Stanley Kowalski
Karl Malden - Harold "Mitch" Mitchell
Nick Dennis - Pablo Gonzales
Richard Garrick - Doctor
Edna Thomas - Mexican Woman
Maxie Thrower - Passersby
Mickey Kuhn - Sailor
Marietta Canty - Black Woman

Director(s):: Elia Kazan

Writer(s):: Tennessee Williams, Oscar Saul

Producer(s):: Charles K. Feldman

Theatrical MPAA Rating:: PG(Not For Children, Adult Situations)

A Streetcar Named Desire Awards:

1998 - American Film Institute - 100 Greatest American Movies
1952 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best British Actress
1951 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
1999 - Library of Congress - U.S. National Film Registry
1951 - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Actress
1951 - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Director
1951 - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Picture
1951 - Venice International Film Festival - Special Jury Prize
1951 - Venice International Film Festival - Volpi Cup for Best Actress

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	Denzil A.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

Brando is unforgettable in this movie. You hate him and are fascinated with him at the same time. Excellent adaptation of Williams' play. Interesting to note that Leigh's character almost mimics her decline in her own life.

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	Michael L.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful

Not to sound like a snot since I am not a movie expert but I think a few of the reviewers are missing the boat. This movie is extraordinarily rich in its adaptation of the story it represents. You can feel the heat, poverty, desperation and discontentedness that oozes out of the film. It'a powerful and timeless look at part of American culture and its themes are still very relevant today: Although money cannot buy anyone happiness, a lack of it often causes miserable situations.

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	Gabrielle D.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

I think this movie did Tennessee Williams great justice. If you read the play, you will probably like the movie. It was well directed, and assumes that the viewer is intelligent. Despite the censors, the movie still portrayed what it needed to portray. This film is so ambitious as it grazed on so many topics that were considered taboo at the time -- rape, domestic violence, homosexuality, relationship between a mature woman and a young man. I have to say, it was quite fun to read between the lines, and let my brain do the work. Great acting from all the stars. Must see in one's lifetime, in my opinion.

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A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

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