5tn Posted November 25, 2015 Posted November 25, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CEzGAhMUno A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by Tennessee Williams in the 40s. Tennessee Williams was a homosexual, and gay men are known for not cater to the ugly sides of women. They don't make movies like this anymore because such honest exposure of what women dread the most - the wall - will send them into a cognitive dissonance. The main characters are Blanche, played by Vivien Leigh, the actress from Gone With The Wind; and Stanley the alpha male, played by Marlon Brando. Blanch an aging high-school teacher, a damsel in distress, seems to have lost everything and seeks help at her sister and brother-in-law house. Through out the movie, Blanche pushes Stanley's nerves. Stanley is an ultra alpha male, who does not compromise for the sake of an old woman, who is desperately trying to cling on to her fading youth. Blanche is a total nightmare, she drinks the alpha's liquor, eat their food, constantly taking hot shower. She looks down at the blue collar working class of New Orleans and praises herself for being a civilized southern belle. She then baits a polite beta, who is Stanley's friend, into marrying her. Stanley then finds out all her dirt, which results to the climax of the movie where Stanley rapes her. Most modern men, given the same situation, would not dare to upset a damsel in distress like the woman in the movie. They are cucked by their wives, who will tell them to obey. They are cucked by the state, the big daddy, which will accuse them of rape if a woman cries wolf. Women want to have an obedient beta at home and then fantasizing about rough alpha male like Stanley. No wonder Marlon Brando went from an unknown actor to a sex symbol after portraying this role. 2
J. D. Stembal Posted November 25, 2015 Posted November 25, 2015 This movie should be screened in every sex ed class in the country by now. One day... one day.
5tn Posted November 26, 2015 Author Posted November 26, 2015 This movie should be screened in every sex ed class in the country by now. One day... one day. Well they teach it in literature class but they hardly tell student anything about the true nature of the female character, rather they will pound into Stanley for being a rapist.
shirgall Posted November 27, 2015 Posted November 27, 2015 Well they teach it in literature class but they hardly tell student anything about the true nature of the female character, rather they will pound into Stanley for being a rapist. My lit class where we talked about Streetcar was 35 years ago, but I remember spending time on the concept of "fallen woman". She had lost her innocence and therefore was no longer smiled upon by the fates. She held her social class to be higher than it really was, etc. etc.
MysterionMuffles Posted January 21, 2016 Posted January 21, 2016 I studied this in high school and remember it quite well. We read the book and watched the movie and here are my thoughts: I hate Blanche Dubois and Blanche Dubois types. They take away the credibility of real victims, but Blanche Dubois types carry themselves in a way that invites predation and exudes immense low self esteem. I mean who's so deluded that they have to MAKE UP a boyfriend to send letter back and forth with? And when she gets raped by Stanley, it doesn't come out of nowhere. If I recall correctly, she had lead him on throughout the story. She's also hypersensitive to the point of PUKING when offended. Like why is she so fickle?! Way to emphasize how abusive Stanley is, right? How dare he take advantage of such a fickle flower? If I knew back then what I know now, I would have pointed this out to my class because like 5tn said, the discussion was purely focussed on demonizing Stanley, and rightfully so, but shouldn't have been the only thing talked about.
hroc Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 Youtube: Roy Masters advice line. This man has some good insights about people and relationships
things make sense Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 Just watched it. First time seeing a 50s film. Holy shit... acting was phenomenal and the characters were so believable. I know rape is a contentious topic, but to Stanley's defense, he is just acting in accordance with his values as honestly as he can. When a man loses respect for a woman, he treats her exactly as how he sees her and I think that is how it should be.
AccuTron Posted January 27, 2016 Posted January 27, 2016 I only saw this movie in adulthood a few years ago, and was very impressed. For those of you who apparently already know the movie, you might enjoy this comic takeoff: Sid Caesar - "A Streetcar Named ???" April 5, 1952 - YouTube
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