A Streetcar Named Desire: The 1995 Television Movie

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1995)

The 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' sultry tale of the steamy South featured almost all the original cast from the Broadway production (Vivien Leigh had played her role in the London West End version). Similarly, the 1995 television adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire brought back the two leads from the 1992 Broadway revival. As such, I figure that Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin gave the same performances in the television movie that they gave on stage. Therefore, I am left slightly perplexed on why both were held in such high regard. 

Southern belle Blanche DuBois (Jessica Lange) has taken that streetcar named Desire to visit her sister, Stella Kowalski (Diane Lane). Blanche might stay a spell with her sister and brother-in-law. That does not sit particularly well with Stella's husband, Stanley (Alec Baldwin). He is displeased at Blanche's grand airs and graces. She finds him common. 

Amongst his poker buddies, only Harold Mitchell or Mitch (John Goodman) seems remotely decent. Stella, pregnant, is not going to leave Stanley. Even after Stanley strikes her, Stella will stand by her man. Mitch finds Blanche enchanting. Blanche, however, is no demure damsel in distress. She is a ho, fo sho. The war between Stanley and Blanche continues. The Mitch-Blanche romance disintegrates, as does Blanche's mind. A shocking act by Stanley will finally break Blanche. Will she continue to depend on the kindness of strangers?

It is the most curious thing with this adaptation. I did not find this A Streetcar Named Desire to be bad. I was not cringing at the performances. Instead, what I saw was a group of talented actors doing respectable but not necessarily great work. Jessica Lange was appropriately delicate as the world keeps fighting against her. I did think that her voice at times was perhaps too breathy. It was as if she decided that speaking like Marilyn Monroe would show how vulnerable she was. I did not quite buy her faux-refined manners. I figure that, yes, Blanche was always putting on something of a performance no matter what. However, Lange was not as hysterical or fragile as I think Blanche should be.

She did well when working with John Goodman and Diane Lane. Goodman, who like Lange and Alec Baldwin were Emmy-nominated for their performances, was the standout. He fit the role quite well. Goodman was gentle throughout. When he was meant to be a little more assertive with Blanche, one sensed through Goodman's performance that Mitch still wanted to be gentle with her. 

Lange also did well with Lane's Stella. She made her unbridled yearning for Stanley plausible. She was also strong when defending Blanche against her brutish husband.

Overall, I found Jessica Lange decent but not convincing.

Less convincing was her antagonist. Unlike Lange, Alec Baldwin received a Tony nomination for his Stanley Kowalski. He, like Lange and Goodman, also received an Emmy nomination for recreating his role. With all that said, I wondered why he got any recognition to begin with. I found Baldwin's Stanley to be surprisingly restrained, almost apologetic. There is, for example, when he rails against the DuBois sisters for continuously calling him a Polack and dirty. I figure that this is a moment of rage, uncontrollable rage against their tag-teaming in their grand airs. 

As performed by Alec Baldwin, I thought that Stanley Kowalski was about to cry. I did not see any fire or ferocity in his performance. I can't say that Alec Baldwin was miscast, especially as he played the role on Broadway. I did think that he was rather pretty to be someone that gritty. Stanley does not have to be ugly. He, however, should not be thought of as pretty. Rugged, virile, but not pretty. It is, to be fair, not established where Stanley originates from. However, I think Baldwin's Nuw Yawk accent seemed out of place here in the Big Easy. 

One aspect that was surprising was when Baldwin as Stanley removed his shirt to reveal his very hirsute torso. It was to where his chest hair made it look as if he was wearing a vest. 

As a side note, Baldwin was the only Tony nomination that the 1992 A Streetcar Named Desire revival received. It makes one wonder what the American Theater Wing and Broadway League so disliked about this revival to skimp out on recognition. 

One of the elements that brings down this A Streetcar Named Desire is Glenn Jordan's directing. Put aside how sometimes almost the whole cast seemed a bit mannered. Some of his choices were just odd. In the climactic moment when Mitch presents Blanche's sordid past to her, she calls out, "I don't want realism. I want magic!". Yet, for reasons that I cannot guess at, Jordan opted to have us look not at Lange's Blanche but at Goodman's Mitch. I cannot comprehend why Jordan decided that Lange did not merit even a two-person shot at Blanche's slow unraveling. Instead, we needed to keep our eyes on Goodman. 

At the birthday party, Jordan seemed rather fond of moving the camera all over. It soon became rather silly seeing them almost like in a merry-go-round.

It is difficult to look on this A Streetcar Named Desire without thinking of the 1951 film version. It is doubtful that any filmed production will match that adaptation. This version is respectable if flawed.   

6/10