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Home , Vivien Leigh

A Streetcar Named Desire Directed by

Preparing for the Film

1. What do you envision were the expectations of behavior for an upper-class female and male in the South around 1950? 2. What may be some causes of conflicts in a marriage between a wife from an upper-class family and her working-class husband? 3. What do you know about the Production Code (censorship rules) applied to motion pictures in 1951? 4. If you have read ' play, what would be some challenges for a director adapting this play for a film production during the 1950s? 5. In Williams' play, Blanche finds her young husband Allan in bed with a man. What do you know about the attitudes toward during this era?

Reflecting on the Film

1. What does the film's opening reveal about Blanche's physical and emotional traits? 2. What is the significance of Stella's and Blanche's first and last names, of Stella and Stanley living on Elysian Fields, of Blanche arriving on , and of Stella and Blanche losing an estate called Belle Reve? 3. What are the tensions between Blanche and Stanley? Consider their backgrounds, perceptions of each other, values, expression of their sexuality, relationship with Stella, and their cramped living conditions. 4. Nearly everyone seems familiar with Stanley's famous shrieks, "STEL-LAHHHHH!" What happens in the scenes before and after his plaintive cries that make this sequence so memorable? 5. How do Mitch's feelings about Blanche evolve through the course of the film? Consider his initial feelings about her, his reaction to her narration of Allan's death, and his responses to learning of Blanche's sexual history. 6. What does Stanley overhear Blanche telling Stella about him when he arrives home unexpectedly? Why does he feel so triumphant at the end of this scene? 7. Describe the scene between Blanche and the young newsboy. What does this scene reveal about Blanche and how does it foreshadow later discoveries about Blanche? 8. If you have read the play, you know that Allan's sexuality and Stanley's intention to Blanche are explicit. How does the censored film handle these scenes? 9. How does the film characterize New Orleans? How does Williams' setting underscore the themes of the film? 10. At the conclusion of the film, what does the audience realize about Blanche's condition? How does the film show the internal conflict in both Mitch and Stella? If you have read the play, how is the film's ending different from the play? Writing about the Film

1. Write an essay comparing and contrasting Stanley's behavior and values with Blanche's and decide whether the film seems to favor one character and set of values over the other or seems equally critical of both. Use specific details and quotations from the film to support your claims.

2. Write an essay arguing that the film exposes the harsh treatment of the more vulnerable artistic individuals in society by those who misunderstand or misjudge them.

3. If you have read the play, write an essay analyzing the most dramatic changes made in the film version and explain their impact on Tennessee Williams' original themes and insights. Include specific quotes and scenes from both the play and the film for support.

4. If you have seen the 2013 film Blue Jasmine,for which won the Oscar for Best Actress, write a character analysis that compares and contrasts 's depiction of Jasmine with Elia Kazan's portrait of Blanche.

Works Cited

A Streetcar Named Desire. Screenplay by Tennessee Williams and Oscar Saul. Dir. Elia Kazan.

Perf. Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brandon, Kim Hunter, and . Warner Bros. 1951.

DVD.

Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. Intro. by Arthur Miller. New York: New

Directions Books, 1947. Rpt. 2004. Print.

Select Film Reviews and Critical Analyses www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF1730EF70BC4851DFBF66838A649EDE http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-streetcar-named-desire-1993 http://trueclassics.net/2011/02/23/censorship-and-a-streetcar-part-one/ http://trueclassics.net/2011/02/25/censorship-and-a-streetcar-part-two/