Drama ‧ 2h 2m ‧ 1951 ‧ M/PG

On February 15, the Odeon’s free Classic Movie Night will present A Streetcar Named Desire, a 1951 American Southern Gothic drama film adapted from Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. It is directed by Elia Kazan, and stars Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. The film was one of several movies requested by our December Classic Movie Night audience.

The film tells the story of a Mississippi Southern belle, Blanche DuBois, who, after encountering a series of personal losses, seeks refuge with her sister and brother-in-law in their tiny apartment in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It soon becomes apparent that Blanche's aristocratic pretentiousness thinly masks her alcoholism and neurotic delusions. Stanley takes a dislike to her, and she to him, and the Kowalski household becomes a battleground, Blanche reacting to Stanley's crudeness and brutish behaviors, and Stanley to her devious and self-centered ways. Meanwhile, pregnant Stella is caught in between.

A Streetcar Named Desire received 12 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, and won Best Actress in a Leading Role (Leigh), Best Supporting Actor (Malden), Best Supporting Actress (Hunter), and Best Art Direction (Richard Day, George James Hopkins), making it the first film to win in three of the acting categories. The jazz-infused score by Alex North was written in short sets of music that reflected the psychological dynamics of the characters. It was one of the first jazz scores composed for a mainstream feature film, and earned North an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.

In 1999, A Streetcar Named Desire was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The Odeon’s Classic Movie Night is the third Wednesday of each month. Admission is always free but we appreciate your donations, which enable us to continue offering these special movie presentations.

If you’re interested in sponsoring your favorite Classic Movie* by underwriting the licensing fee (typically $50 to $250 depending on the film) in part or whole, please email us at notify@theodeontheater.com.

* Movies must appear on the AFI’s “100 Greatest Movies of All Time” list.