A Streetcar Named Desire

(1951) Director: Elia Kazan, Cast: Vivian Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, PG. National Board of Review Award for Best Top Ten Films, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress.

Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, this renowned drama follows troubled former schoolteacher Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) as she leaves small-town Mississippi and moves in with her sister, Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter), and her husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando), in New Orleans. Blanche’s flirtatious Southern-belle presence causes problems for Stella and Stanley, who already have a volatile relationship, leading to even greater conflict in the Kowalski household. “Inner torments are seldom projected with such sensitivity and clarity on the screen.” —Bosley Crowther, New York Times