- Streetcar Named Desire originally was a play written in 1947 by Tennessee Williams.- The book won the Pulitzer for Drama in 1948.
- It opened on Broadway in December of 1947 and closed in December 1949
- In 1951, a film adaptation was released, starring Marlon Brando, who also starred in the Broadway productions.
- The film won many awards, including an Academy Award for Vivien Leigh as best actress for the role of Blanche.
- In 1995 it was made into an opera and was presented by the San Francisco Opera.
- I first read this book when we studied it at 6th form, however it has quickly turned into a book I have read many times. The play covers many themes, including reality vs reality, and the desperation to achieve the American Dream.
- One of the intelligent things about this play is that you cannot easily take sides of certain characters. They are all complex characters and all have faults. You can see the side of each, yet I think ultimately the empathy you feel for Blanche overrides everything else.
- What I found suprising was that the play was gripping and had an element of suspense... you always wanted to know what would happen next and what would ultimately happen to the characters.
- It is a comment on the structure of society in America at the time, and debated wether abandonment of chivalric codes and manners was needed in the desperation to be successful.
- I think people should read the play before seeing the film, as it just isn't the same just watching the film, as more than anything else, large chunks of things get cut out and the ending is different to the play. To be fair though, the film is fantastic. Brando's and Leigh's chemistry and performances are faultless. They endear you, and draw you into the story.
A Streecar Named Desire may be the book you studied and came to hate thanks to your annoying English teacher, however, if you go back to it...I think you might just change your mind.
2 comments:
I read this book in sixth form too and actually really enjoyed it. Although it's around 4 years now since I read it, I seem to remember one of the pertinent themes being symbolism... Was Blanche (is that her name?) somehow related to light/moths??! I like the way this relates to what we're doing as designers - applying underlying meanings and hidden concepts to our designs to get the message across with subtlety.
yeah there are a couple quotes referring to Blanche being the moth toward the light, as she is frail and weak, yet cannot help but moving towards trouble.
And yes, I totally agree that underlying themes and concepts are the foundation of design concepts. Glad you also liked the book.
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