A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Wait it's an ACTUAL streetcar?!
All abooooooooard, this ILTBTA Transit Authority streetcar is headed to Desireville! Find a seat and hold on tight because we’ve got quite a journey of deception and drunkards ahead of us with A Streetcar Named Desire. Grab one of those tiny portable fans and read on!
Previews
What, if anything, did we know about this coming attraction before we watched it?
Ellen: There is a photo from this movie depicting young Marlon Brando from my “Intro to American Film and Culture” textbook that is absolutely burned in my brain. Between that and “STELLLLLAAAA”, we’ve run out of things I know!
Tyler: I think this is the one where the guy screams “STELLLLAAA!” right? I’m intrigued by seeing a young Marlon Brando (having only ever seen him in later roles) and Vivien Leigh in something other than Gone With The Wind. I’ve also heard the name Blanche DuBois before but never knew much beyond the fact that she’s a character in a movie, so I suppose it’s about time to watch that movie, huh?
Plots & Feelings
This one’s pretty self-explanatory.
Short Version (courtesy of IMDb): Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.
Long Version (modified from Wikipedia and formatted to fit your screen):
Nawlins, the late 1940’s: taxis bustle, trains chugga-chugga, and Blanche DuBois wanders through the station looking lost. A young sailor eventually points her toward the titular streetcar named “Desire” that whisks her off to Elysian Fields where she hopes to find her younger sister Stella. They barely show us the streetcar, but Blanche is dumped on a seedy-looking corner of New Orleans1 nonetheless. She eventually finds Stella watching her husband Stanley bowl and cause “all that rhubarb,” aka starting a fight. The ladies sit for drinks, and Blanche explains that she took a leave of absence from her teaching job due to nerves, but she also proudly tells Stella that she hasn’t gained an ounce in 10 years2, not since their father died and Stella left 👀👀. They go to Stella and Stanley’s place, and Blanche confesses that their family estate of Belle Reve is lost due to the cost of all the recent family funerals. Stella is stunned, but not as bewildered as Stanley is when he arrives home. However, he immediately offers her a shot and takes off his shirt, and this, readers, marks the high point of their relationship!
Ellen: The original Wikipedia synopsis referred to Blanche as “middle-aged,” so I’m mentally and emotionally preparing for her to be twenty-six.
Tyler: She may be old and decrepit but she’s got the, uh, spunk of a much younger woman. The closed captions and I could barely keep up with her and her very particular Southern accent. Also, at some point she describes herself as “shaken up and hot and dirty and tired,” which describes most people the second they step outside in New Orleans.
Laying down after a long car ride (Source)
On the one hand, you have Blanche’s aloof, deteriorating Southern charm, while on the other is Stanley’s more blue-collar, brutish behavior, and the two do not mesh. Stella makes her husband promise not to reveal that she’s pregnant just yet, and he agrees, but he’s very suspicious of this whole Belle Reve situation, believing Blanche is hiding an inheritance from them. She angrily hands him sheaf upon sheaf of papers about the situation, accidentally revealing some old poems from her now-deceased husband. Stanley almost immediately spills the baby beans, saying he’s just looking out for his family. Every interaction of theirs is antagonistic, but they’re not not flirting, you know? Blanche confirms as much to Stella later in a very offhand way, as though that’s just how she deals with men, no matter who they’re married to.
Ellen looking at those biceps (Source)
Stanley and The Boys have a raucous card game that night, much to the annoyance of Eunice, their upstairs neighbor. Stella and Blanche tried to give them their space, but they had to come home eventually. Stanley drunkenly freaks out at every interruption, real or perceived. Blanche meets Mitch, whose courteous manner sets him apart from Stanley’s other friends, and Mitch is swept away by Blanche’s flirtatious charm. She turns the radio on as she chats with Mitch, and Stanley loses his whole mind and throws the radio through a window, shoves Stella, and hits a wall hard enough that a light fixture comes down! The Boys give the plastered Stanley a forcible shower, and he stumbles into the street, soaking wet, yelling for “STELLLLLAAAAAA!” But she’s upstairs at Eunice’s with Blanche. Discordant jazz plays as Stella slowly descends the steps toward him, despite her sister’s protests, and returns with him to their apartment.
