Sunday, September 7, 2008

Streetcar Named Desire

I feel that Vivien Leigh does a much better job in her portrayal of Blanche. In the first clip, Jessica Lange does an okay job, but not up to par with Ms. Leigh. In the newer version, I don't really feel like she's hysterical, I just get the feeling like it's still an act (the fake Southern accent doesn't help either). She comes close when she speaks of her previous husband's death, and finished by kind of smirking about it. Other than her words, which obviously come from the play, I can't sense the character of Blanche; like what you would get from reading the play. However, in the second clip, I feel like the air of hysteria doesn't just come from the words Vivien Leigh speaks, but also is accentuated by her actions and emotions. At one point, she is on a drastic emotional roller coaster where shes goes from extreme aggravation (with Mitch) to being okay in a matter of seconds and breaths. Her voice pitch and even the look in her eyes shows her change of emotion, it most certainly ISN'T a portrayal of a stable woman. The play reads creates Blanche as an over-the-top personality, who isn't all that in touch with reality... I can get that from Vivien Leigh. She is what I imagined from reading the play, fragile and walking a fine line near falling off her rocker.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Viven Leigh can go from one extreme to next at the drop of a hat. Good post!