A Streetcar Named Desire
Original movie poster
Directed by	Elia Kazan
Produced by	Charles K. Feldman
Written by	Tennessee Williams (play A Streetcar Named Desire and screenplay)
Starring	Vivien Leigh Marlon Brando Kim Hunter Karl Malden Rudy Bond Nick Dennis
Music by	Alex North
Editing by	David Weisbart
Distributed by	Warner Bros. co-produced by United Artists
Release date(s)	September 18, 1951 U. Elia Mother, ( Greek: Ηλίας Καζάν September 7 1909 &ndash September 28 2003) was a Greek - American Charles K Feldman ( April 26, 1904 - May 25, 1968) was a Film producer and talent agent born in New York City Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26 1911 &ndash February 25 1983 better known as Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright who received many of the top theatrical A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize Vivien Leigh Lady Olivier (5 November 1913 &ndash 8 July 1967 was an English actress. Marlon Brando Jr (April 3 1924 – July 1 2004 was an Academy Award -winning American Actor, whose body of work spanned over half a century Kim Hunter ( November 12, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an Academy Award -winning American film and stage actress Karl Malden (born on March 22, 1912) is an American Actor of Serbian origin known for his expansive manner Nick Dennis (April 26 1904-November 14 1980 was an American film actor born in Thessaly, Greece. Alex North ( December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American Composer responsible for the first Jazz David M Weisbart ( January 21, 1915 &ndash July 21, 1967) was an American Film editor and producer. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January S. release
Running time	122 Min Theatrical Release 125 Min Director's Cut
Language	English
IMDb profile

A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1951 film adaptation of the play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. A director's cut is a specially edited version of a Film, and less often TV series, Music video, commercials or Video games English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26 1911 &ndash February 25 1983 better known as Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright who received many of the top theatrical It was directed by Elia Kazan, who had also directed the original stage production, and stars Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden; all but Leigh were chosen from the Broadway cast of the play, while Leigh had starred in the London West End production. Elia Mother, ( Greek: Ηλίας Καζάν September 7 1909 &ndash September 28 2003) was a Greek - American Marlon Brando Jr (April 3 1924 – July 1 2004 was an Academy Award -winning American Actor, whose body of work spanned over half a century Vivien Leigh Lady Olivier (5 November 1913 &ndash 8 July 1967 was an English actress. Kim Hunter ( November 12, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an Academy Award -winning American film and stage actress Karl Malden (born on March 22, 1912) is an American Actor of Serbian origin known for his expansive manner Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial It was produced by talent agent and lawyer Charles K. Feldman, and released by Warner Bros. Studios. A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for Actors Musicians models, and other people in various Entertainment A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person Charles K Feldman ( April 26, 1904 - May 25, 1968) was a Film producer and talent agent born in New York City Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and The screenplay was written by Williams himself, but had many revisions to remove references to homosexuality among other things. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation.

Adaptation, censorship and re-release

The play's themes were controversial and the screenplay for the film was watered down to accord with the Hollywood Production Code. For the television broadcasting term please see Production code number. In the film, Stella renounces Stanley's rape of Blanche, perhaps to the point of leaving the household; in the original play, the ending is more ambiguous, with Stella, distraught at having sent off her sister Blanche, mutely allowing herself to be consoled by Stanley. Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person In the original play, Blanche's deceased husband, Allen Grey, had committed suicide after having a homosexual affair. This material was removed for the film; Blanche says only that she showed scorn towards Allen, driving him to suicide.

Some of these changes were in the screenplay; others were present but cut after filming was complete in order to avoid condemnation by the National Legion of Decency. The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was an organization dedicated to identifying and combating objectionable content in Motion According to the audio commentary track for the DVD version, these cuts were made without the knowledge of the director. On disc based video formats an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers that plays in real time with video

In 1993, the film was re-released with the cut scenes restored, and this is the version available on VHS and DVD. The restored scenes include the following:

• Stella says "Stanley's always smashed things. Why, on our wedding night, as soon as we came in here, he snatched off one of my slippers and rushed about the place smashing the light bulbs with it. . . I was sort of thrilled by it. "
• The dialogue makes it clearer that Blanche's husband was a homosexual and that she made him commit suicide with her insults.
• Blanche's line explaining that she wants to kiss the paperboy "softly, sweetly" now has the words ". . . on the mouth" at the end.
• When Stella takes refuge upstairs after Stanley punches her, her emotions are made clear as she is shown in close up, her face blank with desire.
• Stanley's line "Maybe you wouldn't be so bad to interfere with. " and the resulting rape scene.

