A Streetcar, burning with Desire

I have to start by saying "wow!" I think this movie was almost exactly as I had pictured the play to be. The characters went beyond what I had imagined as I read the play. But I think the movie expanded on my ideas and notions and really brought to life the characters and their actions.

Each character truly exemplified what had been presented in the play and made you feel personally connected. When I read the play, I thought Stanley was a man's man, with a bursting ego, who didn't allow anyone to tell him what to do or how to live. In a word, I thought he was a jerk. But watching the movie, I had mixed feelings for him. Stanley seemed very untrustworthy, selfish, and had an animalistic sense to him. He was very demanding of Stella and very intrusive of Blanche's things, claiming he was only looking for what was rightfully his. And I say animalistic for two reasons. The first is because of his constant eating. The gross way in which he shovels food into his mouth reminds me of a wolf praying on a dead carcass. The second reason is the scene where Blanche comes out of the bathroom. Stanley stares at her with such evil in his eyes, if I hadn't known better, I thought he would attack her. But Stanley also has a caring side, which also implies his selfishness. I think deep down Stanley truly loved Stella, but was selfish with his love. He only wanted Stella for himself, and didn't want anyone to come in between them (as Blanche had done.) Stanley wanted all Stella's attention focused on him. After they fight, Stanley embraces Stella. I think this is his way of showing his apology. Also, when Stanley was telling Stella about Blanche's "secret life", he sees how upset this makes her. So, he rubs her back to soothe her, but continues his story. In a way, I think this is him saying that he cares, but he still is thinking about himself.

Blanche is quite the character. I'm actually at a loss for words. Blanche, on the other hand, wasn't. Her mouth flowed like a raging river; her brain and all its thoughts working faster than her mouth could keep up. And she likes to overreact to everything. So much so that no one could really carry on a normal conversation with her. Not only does she have a lot to say, but her body language creates a story all on its own. I noticed she was always fumbling with her hands and her face, like she is producing the typical "scared" pose in a scary movie: the nail-biting, teeth chattering sort of thing. And if she's not in that pose, she is frumped over with her head down. The way she always would whimper and hide reminded me of a dog with its tail between its legs. This got me to thinking if she had been abused- mentally, physically, or verbally- or if she just had such awful memories from her past. Her eyes always looked worried and nervous, like she was afraid someone would find out about her past. Another thing that struck me as odd, but added to Blanche's character, was the way she always covered her chest. For her being so promiscuous, it seems that she would want to flaunt it more. what I didn't get from the play was how she shied away from light. Mitch had never seen her in the light, and when he does, she shies away from him. Again, this gives me a sense that something from her past his haunting her; not just her dead husband, but maybe something else that had happened.

I didn't care too much for Stella's character. In the movie, it seemed as though she was in the background more. I thought she had more presence in the play. What I did get from her was that she was very passive. Although she had the will to stand up to Stanley and express her hurt and concern for her sister, she never acted on any of these feelings. She let Stanley continue to torment her sister. Although Stanley was the one who provided her with a sense of security, what he was doing to Blanche was not right, and Stella knew it.

I thought the end of the movie was a good twist to the play. Stella lost her sister, but left her husband behind. In a way, Stella and Blanche ended in a similar situation. Both are driven away by the ones they love, have no one to confide in, and don't know where they are going to end up.