Movie Review: A Streetcar Named Desire
Year of Release: 1951
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Elia Kazan
Cast: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
Plot outline: A fading southern belle tries to build a new life with her sister in French quarter in New Orleans (IMDb).
Based on the play of the same name by Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire is a superbly crafted drama. Vivien Leigh gives the penultimate performance of her career, ironically as another southern belle. In this movie, however, she is far more tragic. While Marlon Brando gives the most intensely riveting, sexually explosive performance in movie history. The line most vividly remembered is screamed by Brando: "Stellaaaaa ... !!! ", but the best line is spoken by Leigh - as she is taken to a rest home: "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." Still this brilliant movie belongs to Brando. He received the first of four consecutive Best Actor nominations and became an instant international sensation. Along with Montgomery Clift and James Dean, Brando completely revolutionized American movie acting. The term 'method' became a part of the language of cinema. Elia Kazan directs with purpose and authority. He wound up with a movie that raised the ante on the level of naturalistic acting in film. The movie is highly verbal and is paced leisurely, but for the patient viewers the payoff is huge! (P)
My judgement: **** out of 4 stars
Movie Review: Caesar and Cleopatra
Year of Release: 1945
Country of Origin: UK
Director: Gabriel Pascal
Cast: Claude Rains, Vivien Leigh, Stewart Granger, Flora Robson
Plot outline: Julius Caesar gives the famed Egyptian queen lessons in government (IMDb).
Caesar and Cleopatra is a little part history, a considerable part George Bernard Shaw, and a big part Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh. Rains is Shaw's vision of Julius Caesar: wise but jocular, clear-eyed even though amused by Cleopatra's transparent maneuvers and lies, and eager to avoid shedding any more blood than is necessary to secure control of Egypt (a major source of grain for imperial Rome). "Murder begets murder," Shaw's Caesar points out to the impetuous Egyptian queen. (The historical Caesar recurrently offered clemency - at least to Romans who had fought against him.) Leigh is Shaw's vision of Cleopatra: kittenish and uninhibited, especially not inhibited by any commitment to telling the truth. Rains is delightful as Caesar, manifesting with arch and polished grace all of the humour and tolerance and understanding that Shaw saw in the man. He also handles with sympathy and moving delicacy the poignant and fleeting intimations of a middle-aged man's yearn toward youth. Leigh gives what must be termed a perfect picture of the youthful Egyptian queen - at least, as Shaw perceived her. She is timid and electric as a girl and drenched with a hot, aggressive nature as the woman whom Caesar inspires. Slim and elastic in rare costumes, she looks every bit the one to catch the fateful fancy of a man with a cultivated taste. Fine, too, are other performances. Basil Sydney is robust and blunt as Rufio, Caesar's old lieutenant; Stewart Granger is handsome and suave as the dandy, Apollodorous, and Flora Robson is dour and hard as Cleopatra's maid. Francis L. Sullivan and Raymond Lovell play court intriguers with shrewd finesse and Cecil Parker gets much sly amusement out of Shaw's satirized British slave. (SM, BC)
My judgment: *** out of 4 stars
Movie Review: Anna Karenina
Year of Release: 1948
Country of Origin: UK
Director: Julien Duvivier
Cast: Vivien Leigh, Ralph Richardson, Kieron Moore
Plot outline: Adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic tale of a woman who deserts her family for an illicit love (IMDb).
It is inevitable that this British production of Anna Karenina is compared with its major Hollywood predecessor. That 1935 movie was starred Greta Garbo and had an exceptional supporting cast. The 'Garbo mystique' has made the American version more popular, but the British version is comparable in quality, and is more faithful to the source novel. Vivien Leigh has a childish self-centered personality perhaps more appropriate to the character. Garbo is comparatively worldly and affected, but her passion was equal to the role. Nonetheless, Vivien Leigh is fascinating as well as beautiful, and many viewers will get caught up in her plight. (BK)
My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars
Movie Review: Gone With the Wind
Year of Release: 1939
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Victor Fleming
Cast: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland
Plot outline: The epic tale of a woman's life during one of the most tumultuous periods in America's history (IMDb).
Adapted from Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel of the same name, Gone With the Wind is perhaps the most successful movie of all time. The story, and the characters, have become a part of American cultural heritage. The story begins in Georgia, just prior to the Civil War. Beautiful and spoiled Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) schemes to win the love of the honorable Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), who is engaged to his saintly cousin Melanie (Olivia de Havilland). Scarlett fails in this effort, but wins the admiration of dashing scoundrel Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). Ashley marries Melanie, then goes off to fight the Civil War. Scarlett moves to Atlanta to be with Melanie and wait for Ashley's return. Eventually, Union troops siege and capture Atlanta, forcing Scarlett, Melanie, and her newborn baby to flee to Scarlett's home at Tara, which has been impoverished by looting Federal troops. After much humiliation and unethical behavior, Scarlett rebuilds Tara and becomes a wealthy businesswoman. She marries Rhett and has a daughter, but her marriage is stormy. Is Gone With the Wind pro-slavery? In the pre-war scenes, the blacks seem content with their lot, and show devotion to the white "masters" who control their lives. Pork (Oscar Polk) is a shuffling, slow-talking stereotype. Prissy (Butterfly McQueen) is described by Rhett as a "simple-minded darky". But to its credit, Gone With the Wind has two very strong and positive roles. The characters listen with respect to Mammy (Hattie McDaniel), whose straightforward comments make for sage advice. McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress, an outstanding achievement during an era of segregation. Big Sam (Everett Brown) shows great courage rescuing Scarlett from grave danger. The story does sag once or twice, but only in comparison with its best parts. The movie peaks midway, during the siege of Atlanta. The best action scenes are here, and the devastation war is clearly demonstrated by the horrific hospital scenes and acres of wounded soldiers. The movie picks up again during a postwar sequence loaded with suspense. Scarlett has narrowly escaped an attack on her by lowlifes in a shantytown. A dangerous vigilante action is then taken by the men in Scarlett's life, while their wives wait anxiously for their return. Scarlett O'Hara, the central character, is shrewd, manipulating, and selfish. She is despised by most of the other female characters. Yet she is presented to the audience clearly as a heroine. Women identify with her determination, and she shows positive traits helping Melanie to deliver her baby, and saving and rebuilding Tara after the war. Rhett Butler is a self-proclaimed scoundrel, but he keeps performing heroic actions that contradict what he says, just as his love for Scarlett shows despite his frequent cruelty to her. Although he enjoys adventures apart from Scarlett, one of the movie's recurrent themes is his return to her, and his determination to have her love him more than Ashley. One wonders at first viewing why Melanie is so nice to Scarlett, who constantly schemes to steal Ashley from her. But Melanie does not view Scarlett as a threat, and perhaps she loves her more than Scarlett loves Ashley. Of course, Gone With the Wind is a costume epic and a soap opera. Because of its genre, and its strong appeal to women (the story is told through Leigh's character), there are naysayers (mostly men) who dislike the movie. But there is no doubt that it is an outstanding movie. If the costumes, the cinematography, and the script aren't enough to convince (which they certainly should be), the leading characters are extremely interesting and well defined. (BK)
My judgement: **** out of 4 stars
Year of Release: 1951
