A Streetcar Themes

It is said to be rare for a successful play to be translated into a successful film. A Streetcar Named Desire is one of these rare works that has made the transition. Tennessee Williams' plays are conducive to success on the film front. Film Scholar Foster Hirsch says, "The play is deeply theatrical... because of its lush and literary imagery, cascading set speeches, concentrated time spans, limited settings, and confined action." Just as the play had been a huge success on the stage, earning several awards, among others the Pulitzer Prize and the Drama Critic's Circle Award, the movie was a box-office success and won several Academy Awards as for best actress, best supporting actress and actor and many more. In addition to the awards, the film version of A Streetcar has become a staple in American film history, often parodied and referenced to in today's popular culture. Despite the faithfulness to the play, the film version does have some differences that may alter one's perception of Williams' story.

Tennessee Williams has himself worked on the screenplays for the film adaptation. Director Elia Kazan had also returned to direct the film. With these two men at the helm for the adaptation, it becomes easily apparent that the film would naturally maintain much of the same feeling that was inherent in the play. In addition, many of the actors, including Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, and Kim Hunter, reprised their roles for the film.

Film scholar Forster Hirsch says, "A movie based on a Tennessee Williams play is a Tennessee Williams film" (Phillips 223). He adds that "The Williams films retain the spirit of the original play, especially, as in the case of Streetcar, when Williams himself worked on the screenplay. His personality still dominates the film version" (Phillips 223). Williams was said to sit in and watch rehearsals of his own plays to see how his text came