TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

A Streetcar Named Desire (2 disc edition) [1951]


RRP: £20.99
Our Price: £7.80 (subject to change)

This streetcar is outstanding and terrific.
Review date: 2008-11-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

I've watched this film only once, so far, and I was instantly engulfed by the power of the story-telling from the genius that is Tennessee Williams. Directed with sensitivity and real charisma by the legendary Elia Kazan, he gives great performances from his leading actors and supporting cast (Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Karl Malden and Kim Hunter).

Blanche Dubois (Vivien Leigh) arrives home to New Orleans and stay with her sister, Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter), after a long time away and finds herself entangled in the life of Stella and her husband Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando). The tension, sexual tension and the adrenaline mounts between Blanche, Stella and Stanley. There's a scene when Stanley and friends are playing cards at his house and he loses his rag at Blanche and his friend, Mitch (Karl Malden), comes to Blanche's rescue. It's a powerful scene and it adds to the film's power throughout.

This is the first time I've seen this 1951 masterpiece but I will keep on watching it as it is a great example of passion, sexual tension and raw power in the acting on show. Vivien Leigh is on quality form as Blanche as we see her become vulnerable and powerful. Marlon Brando is just on fire as Stanley Kowalski as he showcases the talent that the great man possessed. The support from Kim Hunter and Karl Malden is exceptional throughout.

This is a real actor's film and I doubt this type of film could ever be filmed again. Elia Kazan's direction is spot on and he allows his actors to showcase their talents which they ooze effortlessly. A great film that still looks dazzling 57 years on. It won Oscars for Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Best Supporting Actress (Kim Hunter), Best Supporting Actor (Karl Malden) and Best Adapted Screenplay. Also Marlon Brando should have won the Best Actor Oscar for his dazzling performance. Still, this film is stunning and well worth watching.

I haven't seen the second disc featuring the special features yet but it's on my watch list the next time I view the film again. FYI: This was adapted from the stage where Jessica Tandy played the role of Blanche and for the film Blanche went to Vivien Leigh.

Similar Products

Reviews


Haunting
Review date: 2008-06-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

Previous reviewers have given excellent and thorough synopses of this movie and actors, so I will not add to them. All I need to say is that this is one of those films that you MUST see. All these years on and it still remains resonantly powerful, shocking and thought-provoking. You have to be in the mood to see this film as believe me, it will linger with you for days. I cannot think of a modern movie to match Streetcar in its bare eloquence.

In a word:Out-standing
Review date: 2008-05-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

Because of censorship problems, this became held up & "merely" Marlon Brando's 2nd movie.

However, the moment you hear him bellow "HEY-Stell-ah!",and the first time you see the 6 ft 13 stone Brando in a t-shirt, your world will change, just as certainly as cinema was never the same again, when movie-goers met these effects for the first time in 1951.

Credit to the others first. The under-rated Karl Malden plays Mr Ordinary with enough force to save being erased by the highly-charged dance of death between Brando & Vivienne Leigh.

Kim Hunter plays Stella, Brando's missus in this. She plays Stella as a sentient and sensitive human being(at least part of the time), so you feel sympathy for her at the end, and after the Brando/Leigh pas-de-deux reaches its inevitable climax, she deserves it.

Vivienne Leigh seems to be have been chosen because somebody remembered she played Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. Stupid idea;it shouldn't have worked. Of course, it does, as she proceeds to dance teasingly around Brando as Stanley Kowalski, thinking she will dispose of him like any spider with a fly in its' web.

Unfortunately for her, Tennessee Williams wrote this play, so you can guarantee the expected won't happen. Let's just say, she gets it, and you decide for yourself if it's what she asked for, deserved or wanted, or some Williamesque mixture of the three!

And that brings us to Brando. Somewhere in the dialogue Blanche(Vivienne Leigh)acidily remarks to Stella that Stanley is some sort of Neanderthal "Millions of years of evolution have just passed him by". In fact, Brando the person was millions of years removed from the animal in Stanley. Most of the time!!

