A Streetcar Named Desire

I watched A Streetcar Named Desire again the other night, and I had forgotten how much I love this movie. There are so many things to like about this classic, such as the fact that it was made during a time when directors understood and society appreciated some things being left to the imagination. I don't have to see what causes the shocked look on Blanche's face to know what is going on -- the acting tells me what I need to know without seeing it. I wish that Hollywood would go back to the day when some things were better left to the imagination instead of bombarding us with images that we probably should not see and should not want to see.

I am a huge fan of classic movies, and especially of Gone With The Wind. When you think of Vivien Leigh, you think of Scarlett - the proper Southern lady who is less of a lady than she portrays to the world. Vivien Leigh continues as a Southerner who is less than proper in A Streetcar Named Desire, and I cannot see any other actress playing this part as well as she did. Combine her Oscar winning performance with the performance of Marlon Brando, and you have a movie that was destined to be a classic the moment it was released. Surprisingly, Brando did not receive an Oscar although the other three main actors did, but I guess that is just proof that the Academy has not gotten the awards right all along instead of just in recent years. Of course, I love the fact that the movie takes place in the Quarter in New Orleans. I can even forgive the fact that no one in the movie has a New Orleans accent, although Vivien Leigh does her best impression of a Scarlett accent as part of the over the top presentation of Southern gentility.

A Streetcar Named Desire is a modern movie considering the time period during which it was made. Tennessee Williams wrote plays that were shockingly realistic at a time when things were romanticized, and that is part of the charm of A Streetcar Named Desire. Real life issues are addressed. Real life situations are portrayed. Surprisingly, the way real life is portrayed leaves a large portion of the character's dignity in place.