Tuesday, November 10, 2009

November 10, 2009

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
#28 on my Top 100 List
While you know how much I adore Gone With the Wind, I think that Vivien Leigh's work in this is even better. Ladies and gentlemen, Scarlett O'Hara has left the building. Her portrayal of Blanche Dubois is just as tragic and heartwrenching as Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Blanche starts out the story fragile and looking for someone who will care for her - what she finds is her brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski. Stanley is played by Marlon Brando with more vicious sexuality than any other role I think I've ever seen. He's tragic in his own way too - a slave not only to his temper and his lust but also to his love for his wife. After his final confrontation with Blanche, that love might not be so reciprocated after all.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars

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