Tyler: We’re like halfway through the movie at this point and there’s still no discernable plot other than “Blanche’s got a secret and she and Stanley hate each other.” Which, like, isn’t even really a plot.
Ellen: There’s a certain category of story that’s like “gee, what a bunch of characters, let’s see how they interact and live their lives!” without much other narrative thrust, and I think those just ain’t it for you.
Tyler: Thank you for verbalizing what I could not, though I may continue to yell “Oh my god something please happen!” at these movies.
The next morning, Blanche is like “good morning, sister, WTF?” Stella explains that Stanley has always smashed things, and she finds it rather thrilling. Blanche says some elitist stuff about the men they were raised to expect, but it’s hard to argue against the fact that Stanley’s a volatile dude who “maybe will hit you, maybe will kiss you.” On cue, the man walks in covered in oil and sweat, clearly having heard what Blanche thinks of him. He asks her about a certain Hotel Flamingo in her hometown of Oriole, and she insists she wouldn’t be caught dead there. Blanche does eventually admit to Stella that there’s unkind gossip about her of late in Oriole, and the last year has not been kind3. She also says that she hasn’t revealed her age yet to Mitch, who’s picking her up for a date tonight. She spirals slightly when Mitch is late, kissing a teen who comes to the door collecting for The Evening Star. Er, anyway, Mitch shows up, so it’s time to go dancing!
Ellen: If this were written today, I could absolutely see Stanley making a “Streetcar named Deez Nuts” joke.
Tyler: That sound you hear is me laughing and our readers gasping that you’re the one who made a deez nuts joke and not me.
Mitch and Blanche have a tepid date, but Mitch is clearly very taken with her, confessing his insecurities about his physique and the time he has to devote to his ailing mother. Blanche deflects when he asks how old she is, instead telling the story of her late husband. They fell in love at sixteen, and he wrote her poetry and they married. He couldn’t keep a job, however, and she heard him crying at night instead of sleeping. One night while they were out dancing at a casino, she told him he was weak and she despised him, and he ran out to the lake and swallowed a bullet. Mitch is shockingly understanding, and the two continue dating. Months pass, and he wants to marry her, but is getting yelled at by whom? You guessed it: Stanley! He’s trying to protect his friend from a woman he sees as a liar and completely untrustable4. Back at home, Stanley reveals to Stella the results of his investigation: Blanche had “many meetings with strangers” back in Oriole and didn’t take a leave of absence for nerves, but rather was kicked out for a “relationship” with a seventeen-year-old! The trio has the most awkward birthday dinner on Earth, wherein Stanley clears his place by smashing the plate and presenting Blanche with his gift: a bus ticket back to Oriole. The fight is interrupted by Stella going into labor!
Ellen: Apparently in the play, Blanche’s husband’s homosexuality is more evident, but it was papered over for the movie version. I think you can still read between the lines and pick up on the ~vibes~, however.
Mitch eventually arrives to confront Blanche. He’s not well, but she’s worse: she’s clearly been getting worse for months between the anxiety and the alcohol. She confesses to never letting Mitch see her in full light so he won’t know she’s past 30. Blanche drinks some Southern Cheer liqueur and confirms everything Stanley said, and Mitch says he doesn’t mind her being older than he thought, but everything else is too much, and leaves. A walking metaphor of a woman roams the streets, declaring she has “flores para los muertos.” In the dark, Blanche whispers to herself that she’ll be good, and thus when the doctors send Stanley home because the baby won’t come until tomorrow, he finds that she’s decked herself out in jewelry and pearls, saying an old beau called and invited her on a Caribbean cruise. Stanley, uh, does not buy this, and seemingly plays up his more uncouth mannerisms to antagonize her as the two argue about her delusions. The conflict escalates to the point of Blanche breaking a bottle and threatening him with it, and in the struggle a mirror is smashed and we fade to black. The Wikipedia summary confirms from the play what the movie obfuscates: Stanley rapes Blanche.
Ellen: Grilled cheese Louise and yiiiiikes, y’all! Before reading the summary, I thought he “just” knocked her out (which is also horrifying).
