A Streetcar Named Desire Film Analysis

She also tries to keep her illusions of being rich by wearing her so-called expensive furs and jewelry, which prove to be old or fake” (Drobot). Blanche lives in her own fantasy and avoids the reality of the harsh world. In the play, Blanche declares, “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” (Williams, 145). In Blanche’s perspective, it does not matter if the magic is even real, but she loves having the option of living in a fantasy. She is misguiding herself into believing that the world is much kinder and prettier than it actual is. The reasoning behind Blanche’s illusionary thinking is caused by the death of her husband Allan Gray and also the loss of her hometown, Belle Reve. Blanche desires to be admired and seen as an attractive, young lady to the surrounding men in her life. Blanche is incapable of letting go of the guilt she has consumed from Allan’s death and now she chooses to give her attention to younger men in hopes of preserving his memory. Therefore, she still believes she is the innocent Southern Belle and she tries to convince others to

In order to give a little insight of what Blanche is so desperately trying to escape, it is necessary to review her past. When Blanche was younger (approximately in her thirties) she married a young man ━named Allan━ that she desperately loved. In her eyes her marriage was filled with love and tenderness, however deep inside she knew her husband was not happy. Later on, during their marriage, she discovers her husband in bed with another man. When she depreciates and shows him disgust instead of helping him with his struggle, he becomes so pressured with his situation and commits suicide. Blanche blames herself for the death because she thinks she could’ve done something to

Blanche does this subconsciously, always using the excuse that her “nerves are in knots” as she believes so. However, these are futile efforts that vanish at once when the night comes, as darkness is a true part of her and she is in love with the night that allows her to live out a fantasy of being a different person and having a different life: “I don't want realism. I want magic! [Mitch laughs] Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don't tell truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!” Blanche is devoted to the idea of being a Southern belle: angelic, pure, without a single vulgar word coming out of her mouth. At the same time, she hides her alcoholism, claiming that she is “not accustomed to having more than one drink,” disregarding the fact that she takes frequent shots. Lying to everyone that surrounds her and in some way even lying to herself, she continues making fruitless efforts to present the image of an unsullied damsel. And yet, she still tries to wash off her self-disgust in the

Belonging permeates all aspects of life, and to gain fulfillment, individuals must acquire a genuine and enduring sense of belonging to self, people and society. In Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, the composer provides the reader with an insight into what it means to belong through the dominant nature of Stanley, and to not belong through the fragility of Blanche’s character. William’s explores the psychological effects of not belonging, therefore emphasising how vital it is to feel acceptance for a person’s identity. As individuals, we feel a strong connection to customary places such as our homes, through the comfort and familiarity it provides us with, which is significant to the way we belong. The play is introduced to the

After escaping her past momentarily, she temporarily regained her dignity and met a respectable man - Mitch. She would have married him, and started a decent life with stability and emotion- maybe even passion. She nearly had a man who would have respected her and treated her like the innocent girl who still resided in her heart. Stanley, crushing this little bit of hope, was the last straw for Blanche. Stanley´s existence ruined Blanche´s mind, for he was the reality that destroyed her ideals of

As Blanche arrives at the house of Stella and Stanly, right away you see his mood go into a very dark place as if he does not want her to be there. Stanly’s character in the film comes off to be very rough and aggressive. The night after Blanche arrived, she meets Stanly’s friend Mitch, who is different from Stanly just by the way he carries himself. Mitch and Blanche catch a glimpse of each other which brings some light back into her being there. Stella was in support of her sister blanche meeting Mitch as it may have been an effective way for her to comfortably. Light and dark effects in a dramatic film play a big part because it sets the tone of the storyline and helps give the suspension of where the story will go and end up. It can be good for a film to bounce back and forth from light and dark moments to keep scenes impactful to the viewer. [For example, in the scene where Blanche buys a cover for the light in the bedroom area, it made her happy, and the others seemed as if they supported it to make her feel comfortable, and then towards the end of the film when Stanly snatches the cover off the light as he is angry, it changes the

            Blanche is not really lost in illusions; rather she uses them as camouflage. She wears them as she wears her clothes and her glass necklaces, as protection from a reality that she finds horrifying. One must not think of Blanche as just a fragile, delicate blossom. There is a fierce desire in her for life at any cost. Her masquerade may

