Streetcar Named Desire, A: The Original Restored Version

A Streetcar Named Desire depicts a culture clash between Blanche DuBois (Leigh), a pretentious, fading relic of the Old South, and Stanley Kowalski (Brando), a rising member of the industrial, inner-city immigrant class. Blanche is a Southern belle whose pretensions to virtue and culture only thinly mask her nymphomania and alcoholism. Arriving at the house of her sister Stella Kowalski (Hunter), Stella fears Blanche's arrival will upset the balance of her relationship with her husband Stanley, a primal, roughhewn, brutish, and sensual force of nature. He dominates Stella in every way, and she tolerates his offensive crudeness and lack of gentility largely because of her sexual need for him. Stanley's friend and Blanche's would-be suitor Mitch (Malden) is similarly trampled along Blanche and Stanley's collision course. Their final, inevitable confrontation results in Blanche's mental annihilation. This is the 60th anniversary of playwright Tennessee Williams' masterwork and features the Legion of Decency deletion of three minutes of footage thought to be lost until its discovery in the early 1990s. The new footage underscores, among other things, the sexual tension between Blanche and Stanley, and Stella's passion for her husband. The classic film was selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Actor Karl Malden, Film Historian Rudy Behlmer, and Jeff Young; five documentaries: A Streetcar On Broadway (HD 22:01), A Streetcar In Hollywood (HD 28:10), Censorship And Desire (HD 16:21), North And The Music Of The South (HD 09:14), and An Actor Named Brando (HD 08:53); Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey documentary (HD 75:32); the Marlon Brando screen test (HD 05:06); Kazan's movie trailer gallery; film outtakes (HD 15:38); audio outtakes (HD 17:01); three trailers; and a 40-page booklet filled with dazzling photos, film history trivia, and more.

The 1.37:1 1080p AVC black-and-white picture is restored from largely damage-free source elements and exhibits a dark contrast. This is the play of light against shadow that Director Elia Kazan and Cinematographer Harry Stradling sought as supporting stylization. Resolution is excellent, especially during close-ups of facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture, though, at times the imagery appears soft. As a historical classic, this is a real visual treasure. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 1.0-channel monaural soundtrack sounds dated, as to be expected. Still, dialogue consistently sounds intelligible. Alex North's score is supportive but severely compressed. Overall, the sonics are delivered without distortion and accurately represent the original RCA Sound System recording. (Gary Reber)