Weeks later, another poker game is afoot at the apartment. Blanche is pretty much catatonic. She at some point told Stella what happened, but her sister can’t believe it. Stella has made arrangements for Blanche to go “rest” in the country, alternating between comforting her sister and her new baby. A doctor and nurse arrive to take Blanche away, and she is pissed that it is not her beau Shep Huntleigh, as promised. The nurse is brusque, but the doctor is kind, helping Blanche out the door. As they pass the poker game, Mitch is visibly upset, and he tries to fight Stanley to no avail! Stella finally realizes that Blanche was telling the truth and takes the baby upstairs to Eunice’s. Wikipedia once again informs us of a deviance from the play: in that version, in part at Eunice’s urging, Stella returns to Stanley.
Ellen: I was glad at the end of the movie that Stella left Stanley and that he wasn’t portrayed as some working class hero, but with the interpretation of what Stanley did from the play, I’m even gladder. But then to hear that the play is even darker and she goes back to him?? I guess that version still doesn’t posit that we should want Stella to go back to him, but eurrghhhhhh.
Tyler: The play ending is indeed a giant bummer, but Stella proved time and again that she’d put up with all of Stanley’s horrible behaviors (and sometimes even be attracted to it), so I was actually somewhat surprised that what he did to her sister was what finally made her crack. Though maybe seeing Stanley’s actions directly affect a loved one gave her a different outlook on things? I don’t know, but I do know that I feel icky.
Intermission
Even though ILTBTA is free, please indulge us further and enjoy this quick “advertisement.”
This installment of ILTBTA is brought to you by … iFlores Para Los Muertos!
¿Necesita flores para alguien que falleció recientemente? Seamos honestos, probablemente lo haga porque aquí hace siempre calor y es la década de 1940, por lo que la atención médica aún no se ha inventado.
No busque más allá de Flores Para Los Muertos para todas sus necesidades de arreglos florales. Use el código de promoción ILTBTA y reciba una flor gratis para tirar en el ataúd de su ser querido.
¿Confundido por qué un negocio de flores en una antigua ciudad francesa está dirigido por hispanos? Digamos que nuestra competencia necesitaba algunas de nuestras flores.
*Google Translate link
Wiki-Wiki-Whaaat?
Love a good Wikipedia rabbit hole in search of some fun facts? Us too.
A Streetcar Named Desire’s Wikipedia page has some interesting facts and anecdotes that we recommend you read through, but here are a few of our favorites:
The titular streetcar was literally “named” Desire based on a sign at the front of the car displaying the destination: Rue Desiré in the Bywater neighborhood. The street was named around the time of the Louisiana Purchase by a plantation owner as a tribute to his third daughter, Desirée. Coincidentally, the streetcar company ended that route a year after the play was written, so the movie production team had to get permission from the local authorities to hire a streetcar with Desire on it.
A Streetcar Named Desire is based on the 1947 play of the same name written by Thomas “Tennessee” Williams. Directed by Elia Kazan (who also directed the film adaptation), the play starred Jessica Tandy as Blanche DuBois, a relatively unknown Marlon Brando as Stan Kowalski, and Kim Hunter as Stella Kowalski. Brando and Hunter would both go on to receive acting Oscars for their work in the film adaptation. Vivien Leigh starred in the West End production in London, which was directed by her then-husband Laurence Olivier.
As far as casting Blanche in the ASND movie, while Kazan wanted Tandy to reprise the role from the Broadway production, movie producers wanted a leading actress with more star power. They offered it to Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland, who both declined, paving the way for Leigh to take the role.
There were several interesting changes made to the source material in the film adaptation, including the expansion of the set beyond the Kowalski apartment, adjusting references to comply with the Hays Code, and abbreviating some dialogue.
The Kowalski apartment set, which was filmed on soundstages at Warner Bros. in Burbank, CA, was designed to seem smaller over the course of the movie to reflect the sense of claustrophobia felt by the characters.
Ellen: I didn’t clock it as it was happening, but it certainly makes sense now that I know!
Good Marlon Brando fact: his Oscar nomination for ASND was his first of four consecutive Best Actor nominations, with him finally winning in 1954 for his role in On the Waterfront (also directed by Elia Kazan).
