The movie that I watch is the first production of this play and it was show at the Aldwych Theatre on Wednesday, October 12th 1949. It is directed by Laurence Oliver, setting and lighting by Jo Mielziner and costumes by Beatrice Dawson. Besides that, it is a black and white movie. There are not many differences by comparing to the movie and the text of ‘A streetcar Named Desire’ because the movie also run from scene one to scene eleven. Both movie and the text supply to my understanding.
There are advantages of watching the movie because it provides the whole picture of the setting in the play. The movie really set up the real situation of the play and it shows how the place, New Orleans looks like, how small the apartment is and how it is compartmentalized. It helps me to understand the social-economy status of them. Because there’s a generation gap between I and the period that is set by the play and I have never been there. After watching the movie, I just knew how a streetcar looks like. So, by watching the movie helps me to figure out the image that is described in the book.
By watching the movie, it also helps me to further understand the characteristics of the characters. While the actors and actresses are acting out the play, they showed the facial expression, gestures, postures and the tone when exchanging the conversation portrayed the characters vividly. The eye contact is also important as this we can’t sense it while reading the text because sometimes there’s just the eye movement without even utterance a word to show your expressions. From the movie, I also can trace the relationship of the couple, how they quarrel, how rough they are and they make up very soon, like Stanley and Stella, Steve and Eunice. Besides that, the sound effect of the movie helps to set up the mood of the scene. For example as describe as in the play, the sound of ‘Blue Piano’, ‘Polka Tune’, and’ music of Negro’.
However, there is disadvantage of this black and white movie. I cannot see the colours of the costumes that they wore as describing in the play. Blanche was wearing a White clothes which suggests her behaviour is like a moth.
In conclusion, I think that I can understand better about the setting, characteristics and the theme of the play by watching the movie. I had enjoyed watching it!
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True, we were at a little disadvantage in watching the movie because it is a black and white movie. All the visual imageries were not seen clearly; like you said Blanche is portrayed as a moth but we fail to relate to that as we watched the movie because of its black-and-white movie. Yet by watching the movie, I find it better in understanding the play. Yes, like you said it helps a lot. I found that to be true. Now I see how the French Quarter must have look like back then. The facial expression is quite vivid and noticeable as it is described in the written version of the play. The physical movement is made more memorable to our mind as it is the same as in the book version. By reading the play earlier before watching the movie does give some advantage in predicting and guessing what will happen next whether it will be the same or not in the movie.
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