Production

Casting

Jessica Tandy, who had played Blanche DuBois on Broadway, was bypassed in favor of Vivien Leigh, star of the London production, at the insistence of the producers. Jessie Alice Tandy ( June 7, 1909 &ndash September 11, 1994) was a British - American stage and film actress Blanche DuBois (b September 15, 1919) is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams ' play A Streetcar Named Desire. This was because her fame from films such as Gone with the Wind provided the star power which they felt the film needed; Brando had not yet achieved the fame necessary to draw audiences^[1]

Locations and design

Most of the filming was on sets in California, but a few exteriors were filmed in New Orleans, most notably the opening scenes of Blanche's arrival. Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American dramatic - romantic - War film adapted from Margaret Mitchell 's 1936 New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana The streetcar visible in the film is Perley Thomas #922, still in service in New Orleans. Perley A Thomas Car Works Inc was a 20th century builder of wooden and steel Streetcars based in High Point North Carolina in the United States.

During studio shooting, Elia Kazan made the set walls movable so that, with each passing scene, the walls could close in on Blanche Dubois (thus mirroring her insanity).

Brando's iconic tight T-shirt had to be made specially, as one could not buy fitted T-shirts at the time; a regular T-shirt was bought, it was washed several times and its back was sewn in order to tighten it for Brando. A T-shirt (or tee shirt) is a Shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's Torso.

Soundtrack

The music score, by Alex North, was a radical departure from the major trend in Hollywood at that time, which was action-based and overly manipulative. Alex North ( December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American Composer responsible for the first Jazz Instead of composing in the traditional leitmotifstyle, North wrote short sets of music that reflected the psychological dynamics of the characters. A leitmotif (ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf (also leitmotiv; lit "leading motif" is a recurring Musical theme, associated with a particular person place For his work on the film, North was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music Score, one of two nominations in that category that year. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. He also was nominated for his music score for the film version of another play, Death of a Salesman, which also was composed with his unique technique. Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play by American playwright Arthur Miller and is considered a classic of American theater However, he lost to Franz Waxman's score for A Place in the Sun. Franz Waxman (24 December 1906 &ndash 24 February 1967 was a Jewish German American Composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasie A Place in the Sun is a 1951 film which tells the story of a working class young man who is entangled with two women one who works in his wealthy uncle's factory

Awards and recognition

The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Karl Malden), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Vivien Leigh), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kim Hunter), and Best Art Direction -- Set Decoration, Black-and-White. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Marlon Brando), Best Director (Elia Kazan), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Picture, Best Sound, Recording and Best Writing, Screenplay. Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to recognize The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing (Best Director is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a Cinematographer for work in one particular Motion picture. This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working The Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic Sound mixing or recording The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent Film awards in the United States

Two lines from the film - "Stella! Hey, Stella!" and "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers" - are respectively ranked #45 and #75 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema. Part of the AFI 100 Years series, AFI's 100 Years 100 Movie Quotes is a list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema

In 1999, A Streetcar Named Desire was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The National Film Registry is the registry of Films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress

Cast

Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Vivien Leigh Lady Olivier (5 November 1913 &ndash 8 July 1967 was an English actress.

• Vivien Leigh - Blanche DuBois
• Marlon Brando - Stanley Kowalski
• Kim Hunter - Stella Kowalski
• Karl Malden - Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell
• Rudy Bond - Steve Hubbel
• Nick Dennis - Pablo Gonzales
• Peg Hillias - Eunice Hubbel
• Wright King - A Collector
• Richard Garrick - A Doctor

Footnotes

External links

• A Streetcar Named Desire at the Internet Movie Database