A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire is the 1951 Elia Kazan/Tennessee Williams triumph that earned 12 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, while also courting controversy with some last-minute edits undertaken to appease the censorship board. Gone With the Wind’s Vivien Leigh is the neurotic belle Blanche du Bois who struggles to hold on to her fading Southern gentility against the brutish badgering of her brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski (Brando). Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden and the rich black-and-white cinematography were all awarded Oscars for this cinematic classic. While Brando was the only one of the film’s four Oscar-nominated actors not to secure a win, his passionate cries of “Stella! Stella! Stella!” remain etched forever in Hollywood history.

American Film Festival catalog

Elia Kazan – one of the most important film directors in the history of American cinema, writer and theatrical director. Co-founder of legendary Actors Studio. In 1952 he testified against his colleagues from Communist Party in front of McCarty Commision. He won three Academy Awards. He introduced to the film industry such movie legends as James Dean and Marlon Brando. Director of East of Eden, Baby Doll, Gentleman’s Agreement, On the Waterfront.

American Film Festival catalog