Brilliant ensemble performances won Academy Awards for Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden, plus a nomination for Marlon Brando in this explosive film version of Tennessee Williams' uncomfortably powerful play. Leigh is unforgettable as Blanche Dubois, the fading southern belle who, after her marriage breaks up, is forced to stay with her sister Stella (Hunter) and her heavy-drinking husband (Brando) in their rat-trap New Orleans 'apartment' (really too grand a word for it). Although sordid and gloomy throughout, the film fascinates rather than alienates us, thanks to the unpredictability of the plot, the hypnotic qualities in the acting, and art direction and set decoration (you can almost feel the damp and hear the cockroaches) that were both also rewarded with Oscars. Brando's sweaty, animalistic Stanley Kowalski shot him to superstardom and brought forth a million imitators of his earthy, vaguely slurred delivery. Only reservation: all the characters (with the exception of Hunter's) are just faintly unbelievable, though the strength of the performances more than compensates.

©ipc tx. Film content from TVTimes