Brando the Hunk and other musings:): Review of A Streetcar Named Desire

Directed by Ella Kazan, the movie is an adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play by the same name. Released in 1951 the movie stars Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando and Kim Hunter. It is rated at 8.1 on a scale of ten at the IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base). We had a screening of the movie at the Institute yesterday (for those who have the problem of spacio temporal disorientation, the date was 11 feb 2010). I had been thinking about bunking the screening due to some technical reasons (read Term Paper submission) but because Pramod had 'dumped' the CD on me I was obliged to be there and to say the least it was worth it! Can anyone look handsome, adorable, violently angry and drunk all at the same time? Marlon Brando can! The movie was one of the few instances in Hollywood industry were the Broadway cast was repeated with few changes in the movie remake, though Jessica Tandy was replaced by Vivien Leigh. Now I was quite surprised to come back home and find out that Leigh bagged the Best Actress Oscar for the movie while poor Brando did not get any:(. Personally speaking, Leigh looked like she was Sheela's elder sister, Brando was much more natural. In fact he is considered one of the pioneers of method acting. By now any one of you who have bothered to read the post must be very clear about where my allegiances lie, right? Before I turn this into a paean of praise devoted to Marlon Brando, let me move on to the subtler details.
Desire, as an underlying motif, is present throughout the movie in the clanging sounds by the streetcar in the background. But basically I think the movie, or for that matter the play also, is about the dichotomy of illusion and reality. Stanley Kowalski, an ex- serviceman, stands for the world of reality. He despises any show of grandeur and sees through Blanche's pretensions right in the beginning. Used to all those 'virtuous' heroes in the Indian movies i should admit that I was a bit taken aback by the final allusion to rape. Stanley and Blanche are on a collision course from the first time they meet. Stan loathes Blanche all the more because she makes her sister Stella ashamed of him, of his primal behaviour. He spoils Blanche's and Mitch's wedding plans citing her flirtatious and shady past as a reason. He claims that he does not want one of his friends to spoil his life by entering into wedlock with his sister- in- law. But one can always doubt his intentions, the fact remains that the movie is titled "A Streetcar named Desire".
What i would consider as one of the highlights of the movie, besides the script, would be the 'abuse' scenes. I am not sure if it is the director's skill or the actors', but it has to be mentioned that the scenes look so so real. Especially the one's between Stan and Stella. Now I also know from where Mani Ratnam got his idea of love- hate relationship between Inba and Shashi (Madhavan and Meera Jasmine) in Ayudha Ezhuthu. The scenes in this Tamil movie are 'copy- paste' from Streetcar.
As in most Hollywood productions, this one also has a streak of patriotism in it. Stan is often reffered to as the Polack by Blanche, in one of their confrontation scenes Stan screams at Blanche that he is a proud American! and not a Polack!!!
Now I have left many things unsaid in this review here in the hope that others will pitch in with their share of criticism. Awaiting your responses...