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A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
June 1, 2020  | By David Bianculli  | 1 comment

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

 
Two weeks ago, one of my Best Bets was the one-week showing of National Theatre at Home’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Gillian Anderson as Blanche DuBois. Tonight, TCM presents the brilliant, incendiary 1951 movie version, in which the fragile Blanche is played by Vivien Leigh, with Kim Hunter as her sister, Stella. And at the center of this film, of course, is Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski. Brando’s naturalistic style of acting changed movies, and influenced generations of actors. Watch it anew, and it's still easy to understand why. Karl Malden co-stars. Elia Kazan directs. And when this Tennessee Williams play premiered on Broadway in 1947 and ran for two years, Kazan was the director for the stage version as well, and Brando, Hunter, and Malden all acted together for the entire run. So for them, the roles captured on screen already had been performed hundreds of times on stage – 855 times, to be precise. But for Vivien Leigh, it was a first-time job: on Broadway, the leading lady was Jessica Tandy, the one central player to be replaced for the movie version. But Leigh, who had starred in Gone with the Wind a dozen years earlier, was an excellent choice for a faded, narcissistic Southern belle. And when Leigh was offered the role of Blanche, she didn’t. Blanch, that is…
 
 
 
 
 
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1 Comments
 
 
Andrea Rosen
David, a fan here. I have been watching most of the NT Live offering and was captivated by their version of Streetcar. I don't get TCM so can't watch the Brando version. Oregon Shakes did an amazing version a few years ago. It was the first live show of that play and it's powerful. Did you see any other NT Live plays? this week is a new one: The House. Have you seen Unorthodox? amazing series. Maria Schrader is a very gifted director.
Jun 1, 2020   |  Reply
 
David Bianculli
Dear Andrea: Hi! Yes, I've devoured a lot of the National Theatre At Home productions shown during this pandemic. So far, I've both watched and loved One Man, Two Guvnors; Twelfth Night; Frankenstein (Benedict Cumberbatch was SO good!); and Streetcar. I've also watched some others I didn't love as much, but that's part of the draw. Coming up this Thursday, June 11: The Madness of King George! -DB
Jun 7, 2020
 
 
 
 
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