In a haze of barely getting any sleep, super strong coffee that made me feel a bit insane, and bizarre emotional state I turned on and watched Streetcar in the very early morning a few days ago.
Marlon Brando and Vivian Leigh star in this extremely well known film directed by Elia Kazan, based on the play by Tennessee Williams. This movie was a smash success, got Leigh an Oscar, and has been annulled into history, but have ya actually seen it?
First of all, Brando is so fucking good in this it's a crime that he didn't get an Oscar. He is palpably unpredictable, with a easy charisma that only is mirrored by his offensive character and dialed up reactions. One moment Brando is oozing out sexuality and charm, the next he's bristly, dangerous, and explosive. He is doing a ton of acting business, eating food, hunching over, interacting with the background. It's incredible.
Then, I'll merge Vivian Leigh and the overall plot/ end. Tennessee Williams had a sister with mental issues, and the fact is women historically have been declared insane for no reason, but the acting here is so over the top and theatrical, and the end so trite and predictable that it's hard to not subtract points for it. Leigh is hard to watch, she gets mildly better by the end, but it is an impossible thing to perform overall I'd estimate, and she isn't great in it. She's declared insane and carted off, and that's so much a product of its time it's laughable.
But there's a ton here that is easy to like, and I did like it, and I would say watch it for Brando absolutely. 4.5 stars
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