So, to get under the skin of Stanley, and portray him as animal, caveman, normal person being stalked, happily-married man about to be pounced on, someone who could be out of his depth, but doesn't know it, someone about to find out there is a straw about to break the camel's back is no mean effort. Particularly as Brando's performance also colours in about 30 other shades of person between and beyond those mentioned.

You will be physically and emotionally hooked and engaged by Brando from his entrance throughout the remainder of this film. He repeated this effect in so many other films, you know what to say if anyone tries to tell you he wasn't the greatest screen actor ever. Politely tell them to watch a few good movies first, starting here, and then come back when they've grown up.

As the man says:-"We had this date from the beginning, baby", which is one final compelling reason to purchase, I feel.

the new age of acting
Review date: 2007-09-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

Brando in Streetcar portrayed a new kind of acting that had never been seen before. His intensity was real and believable and would come to be known as the "method". Not to be outdone Vivien Leigh more than held her own and he is on record as saying she acted better than him(not sure I agree with that)Karl Malden and Kim Hunter with Leigh won Oscars and deservedly so but Streetcar "is" Brando and if you havent seen it yet and want the feel of New Orleans in the fifties this film is a must.

Over 50 years old and still supreme
Review date: 2007-04-25 Rating: 10 out of 10

Tennesse Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire derived from a very successful Broadway Play in 1947, where the young man known as Brando made his extraordinary performance, which sent the audiences roaring, stamping on their feet and howling at his genisus of chewing gum street slicker, Stanley Kolawski.

Brando was reunited with director of the play, Elia Kazan for the film adaption in 1951, along with Karl Malden and Kim Hunter minus Jessica Tandy's plain and clear point she was mis-cast and couldn't stand up to the power of Brando, hence replaced by Vivien Leigh, who made her big comeback upon the screen.

Blanche DuBois, arrives in sweaty, jazz-orientated New Orleans to meet (and supposebly) live with her sister, Stella while she gets things sorted out. Blanche appears chidlish to Stella's jealous boyfriend where his taunting and short temperness proves too much for the pair...........

Brando as the chewing gum street slicker was practically effortless. This included narling speech which was very muffed; a horrendous devil-like chuckle; a cunningness quality and a staring posture with little eye contact with a leaning hand on the wall to emphasise a short attention span. Vivien Leigh showed a mentally troubled former school teacher in Blanche DuPois. For example, Leigh constantly used her hands to cover her face to highlight the feeling of disgust and the fear of ugliness as well as a boasting side to impress herself. Kim Hunter plays Stella as a woman who sees the arguments and make-ups with Stanley as commonplate and fails to break away as an independant mind. Karl Malden plays Butch, Stanley's best pal, who seeks the kindness in the fragile Blanche, but grows discontent with her elusive behaviour.

Kazan's theatrical setting provides a slow, riveting violent descent through the three main characters with ever winding consquences right to the very end of the piece. The themes of depression and mental illness as well as povery are seen, especially DuBoit's fear of the gastly sights and smells of the of the city and when she refuses to open up her heart to Butch, when he demands to know why she behaves like this.

The plight of physical violence in some scenes, but often happens off-screen, pushed the taboo and controversial decision to the limelight for the very first time, where the Academy board at the time, removed some of the explict content, but eventually ended up that year disbanding. The explict content was restored in 1991, with an additional four minutes running time which was stripped from the original theatrical version.

This remains one of America's finest films from the 1950s and possibly the best and most frank adaption of a Williams Play made within it's time period unlike later ones which were converted into slushy melodramas.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Marlon Brando
Karl Malden
Vivien Leigh
Wright King
Kim Hunter

Creators:
Vivien Leigh (Primary Contributor)
Marlon Brando (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900389327
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Black & White, PAL, Special Edition,
Release date: 2006-05-08
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 119 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1951
Language: English (Original Language)

Add to Cart

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional