Many loved this remake of the 1951 film based on Tennessee Williams 1947 play; while others, like me, were appalled. Ann-Margaret as Blanche DuBois seemed wrong from the get-go, but I suppose the director was correct in letting A-M play the role to her strengths rather than attempting to have her use characteristics she can't project (i.e., fragility, delicacy, vulnerability). Ann-Margaret's Blanche not only doesn't project the faded southern aristocracy that is the backbone of the role; but she's entirely too formidable a match for Treat Williams' Stanley. I suspect those who sympathized with A-M's Blanche more than Vivien Leigh's in the original, are responding negatively to Leigh's sense of hauteur -- snobbery -- that's anathema for post-60's audiences. Nevertheless, Leigh's Blanche *is* Blanche... love her or hate her. Ann-Margaret gives an excellent performance in an entirely misconceived interpretation which ruined the play for me.
Review of A Streetcar Named Desire
