The movie “A Streetcar Named Desire” really brought the script to life and made the viewer able to really relate to the characters involved. For example, Blanche seemed so much more emotionally unstable because of her past experiences in the movie, than I imagined she was just from reading it. Watching the movie, I felt much sorrier for her. Stanley, I felt, was really exaggerated and played the antagonist much more strongly in the movie. He was the muscular, cocky, no good “Polack” who took advantage of Blanche and broke her unstable state of mind so that Blanche was no longer able to see any of reality.
In the film, there were many alterations made to the story line. For example, it begins with Blanche going to the bowling alley to first meet Stella rather than meeting her in her home as was described in the play. I feel that this is done in order to show the loving connection between the two sisters before Stanley is brought into the picture. Another change that was made was that they showed Mitch and Blanche in some room after dancing, rather than back at Stella and Stanley’s house as it had been set up in the script. I feel that this was changed in order to be sensitive to the time that it was made in. if the film had been set in Stella’s house and Mitch tried to put his hands on Blanche, it would have been much more scandalous and not accepted by the viewers. In the film, Mitch and Stanley were also shown in the factory when Mitch is informed all about Blanche’s bad ways. This was added to the film I believe, in order to portray how shocked Mitch was and how much it killed him to hear this new information because he was in love with her. This caused viewers to feel sorry for him and for Blanche because they would no longer be getting married and living “happily ever after together” as most people want stories to end.
I feel that many of the changes made to the film, were done for dramatic effect. The film was created so that it would be accepted for that time, yet also so that it upheld general assumptions and gender stereotypes. For example, at the end of the play, Stella comes running outside with her baby and says that she will never go back to Stanley, whereas in the script she let Stanley comfort her and she stayed with him. In the film, I believe that the change was made in order for the audience to sympathize more with Stella “the innocent Southern belle” rather than Stanley who did not uphold any of the old southern ideals. The film put a much more feminist tilt on the script and caused the audience or at least me personally, to relate more to (and therefore side with) Blanche and Stella.
5 comments:
I agree that there were a few alterations to the story line. But overall I think that it really didn't affect how I viewed the characters. They seemed to come alive in the movie. And the alterations to the storyline I think made the story more relatable. I think that you could easy see that happening in real life. But more importantly I think that idea that the "old South" had past still remained a key idea.
I like how you pointed out the changes fromt he play to the movie. It is true that they definitely added more scences to show more one on one time between characters. For instance when Blanche and Mitch are out on the veranda of that bar we see them connecting much more and they show their (well Mitch shows more) true feelings for eachother. Also I liked how they showed Mitch and Stanley in the factory because we got to see how itch really reacted towards hearing the news about Blanche and her mischevious ways when she was back at Belle Reve.
I agree that many of the changes to the plot of the movie made the characters jump right of the screen. In some cases, you find more sympathy, like with Blanche and Mitch or you get angry, as with Stanley hitting Stella and then driving her away. It was also easier to see the dimensions of Blanche and how much she actually drinks playing against that ideal of hers that she is the ultimate southern belle!! The best change was when Stella leaves Stanley for good, yet we somehow know that Stella has not pushed away everything in her married life.
I agree with you that they added more scenes in the film, but I think they did that so we can see more details and so we can visually see everything that was going on. I really enjoyed watching the film and comparing it to the play. Specially seeing how I pictured Stanley in the play, and then I actually got to see what he looked like, and how he acted around the two girls, and his guy friends.
The movie really did show the love between the 2 sisters a lot more than the book. I never really thought about it, but in the film, Blanche and Stella always seemed to have an understanding and could pickup right where they left off. They seemed to know how to console one another, whereas in the book it didn't really seem like they knew each other at all.
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