A Streetcar Named Desire Still Packs a Powerful Punch

Tennessee Williams' acclaimed stage play makes a brilliant transition to the big screen under the skilled direction of Elia Kazan, who would go onto helm the film productions of "On the Waterfront" and "East of Eden". It is carried by the powerhouse performances of two of the greatest actors Hollywood has ever known, Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando.

The story is as steamy as a New Orleans night, following the mounting unease between Blanche DuBois (Leigh) and the husband, Stanley (Brando), of her younger sister, Stella (Kim Hunter). Set in the French Quarter, the film begins with Blanche boarding a streetcar named Desire, in search of her sister's apartment. It is a movie abundant in love, secrets, desperation, sexual tension, and brutal violence. "A Streetcar Named Desire" creates a tale so refreshing, so mesmerizing, and so intelligent that its a shame it lost the Best Picture race to "An American in Paris".

Although this was only Brando's second film, it is evident even here that he will go on to accomplish amazing things. He and Leigh have a chemistry that takes the film to a level every filmmaker strives to reach. Brando creates a character energized by rage, but fueled by the love of his wife. Throughout the film, Stanley is presented as the villain, the antagonist. But the script and Brando's performance never really identify what Stanley is, and the audience is left to make their own conclusions.

Vivien Leigh, in her second Oscar-winning performance, wholly embodies Blanche DuBois. It is an overly-dramatic performance, though Leigh's talent gives it just the right amount of realism to never be overwhelming. She plays Blanche so surrealistically, and with such nuance, that her character connects with the audience in a way few characters really do. Her rage, her desperation, her happiness, her flaws, her insanity, and her loves are maximized to a glorious volume.

The musical score, composed by Alex North, is a sensuous blend of piano and jazz. Hearing the background music, words such as sultry, majestic, and soothing come to mind. It is the perfect contrast to the intensity of the story and the rage of the characters, and the result if one of the most brilliant combinations of sight and sound ever captured on film.