A Streetcar Named Desire (film)

This article is about the film adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play. For other uses, see A Streetcar Named Desire.

A Streetcar Named Desire
Original movie poster
Directed by	Elia Kazan
Produced by	Charles K. Feldman
Written by	Tennessee Williams (play A Streetcar Named Desire and screenplay) Oscar Saul (adaptation)
Starring	Vivien Leigh Marlon Brando Kim Hunter Karl Malden Rudy Bond Nick Dennis
Music by	Alex North
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	September 18, 1951 U.S. release
Running time	122 min / USA:125 min (re-release)
Language	English
IMDb profile

A Streetcar Named Desire is an Academy Award-winning 1951 film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. It was directed by Elia Kazan, who directed the original stage production, and starred Marlon Brando (Stanley Kowalski), Vivien Leigh (Blanche DuBois), Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. All but Leigh were chosen from the Broadway cast of the play.¹

It was produced by talent agent-lawyer Charles K. Feldman, and released by Warner Bros. Studios. The screenplay, which had many revisions to remove references to homosexuality among other things, was written by Oscar Saul.

In 1993, a director's cut restored version of the film was released on home video. This version added back scenes that Kazan had filmed that were removed because of demands by the groups like the Catholic Legion of Decency. The scenes were removed without Kazan's knowledge, and despite the script revisions that had occurred before filming began. These restored scenes add about an additional three minutes to the film length and do not seem indecent by today's standards.

In 1999 the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

The music score, by Alex North, was a radical departure from the major trend in Hollywood at that time, which was action-based and overly manipulative. Instead of composing in the traditional leitmotifstyle, North wrote short sets of music that reflected the psychological dynamics of the characters. For his work on the film, North was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music Score, one of two nominations in that category that year. He also was nominated for his music score for the film version of another play, Death of a Salesman, which also was composed with his unique technique. However, he lost to Franz Waxman's score for A Place in the Sun.

Censorship of the time called for the end of the film involving Stella's renunciation of Stanley's rape of Blanche, perhaps to the point of leaving the household. The actual play's ending is far more ambiguous with a distraught Stella (at having sent off her sister Blanche) mutely allowing herself to be consoled by Stanley.

Cast

• Vivien Leigh - Blanche DuBois
• Marlon Brando - Stanley Kowalski
• Kim Hunter - Stella Kowalski
• Karl Malden - Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell
• Rudy Bond - Steve Hubbel
• Nick Dennis - Pablo Gonzales
• Peg Hillias - Eunice Hubbel
• Wright King - A Collector
• Richard Garrick - A Doctor

Awards

The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Karl Malden), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Vivien Leigh), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kim Hunter), and Best Art Direction -- Set Decoration, Black-and-White. It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Marlon Brando), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Director, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Picture, Best Sound, Recording and Best Writing, Screenplay.

Trivia

• The film is noted in the 2005 song by Welsh rock band, Funeral for a Friend, aptly entitled "Streetcar". This being because singer, Matt Davies had recently watched the movie before writing the song.
• Marlon Brando's line "STELLA!" is referenced to in the Seinfeld episode "The Pen", when a highly medicated Elaine repeatedly yells "STELLA", in reference to Jerry's aunt Stella. It is also referenced in the DreamWorks animated film, Over the Hedge.
• Marge Simpson in The Simpsons plays "Blanche DuBois" in "Oh! Streetcar", the musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire in Season Four of titled "A Streetcar Named Marge".

• Ironically, although it was Marlon Brando's memorable performance as Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 movie that signalled the start of a new era in film acting, he was the only one of the four actors nominated from the film not to win an award.

Note 1: Leigh had starred in the West End production in London, was chosen for the film version over Jessica Tandy, who had played the role in the Broadway production.

External link

• A Streetcar Named Desire at the Internet Movie Database
• Cliff's Notes

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