Variety
The camera has done greater justice to the Williams play, catching the nuances and reflected tragedy with an intimacy that is so vital in a story of this type.
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A Streetcar Named Desire
One of the most famous, influential and powerful screen performances is the centrepiece of Elia Kazan's A Streetcar Named Desire – Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski. Roger Ebert: "Before this role, there was usually a certain restraint in American movie performances. Actors would portray violent emotions, but you could always sense a certain modesty that prevented them from displaying their feelings in raw nakedness. Brando held nothing back."
Regularly listed amongst the best films of all time (number 47 according the American Film Institute), this New Orleans-set adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play chronicles the dynamic between a former prostitute Blanche DuBois (Vivian Leigh), her sister Stella (Kim Hunter), and Stella's rough and sexually charged husband Stanley (Brando).
The film won three acting Oscars - Best Actress (Leigh), Supporting Actress (Hunter) and Supporting Actor (Karl Malden). Brando was nominated for Best Actor but lost to Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen.
Less1951Rating: PG125 minsUSA
DramaClassic
- Director:
- Elia Kazan ('Gentleman's Agreement', 'On the Waterfront', 'East of Eden', 'America, America')
- Writer:
- Tennessee WilliamsOscar Saul
- Cast:
- Marlon BrandoVivien LeighKim HunterKarl Malden
A Streetcar Named Desire | Awards
Winner of four Oscars, 1952 Academy Awards. Volpi Cup winner (Best Performance) for Vivien Leigh, Venice Film Festival 1951.
A Streetcar Named Desire | Reviews
97%63 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® Score
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Total Film
Simply a masterful adap of Tennessee Williams' sultry, searing play and an affirmation of Marlon Brando's acting genius.
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The New York Times
Inner torments are seldom projected with such sensitivity and clarity on the screen.
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Roger Ebert
Marlon Brando didn't win the Academy Award in 1951 for his acting in "A Streetcar Named Desire." The Oscar went to Humphrey Bogart, for "The African Queen." But you could make a good case that no performance had more influence on modern film acting styles than Brando's work as Stanley Kowalski, Tennessee Williams' rough, smelly, sexually charged hero.
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