A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by Tennessee Williams in 1947. The play’s protagonist is Blanche DuBois – a neurotic woman who has some dark secrets and issues with alcohol. After facing some difficulties and losses in her hometown, she comes to her sister Stella and brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski. From their first meeting, Blanche and Stanley dislike each other, and the rest of the play follows the challenges and problems that the characters encounter. Every new day shows that Blanche has many secrets, and her past is dark and traumatizing. She lies to her family, lives in her dreams and imagination, and when it becomes revealed that she lived in a prostitution hotel and had a relationship with her younger student at school (Williams 107), the events become heated. The play ends with Blanche being raped by Stanley and then taken away to a mental hospital. Unfortunately, Stella does not believe her sister and stays with her husband.
The play’s setting is the French Quarter of New Orleans, and all events take place in Kowalski’s apartment. The plot is structured chronologically, and it is possible to say that the central conflict in the play occurs between Blanche and Stanley. They are from different social backgrounds and have opposing views on life, love, and marriage. The cruelty, cynicism, and excessive masculinity of Stanley do not allow him to pity Blanche and help her; instead, he does everything to shame and disgrace her, destroy her dreams and fantasies, and ruin her life. Other topics addressed in the play are dependence on men, the opposition between reality and imagination, and the connection between death and sex.
In 1951, an adaptation of the play was released; directed by Elia Kaan, A Streetcar Named Desire followed the play’s plot but altered the ending. While the opening and closing scenes were filmed on-location in the same city where the actions take place – New Orleans, the rest of the movie was shot on a sound stage. The movie is black and white and quite smooth. Generally, it is possible to say that the camera work is quite usual, though marvelous – different close-up, medium-long, and full shots effectively portray the setting, the circumstances, and the emotions of the actors. For example, close-up shots are also used to demonstrate that Blanche experiences claustrophobia. Further, to add mysterious, dramatic, and suspicious effects, kicker, back, and low-key lighting are used.
Work Cited
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. 1947.