Desire, the streetcar

Ok, here was one of those rare occurrences where the movie was better than the book. ~*~SPOILER ALERT!!~*~ I noticed that the movie changed some info. For one, the reason Blanche's husband committed suicide was changed. In the print version, it was because she had found out he was homosexual and told him she had lost respect for him. In the movie with Brando at least, the reason her husband committed suicide was merely because she lost respect for him. Another is, in the written work, no one seemed to really believe Stanley raped Blanche. In the movie it seems both Stella and Mitch believe her.

There are three things I would like to point out. Firstly, the relationship between Stanley and Stella. Their relationship thrived on violence. It didn't come out so much in the book as it did in the movie. The way Stella approached Stanley after he smacked her around, she comes down the stairs in an almost sultry manner then leaps into Stanley's arms. For them, their violence is a prelude to romance. Along with this thought is the idea that Blanche was raised to flirt. She was raised as a Southern Belle. Trained to read a man's desire and dangle it just out of his reach. Without knowing it, Blanch invited Stanley to rape her as soon as she broke the bottle she intended to defend herself with. This of course was no excuse for Stanley's actions, but perhaps looking at this moment in Blanche's life we see perhaps her upbringing did her no favors.

Secondly, Blanche's bathing. I don't believe she bathed for her nerves' sake. She was trying to get clean. She had become the sort of person she loathed. She wanted very much to be the Southern Belle, the Lady of the Manor but all she really had left after her family died and left her homeless was her training as a Belle. And, I tend to believe, not even a complete one. If I were to judge Blanche by Scarlett O'Hara, I'd have to say someone forgot to teach Blanch quite a bit. Anyway, no matter how many times she scrubbed in scalding water the effects only lasted a short while.

Lastly, Mitch. The "good guy" of the whole sordid affair. Even though his purpose in life was to please his ailing mother, he didn't mind trying to get his little piece of Blanche once he learned the truth. "Too dirty" to be in the presence of his mother. So much for Mitch.

All in all, the best part of the story was the music from the local bars, but then I'm a sucker for Jazz :)