A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) ......... I was expecting to see some silly old bollywood style movie. Instead it surprise me with its play type settings and then it surprised me more......

Movie is a depiction of internal fight everyone faces everyday about their lives. Blanche (Vivien Leigh) arrives to her sister place for the refuge and its all about how she and everyone around her are trying to live up to the lives they have got into of their choice or not. Her brother-in-law Stan(Marlon Brando) is an uncultured and unsuitable suitor to her sister. These emotional battles are to be seen all throughout the movie and at different levels too. You are bound to be fascinated by one character or the other and seriously you will never forget them.

A Streetcar Named Desire is more of symbolic name which is what the movie is all about "Human Desires". Vivien Leigh (Gone with the wind famed) and Marlon Brando (Godfather famed) are simply stunning. I could completely picture our own Big B pulling off that role. Its so loud and intense that not many could have pulled it off. This movie has a distinction for winning 3 of top 4 major acting Oscars for the first time in the history. Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter (Stella - The sister) and Karl Malden (Mitch - The guy who loves blanche) got the awards for best actress, supporting actress and supporting actor. Only Marlon Brando missed out on Best actor award. I will certainly like see the performance of the guy who beat him to it.

In fun trivia i read, that the director made sets with moving walls so that during scenes he can move the walls to show the mental state of the characters. Pretty cool i say.

A streetcar named desire......ends with a famous line by Blanche " I have always depended on the kindness of strangers". Which actually is always right. We are more tolerant towards strangers that our near and dear ones. Something which i think is a social norm.

The best part about the film is that despite being thought about half a century back; It is still relevant. Our lives do follow " A Streetcar Named Desire".