She falsely claims that Mitch had asked for her forgiveness but she had rejected him. It starred John C. Reilly as Stanley, Amy Ryan as Stella, and Natasha Richardson as Blanche. Stella, rushing to defend Blanche, is horrified, and she is equally horrified when Stanley tells her that he has also told these stories to Mitch. Blanche threatens to cry fire and tells him to get out. Williams lived in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1939, writing for the Works Progress Administration. Complete your free account to request a guide. (The birthday party is for Blanche's 30th birthday.) He tells Stella about the Napoleonic Code which, in those days, was a legal right of a husband over his wife's financial affairs. A Streetcar Named Desireis one of Tennessee Williams's most famous plays. The characters in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire represent the multi-faceted nature of the South.While Blanche represents an old-world idealshe formerly owned a plantation called Belle Reve and has a patrician affectation, the other characters, including Stanley, his friends, and other inhabitants of the quarter, represent the multi-cultural reality of a city like New Orleans. Another ballet production was staged by John Neumeier in Frankfurt in 1983. Later, Stanley lets drop a few hints that he knows some repugnant details about Blanches past, and Blanche is nervous, but the tension does not crack just yet. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Blanche's route in the play"They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off atElysian Fields! The tensions of wartime emergency cohabitation of family members somehow forced to move in with each other in tight, cramped quarters because of the fortunes of war are noted when it is obvious that Blanche and Stanley immediately get on each others' nerves, especially when Blanche, who passes herself off as the only Aristocrat in her new neighborhood, is the only one in her new neighborhood who actually resorts to tough bar language and ethnic slurs in passing conversation. Later in the run, Uta Hagen succeeded Tandy, Carmelita Pope succeeded Hunter, and Anthony Quinn succeeded Brando. Stanleys friend Mitch catches Blanches eye, and as she asks Stella about him, she maneuvers herself skillfully in the light to be caught half-dressed in silhouette. [20] In 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns it was released for free on YouTube as part of the National Theatre At Home series. [10], The spring 1988 revival at the Circle in the Square Theatre starred Aidan Quinn opposite Blythe Danner as Blanche and Frances McDormand as Stella. She is reluctant to be seen in the glare of light and seems to have a drinking problem. Williams' most popular work, A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most critically acclaimed plays of the twentieth century. She eventually confesses that the stories are true. The play is set in the shabby but rakishly charming New Orleans of the 1940s. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Absolutely dripping with tension, acrimony and bitterness as Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski lock horns in their own uniquely individual way with the backdrop a dark, drenched and run down part of New Orleans. [3] Selznick originally wanted to cast Margaret Sullavan and John Garfield, but settled on the less well-known Jessica Tandy and a virtual unknown at the time, Marlon Brando. Blanche DuBois arrives to visit her sister, Mrs. Stella Kowalski, who lives in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It tells the story of Blanche DuBois, her sister, Stella, and Stella's husband, Stanley. The tragic heroine of Williams's play is, of course, Blanche DuBois. She has descended into another fantasy about an old suitor coming to provide financial support and take her away from New Orleans. The three main characters of A Streetcar Named Desire are sexual. Stanley and Stella are tense. Refine any search. Stanley and Stella Kowalski live in the downstairs flat of a faded corner building. Drop it! My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Stanley seethes that Blanche is interrupting the poker game. When Stanley comes back from taking Stella to the hospital, he is looking for a bottle opener. Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her. Drop the bottle top! Many of the major themes of A Streetcar Named Desire are embodied in the history and culture of New Orleans. The 1973 Woody Allen film Sleeper includes a late scene in which Miles (Woody) and Luna (Diane Keaton) briefly take on the roles of Stanley (Luna) and Blanche (Miles). She escapes to the upstairs apartment of her landlady (Peg Hillias), but is so dependent upon Stanley that she returns to him when he goes into the yard and calls for her to come back. $24.99 Continue to start your free trial. [3] It opened at the Shubert in New Haven in early November 1947, then played the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia before moving to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 3, 1947. The critics were unanimous in their praise. Stella does not remain with Stanley, as she does in the play. Soon after her arrival at the Kowalskis, Blanche starts to date Mitch, one of Stanley's friends and coworkers who is a little softer around the edges than most of Stanley's friends. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Stanley and Stella nearly begin a huge fight, but Stella goes into labor. The doctor speaks respectfully to Blanche, saying How do you do? and Miss DuBois, which helps to win her trust (Scene Eleven, pp. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. When her sister comes, Blanche quite frankly criticizes the place. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Mitch is somewhat unaware that Blanche has somewhat controlled their courtship to put herself in the best possible light, both figuratively and literally. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Purchasing Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Study Guides. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. The original 1947 Broadway production of Streetcar shot Marlon Brando, who played Stanley Kowalski, to stardom. An angry and humiliated Mitch rejects her. Blanche is still haunted by his death (and the play will become increasingly haunted with the background music of the polka). A Streetcar Named Desire is a play by Tennessee Williams about a Southern woman named Blanche DuBois who moves in with her sister, Stella, in New Orleans. Genre A Streetcar Named Desire is a tragic drama. A Streetcar Named Desire is a tragic drama. [26] The revival has received six Laurence Olivier Awards nominations, including Best Revival, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting for Mescal, Ferran and Vasan. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Stella erupts in anger over Stanley's cruelty after he reveals he has already told Mitch. However, only Baldwin and Lange were from the stage production. Ned Flanders and Marge Simpson took the leading roles as Stanley and Blanche, respectively. Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her. Dontdont hang back with the brutes!. Contact us at the best online prices at eBay! After being exiled from her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, for seducing a seventeen-year-old boy at the school where she taught English, Blanche explains her unexpected appearance on Stanley and Stella's (Blanche's sister) doorstep as nervous exhaustion. Developed in the 1920s and typically written by native Southerners, works in the Southern Gothic genre take place in the contemporary American South, which remains permeated by the legacy of the Civil War. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Buy Study Guide A Streetcar Named Desire Summary and Analysis of Scene 1 Scene 1: At rise, we see a two-story building in a poor, charming, diverse section of New Orleans, called Elysian Fields. The Short Overview of Plot This theatrical piece creates a "Brechtian 'epic drama'" that relies on the reflective rather than emotional involvement of the audiencea "commentary on the sexual roles and games in Williams's text". [27]. Stanley stumbles outside, bellowing upstairs: STELL-LAHHHHH! Stella slips back downstairs into Stanleys arms, and Mitch comforts Blanche in her distress. She has just finished composing a letter to Shep Huntleigh pretending that she has been on a round of teas and cocktail parties. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. It opened on 8 September and closed on 15 October. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Blanche has hope in Mitch, and tells Stella that she wants to go away with him and not be anyone's problem. Lange won a Golden Globe award (for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie), while Baldwin was nominated for Best Actor, but did not win. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1970 Press Photo Elaine Kerr, Blanche Du Bois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the best online prices at eBay! It was noted by many critics that the 2013 Academy Award-winning Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine had much in common with Streetcar and is most likely a loose adaptation. The opening night cast also included Kim Hunter as Stella and Karl Malden as Mitch. He later traveled to Hollywood to work as a screenwriter. They are opposing camps and Stella is caught in no-man's-land. Teachers and parents! (including. It is often included in paper editions of A Streetcar Named Desire. It featured Timothy Carhart as Mitch and Amy Madigan as Stella, as well as future Sopranos stars James Gandolfini and Aida Turturro. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Stanley yanks the paper lantern off the light bulb. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Yet, as rumors of Blanche's past in Auriol begin to catch up to her, her circumstances become unbearable. This production, directed by Liv Ullmann, starred Cate Blanchett as Blanche, Joel Edgerton as Stanley, Robin McLeavy as Stella and Tim Richards as Mitch.[14]. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs This, she claims, is the result of a series of financial calamities which have recently claimed the family plantation, Belle Reve. What will happen when Stella goes to the hospital to have her baby and just Blanche and her brother-in-law are in the house? Stanley, a sinewy and brutish man, is as territorial as a panther. Hagen and Quinn took the show on a national tour directed by Harold Clurman, and then returned to Broadway for additional performances. Music included Visions fugitives by Prokofiev and Alfred Schnittke's First Symphony. The black and cross-gendered productions of Streetcar since the mid-1950s are too numerous to list here. Nevertheless, he demands intimacy with her, suggesting that it's his right since he has waited for so long for nothing. Lastly theres Social Realism, because of the plays frank treatment of issues like immigration, class, gender roles, and power plays between women and men.All that creepy shadows-on-the-wall voices-in-Blanches-head stuff that we talked about also explains the plays categorization as Southern Gothic. The way the content is organized, A concise biography of Tennessee Williams plus historical and literary context for, In-depth summary and analysis of every scene of, Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of. Blanche finds that Stanley's hyper-masculinity, which often displays itself in physical outbursts, is common, coarse and vulgar, being common which in turn is what attracted Stella to him. [15] Theatre review aggregator Curtain Critic gave the production a score of 61 out of 100 based on the opinions of 17 critics. However, it did win four Emmys, including one for cinematographer Bill Butler. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. In 1993, this footage was restored in the "Original Director's Version" of the film. An atmosphere of decay, impoverished settings, grotesque characters, and violent or lurid events characterize Southern Gothic literature. The other men douse Stanley in the shower, which sobers him up, and he is remorseful. In 1997, (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago IL), Gary Sinise as Stanley, John C Reilly as Mitch, Kathryn Erbe as Stella, and Laila Robins as Blanche. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. In an episode of The Simpsons, the characters stage a musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire called Oh, Streetcar! Blanche tells Stella that Belle Reve, the family plantation, has been lost, and that she has been given a leave of absence from her teaching position due to her nerves. Carrie Houk, the Festival's Executive Artistic Director, and Tim Ocel, the director of the play, chose to cast the play with actors whose ages were close to Tennessee Williams' original intentions. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. A telling interlude has Stanley striking Stella for interfering with his treatment of Blanche. 20% [14] If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. We later learn she suffers from guilt due to the way she had reacted to finding out her husband's homosexuality and his fatal reaction. Read more about the Southern Gothic as it applies to William Faulkners short story A Rose for Emily.. A Streetcar Named Desire is a play by Tennessee Williams. Apparently they re-shot it without him changing into dry trousers. Stanley's loathing for Blanche's prim and proper attitude was probably inspired by Williams's own father's aversion to his mother's Southern airs. Blanche hangs a paper lantern over a bare bulb. Tandy received a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 1948, sharing the honor with Judith Anderson and Katharine Cornell. She finds Stanley loud and rough, eventually referring to him as "common". Purchasing Read one-minute Sparklet summaries, the detailed scene-by-scene Summary & Analysis, the Full Book Summary, or the Full Book Analysis of A Streetcar Named Desire. Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams in Columbus, Mississippi. It was produced by the Lincoln Center, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, and starred Rosemary Harris as Blanche, James Farentino as Stanley and Patricia Conolly as Stella. The TV version added John Goodman as Mitch and Diane Lane as Stella. When a doctor and a matron arrive to take Blanche to the hospital, she initially resists them and the nurse painfully restrains her. Blanche collapses on the floor and Stanley is last seen taking her unconscious into his bed. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Mark Fleetwood . for a group? Weeks later, Stella and Eunice are packing Blanches bags while the men play poker in the kitchen and Blanche takes a bath. When Blanche and Mitch return from their date, she is exhausted with the utter exhaustion which only a neurasthenic personality can know and still nervous from Stanleys hints. Published in 1947, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and has garnered numerous Tony and Olivier awards since its first production. Sharon Friedman. The only thing holding Stella and Stanley together, Blanche says, is the rattle-trap street-car named Desire. Stanley, unbeknownst to Stella and Blanche, overhears Blanche criticize Stanley as being coarse and sub-human. Subscribe now. It is directed by Elia Kazan, and stars Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. Oh, and Streetcar is a great portrait of social issues in New Orleans (ahem, the South) in the 1940s. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. to decide whether one really has a point and the other should really be apprehended by the authorities. Blanche senses that something is wrong. Blanche makes up a story about Shep Huntleigh sending her a telegram from Dallas, and then tells Stanley that Mitch came back on his knees with roses to beg for forgiveness. However, some of the film's dialogue is taken from the 1951 film version, not the original stage version. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Yes, a big spider! A Streetcar Named Desire Summary Next Scene 1 The play is set in the shabby but rakishly charming New Orleans of the 1940s. There, one could transfer to the Cemeteries line, which ran along Canal, blocks away from Elysian Fields. Thats where I brought my victims (Scene Nine, p. 87). Another version of this essay, titled "The Catastrophe of Success", is sometimes used as an introduction to The Glass Menagerie. Blanche tells Stella that she has taken a leave of absence from her English-teaching position because of her nerves (which is later revealed to be a lie). Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of A Streetcar Named Desire. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Beyond finding Blanche's delicate hoidy-toidy act as putting on airs, Stanley, a plant worker, believes she may really have sold Belle Reve and is withholding Stella's fair share of the proceeds from them. Dang. Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the restless years following World War Two, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE is the story of Blanche DuBois, a fragile and neurotic woman on a desperate prowl for someplace in the world to call her own. After Stella returns to Stanley, Blanche and Mitch sit at the bottom of the steps in the courtyard, where Mitch apologizes for Stanley's coarse behavior. Besides from the opening scene, the entirety of the . Dang. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. This character is an essentially noble person whose downfall, leading to death, is brought about by some combination of a flaw in their character, and fate. Blanche is still playing at being a nave Southern belle who still blushes at a kiss. Free shipping for many products! "A Streetcar Named Desire" is a play by Tennessee Williams. Want 100 or more? Stanley uses simple imagery, ironically and critically: What do you two think you are? Stanley later questions Blanche about her earlier marriage. [23][24], The play was revived again in 2022 at the West End's Almeida Theatre under the direction of Rebecca Frecknall, with Patsy Ferran taking the role of Blanche opposite Paul Mescal as Stanley, and Anjana Vasan as Stella. Stanley uses sexist language: You hens cut out that conversation in there! (Scene Three, p. 31). Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Stanley shatters her stories, saying, You come in here and sprinkle the place with powder and spray perfume and cover the light bulb with a paper lantern, and lo and behold the place has turned into Egypt and you are the Queen of the Nile! Williams himself was born in Mississippi and had a family home in St. Louis. Blanche has put on an absurd white evening gown and a rhinestone tiara. Largely due to Brandos Stanley and Vivian Leighs iconic Blanche, Kazans film has become a cultural touchstone, particularly Brandos famous bellowing of STELL-LAHHHHH!, Oh, Streetcar! Blanche Duboisarrives at the French Quarter of New Orleans to stay with her sister, Stella Kowalski. Fire! and he stumbles away. Streetcar on the silver screen. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! Jessica Tandy was the only lead actor from the original Broadway production not to appear in the 1951 film. [6], An Australian production with Viola Keats as Blanche and Arthur Franz as Stanley opened at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne in February 1950.[7]. Pedro Almodvar's 1999 Academy Award-winning film All About My Mother features a Spanish-language version of the play being performed by some of the supporting characters and the play itself plays an important role in the film. Instant PDF downloads. Sure, the "supernatural" elements of the play turn out to be only in Blanche's imagination, but thats the case in many horror movies. Struggling with distance learning? Based on the 1947 play by Tennessee Williams, it follows a 1951 adaptation starring Marlon Brando and a 1984 television adaptation.The film was adapted from a 1992 Broadway revival of . Summary and Analysis Scene 5. From July 2009 until October 2009, Rachel Weisz and Ruth Wilson starred in a highly acclaimed revival of the play in London's West End at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Rob Ashford. [18] Thus far, the production has been screened in over 2000 venues. [28] The ending itself was also slightly altered. A 1995 television version was based on the highly successful Broadway revival that starred Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange. You'll also receive an email with the link. About A Streetcar Named Desire The structure of this play is best seen through a series of confrontations between Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski. A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. They were joined by Vivien Leigh from the London production in the part of Blanche. In 2012, Scottish Ballet collaborated with theatre and film director Nancy Meckler and international choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to create a new staging of A Streetcar Named Desire. An argument ensues between Stella and Stanley but is cut short as Stella goes into unexpected labor and is taken by her husband to the hospital. Blanches imagery often idealises: I hope that his eyes are going to be like candles, like two blue candles lighted in a white cake! (Scene Eight, p. 79). We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Blanche DuBois, a high school English teacher with an aristocratic background from Auriol, Mississippi, decides to move to live with her sister and brother-in-law, Stella and Stanley Kowalski, in New Orleans after creditors take over the family property, Belle Reve. Stanley instantly leaves with her, murmuring softly. His father was a loud, outgoing, hard-drinking, boisterous man who bordered on the vulgar, at least as far as the . The play is a tragedy because its protagonist suffers an unfortunate fate and is fundamentally destroyed and lost at the plays end. Instant PDF downloads. Unfortunately, "Super Iconic Sex N' Madness Spectacular" isn't a viable genre. Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, this renowned drama follows troubled former schoolteacher Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) as she leaves small-town Mississippi and moves in with . Stanley, worried that he has been cheated out of an inheritance, demands to know what happened to Belle Reve, once a large plantation and the DuBois family home. Ralph Meeker also took on the part of Stanley both in the Broadway and touring companies. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Blanche DuBois, Stellas sister, arrives: They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and then to transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off atElysian Fields! Blanche is a fading Southern belle from Laurel, Mississippi. Free trial is available to new customers only. Ed. It was staged at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where the original production was staged. The scene in which Blanche and Stanley first meet was edited a bit to take out some of the sexual tension that both had towards each other when the film was first released in 1951. Family factors in big-time to all the dramatic goings-on, from Blanche and Stanley (brother and sister-in-law) to Stanley and Stella (husband and wife) to Stella and Blanche (sisters). $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Sparklet Scene Summaries Summary & Analysis Scene One Scene Two Scene Three Scene Four The music score by composed by Marvin Hamlisch. Movie Info. Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her. Stanley informs Stella that hes bought Blanche a one-way bus ticket back to Mississippi. Discount, Discount Code Geis, Deborah. [17] On September 16, 2014, the performance was relayed live to over one thousand cinemas in the UK as part of the National Theatre Live project. An English teacher (though hardly a schoolmarm), dressed in all white, she is delicate and moth-like. A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams Study Guide Mastery Quizzes PLUS Flashcards PLUS Summary Scene Three Summary It is around 2:30 a.m. Steve, Pablo, Mitch, and Stanley are playing poker in the Kowalskis' kitchen, which is bathed in a sinister green light. New 17 A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Course Hero 'A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE': HISTORICAL, LITERARY & BIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT EXPLAINED BY BARBARA NJAU First Rate Tutors 30K. Composer Alex North received an Academy Award nomination for this, his first film score. First youve got Magical Realism, which is a generally realistic setting with some odd fantasy thrown in. A Mexican Woman comes to the door and offers Flores para los muertos. Mitch tries to have sex with Blanche but without agreeing to marry her, though he then stops himself. For a moment, Stanley seems caught off guard over her proclaimed feelings. Gandolfini was Carhart's understudy.[12]. Mitch boasts of his strapping manliness, but by speaking quantitatively about his athleticism rather than stripping his sweaty shirt and baring his torso. Blanches imagery can be darkly gothic: The Tarantula Arms! But Stanley and Stella are deeply in love. The story unfolds over a set time period (of roughly six months); it occurs within a single setting (within and around the Kowalski apartment); and it adheres to a single plot (the escalating conflict between Stanley Kowalski and Blanche DuBois). Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. In some ways the play is a melodrama, because of its exaggerated passions and sensational plot and action. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. As she moves in with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley, Blanche DuBois, a woman symbolizing the manners of the old, patrician South, pits against the multi-cultural and working-class people of the neighborhood. Blanche criticizes Stellas surroundings and laments Stellas fall from their elite upbringing. Watch 'A Streetcar Named Desire' | Anniversary Mashup, Watch A Streetcar Named Desire: Strangers, Watch A Streetcar Named Desire: Interfere, Watch A Streetcar Named Desire: Axel Grease, Watch A Streetcar Named Desire: Comfortable. When he goes about slamming drawers, she asks him what . While looking at the papers, Stanley notices a bundle of letters that Blanche emotionally proclaims are personal love letters from her dead husband. Blanche had married when she was very young, but her husband died by suicide. From the first scene, Blanche is nervous and jittery. Blanche has also decided to take a break from teaching as she states the situation has frayed her nerves. In a 1992 episode of The Simpsons, "A Streetcar Named Marge", a musical version of the play, Oh, Streetcar!, was featured. Director Elia Kazan Writers Tennessee Williams (screen play) Oscar Saul (adaptation by) Stars Vivien Leigh Marlon Brando Kim Hunter See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max Hollywood icons Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh are given close, tight photography in their lengthy scenes of escalating conflict, played with such deep insight and such technical brilliance that the audience is given pause, from moment to moment. Williams believed that casting Brando, who was young for the part as it was originally conceived, would evolve Kowalski from being a vicious older man to someone whose unintentional cruelty can be attributed to youthful ignorance. Stellas ties to New Orleans rather than the lost Belle Reve are further emphasized through her pregnancy: she is bringing a new Kowalski, not a DuBois, life into the world. See a complete list of the characters inA Streetcar Named Desireand in-depth analyses of Blanche DuBois, Stanley Kowalski, Stella Kowalski, and Harold Mitch Mitchell.