During scene 1, Blanche shields herself from her weaknesses by creating an illusion which is able to counteract the repulsiveness of reality. For instance, she avoids the ‘merciless glare’ of the open light bulb so as not to reveal her physical imperfections. Blanche also refuses to acknowledge her problem with alcohol. Williams implies that she does not want to see things

She seems to relate to all men only in a sexual manner. Working as a prostitute beforehand only highlights her perception of women as lower than men. Blanche may appear to have a lot of self confidence with her long speeches, but she is actually frightened that she will not find a man because she is becoming older, hence why she never shows herself in light, her continuous washing herself and wearing a lot of make-up, another technique to disguise herself. Her insecurity also leads Blanche to seek Stanley’s sexual approval, almost demanding compliments about her physical appearance, “Would you think it possible that I was once considered to be-attractive?” Blanche’s behaviour is abnormal; seeing things, afraid to show herself in light, continually lying, all examples of an extreme human nature, leading to people having a dislike towards her, especially people living in contemporary times to the plays release, as her lifestyle gives off a disrespectful

Maybe in her mind she was still married to Allen. At the very last, it gives Blanche a credit for her honesty. Nothing in the play justifies the condemnation of her. Yet, nothing justifies her innocence either after her husband’s death (Thomieres

A Streetcar Named Desire is a drama play by Tennessee Williams, the play takes place in the 1940s. The movie adaptation by Elia Kazan was published later in 1951. Both the movie and the film exposes the reality of the struggle between men and women for power in society during the time that the play took place. Williams emphasizes this struggle by using social attitudes that represented gender expectations and inequality as well. In a streetcar named desire, William uses spanking, violence, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, mental health, and emotions, to portray the woman’s lack of authority, weakness, and submissiveness. In the play and in the movie, Blanche Dubois is the flowery, ladylike vision of womanhood; but she challenges the symbol of manhood. Stella, Blanche’s sister, represents the infantilized, and ultimately submissive version of womanhood. While Stella and Blanche offer conflicting views of womanhood, their story along with Stanley’s represent the gender norms of their time as well as the growing conflict that came from challenging those norms.

With lighting and props adding a great amount of depth to the realism behind Blanche’s character and her struggles, so do the sets in several scenes. The main set of the entire film, the Kowalski apartment, constantly provides a greater insight into Blanche’s life. For example, in the beginning, the small apartment is filled with loose and hanging wires, random clutter covering every table/countertop, and filthy windows. This overwhelming mess of a home represents all the stress that Blanche is under when she first moves in, as well as the overall danger of the environment. At first, she is very uneasy due to the layout of the home. This uncomfortable feeling goes beyond the screen as the audience almost immediately senses that she’s in danger when she first walks through the

Blanche is considered a complicated character. Critics/audiences either portray her as unfortunate and victimized by her surrounding or view her merely as crazy. She chooses to live in a dream world filled with fantasies and lies. The adoption of this new world and her inability to adapt to her physical surroundings is what causes her fateful end. Throughout the play, Blanche attempts to present herself as a proper lady. She is trying to shed her

In the play, it said that Blanche avoids the light because she wants to avoid the truth. However in the end she, and everyone else, finally gets to “see the light.” Blanche has anxiety because she believes that she is turning ugly because of her age, which she hides from the light. She has is also hiding the fact she had sexual

Everything seems too plain for blanche in New Orleans. It seems like she like to create her own fabricated fantasies to make wherever she seems better than it actually is. She always has to map out a scene or make comparisons to make objects or settings more appealing. In Scene six she says, “We are going to be very Bohemian. We are going to pretend that we are sitting in a little artists' cafe on the Left Bank in Paris! [She lights a candle stub and puts it in a bottle.] Le suis la Dame aux Camellias! Vous etes--Armand! Understand French?” (pg. 104) Even with Mitch, her love interest, she isn’t content with just being with him. She has to give everything a romantic air about it to make it alluring, which makes readers wonder what she is like without all the fancy language and decorations. Who is Blanche really? Later in this scene we find out about some of her past and why everything needs to be so poetic with