Simply a masterful adap of Tennessee Williams' sultry, searing play and an affirmation of Marlon Brando's acting genius. The latter's mesmerising as Stanley Kowalski, a blue-collar New Orleans hunk knocking heads with his wife's pretentious sister, Blanche (Vivien Leigh, magnificent). The sexual tension crackles as Blanche's deceitful self-image is stripped down by Stanley's brutal misogyny - and everything ends in tears.
Amazingly, Brando's three co-stars won Oscars while his raw, sexy performance went unrewarded - an imbalance also reflected in the generous extras (five fascinating docs, Elia Kazan period trailers and an insightful commentary by film historians and co-star Karl Malden), which focus heavily on director Kazan rather than his star. Still, Brando's sizzling first screen test and outtakes from Streetcar are a treat and serve to remind of his beauty and charisma prior to him morphing into a barmy, reclusive blimp. An essential buy.
DVD Extras:
Disc 1:
Audio commentary from actor Karl Malden and film historian Rudy Behlmer
Elia Kazan movie trailer gallery
Disc 2:
Movie and audio outtakes
Marlon Brando screentest
'Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey' documentary
'A Streetcar On Broadway' featurette
'A Streetcar In Hollywood' featurette
'Desire And Censorship' featurette
'North And The South' featurette
'An Actor Named Brando' featurette
