A Streetcar Named Desire: Play versus Film

I think that the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire, while operating on predominantly the same script as Tennessee Williams’ play version, left me with a very different impression than I had received from reading the play.

Though Stanley is certainly a disgusting character at times, eating brazenly with his fingers, his film depiction, to me, gave him some redeeming qualities. For example, in the movie, Stella and Stanley’s relationship’s only positive attribute was seemingly their sex life. Stella even says, “there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark—that sort of make everything else seem—unimportant” (657). This quote shows her view that sex makes up for any other shortcomings of a relationship, and her marriage was full of shortcomings. However, in the movie, I thought that Stanley was rather nice and sympathetic to Stella at times. Though his voice rises when talking about the Napoleonic code, when he realizes that he is overwhelming Stella, he calms down and speaks sweetly to her.

Stanley is not always yelling and does typically start out discussing matters calmly. It seems as though most incidents in which he starts yelling or fighting were provoked by Stella or Blanche. In Stella’s case, she physically fights back a couple of times, like when Stanley rummages through Blanche’s trunk, which riles him further. Moreover, when Stella hears that Stanley ruined Blanche’s chances of getting Mitch to marry her, she even starts a physical fight with him. This greatly contrasts from the play’s depiction of Stanley always being the aggressor who takes his misplaced anger out on his defenseless wife. There is no mention in scene seven, when Stanley reveals Blanche’s secrets, of Stella fighting Stanley. The movie shows that they have a two-sided physical relationship that is both violent and sexual by both participants.

In addition to Stella’s provocation, Blanche also antagonizes Stanley. The visual representation of Blanche makes her likeness to a moth come to life. She is seemingly constantly flitting about the room. For instance, consider Stanley and Blanche’s meeting. He is so calm and still, which makes her motion all the more noticeable and bizarre. She is nervous around him, trying to flirt and get some indication that her flirtation is requited. Blanche even clutches him when a cat startles her. However, he remains relaxed and confident until finally he can no longer stand her antics and yells at her in a later conversation to “cut the re-bop.”

The building up to the rape is much more evident in this version. Stanley seems like a very hot-and-cold person. He will be content, and then Blanche starts larking about irritatingly and he snaps. Then he calms later, but the issues have never truly been resolved. Blanche is still seemingly mentally unstable. Her roaming and seemingly growing eyes reveal that she is greatly distressed by her memories, and hearing the music that is only in her head works wonders to convince the audience that she needed psychiatric help even before the rape. When Stanley returns from the hospital to see Blanche talking to herself and wearing a tiara, it seems like she is no longer saving face (as we had assessed in class based on the play) by lying about Shep Huntleigh’s invitation. Instead, her mental instability is apparent.

To Stanley, not recognizing Blanche’s mental illness, all of her trickery, degrading remarks, and unwanted flirtation have culminated in her deserving the rape to end their conflicts and put her in her place. To the audience, we still obviously feel that Stanley was wrong to rape his wife’s sister. Thus, while I said he was depicted as a more redeeming character, this final act still does warrant his wife leaving him. I was very glad that the ending turned out this way because I think it changes the statement this version of A Streetcar Named Desire makes. The play, in my opinion, indicates that marriage is a false institution wrapped around social norms and sex but not love or respect. Another possible message from the play is that women are dependent on men, since Stella chooses to stay with Stanley because she seemingly cannot venture out on her own and adequately provide for herself. This film, however, empowers women and shows that domestic violence is wrong. Stella does not allow her baby or herself to be endangered any more.