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Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #399 in Movie
- Released on: 2008-01-01
- Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Running time: 125 minutes
Customer Reviews
Lousy Commentary
Most of the commentary had nothing to do with the scenes in the movie. It was basically anecdotes from the play that had already been told on the bonus CD that accompanies the package. I felt that Brando was the only one of the 4 cast members that deserved the Oscar yet he is the only one that didn't receive one. Ironically, although we always hear about Brando mumbling, it was Vivian Leigh who was mumbling in which you couldn't understanding everything she said. The movie is somewhat dated but worth a watch.
"A Streetcar Named Desire": A MUST For Any Collection Worth Its Cinematic Salt...
The music at the beginning of "A Streetcar Named Desire" sends jolts through me that stir my emotions like a violent wind whipping flames through my soul every time I watch this DVD. That may sound dramatic, but it is truly how I feel when I hear the music of "A Streetcar Named Desire." To me, it is not merely the music of a film's score or music that is representative of a single film, but it is the music and the representation of an entire era - an era in which unmatched cinematic history was created. It is the awareness of the stage production that came before the film and the lives lived by those involved in creating the unrivaled work of art that "Streetcar" was and still is. We shall never again see the likes of Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Karl Malden, Kim Hunter, Elia Kazan, Tennessee Williams, and others who brought "Streetcar" to life.
Marlon Brando is breathtaking, both physically and artistically, in this film. He plays the role of Stanley Kowalski, the brutish brother-in-law of Blanche DuBois, performed, shiningly, by Vivien Leigh. Stanley, the brute, is a character whose value system is quite contrary to that of Marlon Brando who portrays him in this film. Marlon reportedly once said that Stanley Kowalski exhibited "everything I loathe in men."
Early on in the film, Stanley meets his wife's sister, Blanche, and takes an immediate disliking to her. Then, throughout the remainder of the film, he works to systematically break her already fragile spirit, driving her further toward insanity - a state of mind she has teetered on for some time already. Stanley is not a man completely devoid of human feelings, however. Despite his egocentric tendencies, his crassness, and his crude behavior, he loves and cares about his wife, Stella, and is loving, tender, and needful where she is concerned.
In one scene, after Stella and Stanley have fought, Stella goes to stay with their upstairs neighbor and Stanley, revived from a drunken state with a cold shower forced upon him by his poker pals, stands haplessly (his clothes dripping wet)at the bottom of the stairs, tearfully, his face wrought with pain and his hands grasping the sides of his face, calling for his wife, "Stellaaaaaa!" It is a cry heard around the world and a scene replayed over and over again by fans, reviewers, and talk show hosts for a long time afterward. Stella succumbs to her feelings for Stanley and his need for her in that moment. She makes her way, slowly, to the bottom of the stairs where Stanley has, tearfully, fallen to his knees. She falls into his arms and covers his face with passionate kisses as he lifts her up and carries her into the house. "Don't ever leave me," he says.
Soon after his reconciliation with Stella, Stanley is back to his usual ways and his torment of Blanche is ongoing and relentless, culminating in a scene later in the film in which Stanley physically, emotionally, and sexually assaults Blanche while Stella is away at the hospital, preparing to give birth to her and Stanley's baby. Blanche is driven over the edge by the act. Stella returns from the hospital after giving birth to find her sister in an even more fragile state than before and makes the decision to commit Blanche to a mental institution. Stella's heart breaks for her sister as her sister is taken away and she lashes out at her husband, Stanley, whom she faults for her sister's circumstance. Despite this, Stella's final words in the film ring unconvincing when she tells Stanley never to touch her again and when she vows to never go back home to him again.
"A Streetcar Named Desire," written by the incomparable Tennessee Williams under the unparalleled directorial expertise of Elia Kazan, is among the greatest of the greats in films and filmmaking. Each time I have seen it, it has left me with a longing -a wishing to have been there to see the stage production and to have had a part in the creation of this film masterpiece, to have known the players, and to have watched them work in putting together this, one of the best pictures ever made.
For those considering purchasing this two-disk DVD set, it not only contains the film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire," but it also contains outtakes and commentaries, including a touching tribute to Marlon Brando by the wonderfully talented Karl Malden. Marlon Brando's screen test for "Rebel Without A Cause" is also on one of the disks as well as other inclusions that I was pleased to find.
A Streetcar Named Desire
Brando's force-of-nature performance in Kazan's "Streetcar"--an electrifying mix of brute physicality and smoldering sexuality--made Stanley Kowalski's infamous bellow a permanent part of pop culture and Brando a household name. But the undeniable strength of this film, adapted from the smash Broadway play by Tennessee Williams, is driven as much by the witty, vivid dialogue and ensemble acting as it is the lead actor's Method work. Leigh, Hunter, Karl Malden, Ruby Bond, and Nick Dennis are all terrific, and Alex North's atmospheric jazz score enhances the tense, combustible interplay. Winner of five Oscars, this "Streetcar" offers an incredible ride.
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