Streetcar Named Desire (live cinema)

Hard to do; to make a play with 3 main characters which is confined to one room into a production which works on widescreen cinema. The Young Vic made a cracking good job of it. It helps that Blanche, Stella and Stan do not simply talk, they drink themselves insensible, shout, fight and screw with clothes on. Physical stuff. At least one person in the cinema last night walked out, she did not know the story and the title tells us little. Perhaps she thought it was a down to earth feelgood romantic comedy. It's not, although there are laughs, it's Blanche's tragedy of loss, and of alcohol and sex addiction. Blanche is real, I once knew a 'friend of friend' who had the same brand of sniff the cock out in every man bed-hopping and hairtrigger head-nipping verbal bullets. Life can be hell for women. Tenessee Williams closing two lines kick it into a nutshell. Stan's manly mate says 'seven card stud'. Blanche says 'I have always depended on the kindness of strangers', then she takes the doctors manly arm on her way to the loony bin.

Comments

Would love to see it at cinema. Blanche is such a character. Makes me nostalgic thinking about it and will dig my book out. Your blogs constantly remind me of great stuff that needs reviving. 

 

Yeh, I know the ending and I was recently reminded of a young Marlon Brando, before he bacame a hippopotamus,  screaming for Stella from below her balcony. Wouldn't mind seeing it.