Bad Marlon Brando fact: he has a “Comments on Jews and Hollywood” subsection in his Wikipedia page and it’s exactly as bad as you think it is.
Gray Area Marlon Brando fact: early in his film career, Brando began using cue cards instead of memorizing his lines. While Brando thought it added some authenticity to his performances, others derided it as lazy.
Ellen: Yeah, you know how people in their everyday lives are just constantly looking over your shoulder to read off what they want to say?
Tyler: I think if it’s done well and you have a general idea of what you’re gonna say, there’s a world in which he’s right and it does look more “real.” It’s like living in an anti-Sorkin universe where people take their time to think about how they want to reply.
Oscar NomNomNomz
Since we all know a movie is nothing without the food and drink it incorporates.
It’s now time to award the Oscar for Best Snacktor in a Supporting Role5. And the nomnomnominees are:
Grape pop
Red hots (hot dogs) from the street vendor
Southern Cheer liqueur
And the Oscar goes to … the grape pop! Unfortunately, someone stole it on the way to the stage because it is so gosh darn hot and humid in Nawlins and a nice cold drink sounded too tasty to pass up … so we will accept this award on its behalf.
Fill In The Blank
How did we really feel about The Academy nominating this?
Ellen: I’d like to introduce The Academy to some air conditioning and get them off the streets of Elysian Fields. There’s no question that this is a masterfully written, acted, and produced movie. Tennessee Williams knew what he was doing, and it really comes together when you just pluck the majority of the cast from Broadway. Even though as Tyler pointed out, there wasn’t a lot of forward motion in the plot department, I was still tense, wondering what these yahoos were going to do. The story overall, however, leaves me feeling like I need a shower. Neither Blanche nor Stanley is a good person, but I’m sure they both believe that they have their reasons and their nature, and it’s kind of terrible to watch them swirl around each other. And then there’s the bleakness of the Stella of it all! It’s believed that Hollywood tacked on a “happy” ending, but don’t you worry, play-purists: ya girl is not happy.
Tyler: I’d like to tell The Academy to pack up its stuff and hop back on the streetcar. I feel like we don’t typically see this eye-to-eye on movies, but I agree with everything you said. It’s undoubtedly a well-made movie, but that’s not to say that I particularly enjoyed it. Blanche and Stan were just too much for me, be it Blanche's rambling speeches or Stan's drunken rampages. I chalk that up to their #BigPlayEnergy, where it seems to be a requirement for some characters to be dialed up to 11. I will commend Vivien Leigh, though, for her portrayal of Blanche’s slow and steady mental breakdown. It’s always an uncomfortable feeling watching someone go through that (even though you know it’s fictional), but not since Claire Danes’ run on Homeland have I seen someone nail that slippery slope so well. I think it’s all in the eyes and eyebrows …
Let The Credits Roll
Thanks for reading! Some quick housekeeping as you exit the theatre:
If you have plots and feelings of your own (on the movie or ILTBTA in general), feel free to comment on the post or simply reply to the email. If you liked reading this: tell your friends! If you hated reading this: tell your friends how much you hated it by forwarding it to them!
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If you’d like to start a wild Best Picture journey of your own, feel free to download a copy of The Spreadsheet. Bonus: checking off the boxes is oddly satisfying.
Post-Credits Scene
Get a sneak peek at the next ILTBTA installment.
Grab your carry-on bags and make sure you’ve got your boarding passes, because for our next ILTBTA post we’ll be watching the 1970 disaster-drama Airport. Starring an ensemble cast led by Burt Lancaster (whom we first met in From Here To Eternity) and Dean Martin, Airport is about an airport manager in Chicago trying to deal with a snowstorm and a suicide bomber. Like most things associated with air travel nowadays, it is available to rent for a fee, though $3.99 plus tax is pretty cheap compared to a checked bag!
Until then, remember: a shot never did a coke any harm!
Tyler: That doesn’t really narrow it down much, does it? *shots fired*
Thus begins our first glimpse into Blanche’s vanity
Sounds like my ex-wife!
Not to be confused with being Uncrustable.
Results tabulated and certified by the accountants at Ernst & Yum™