I don't think most people could spend more than half an hour with Jessica Lange's Blanche DuBois without either wanting to ring her neck or toss her out. She has never been a paragon of sanity or unselfishness, but Lange speaks in a Marilyn Monroe breathy voice nonstop to the point where I quickly became annoyed. One of my favorite veteran stars of the modern motion picture era, I had high hopes for her in this part, having seen Vivien Leigh and Ann-Margret on film and Natasha Richardson on stage.
The second best Stanley Kowalski I've seen next to Brando, Alec Baldwin is completely understated and patient, and his annoyance to his sister-in-law does build, so perhaps that part of Lange's performance does make an impact. The best performance comes from Diane Lane as the much stronger Stella who is far different in perspective than Kim Hunter and Beverly D'Angelo, both excellent, but here on a unique plane that really works.
Fortunately, there's not much of John Goodman to dominate as Mitch, but his big romantic scene with Lange was cringy. The direction is theatrical, and camera work uncomfortably close, and after a while, I felt claustrophobic looking in on these troubled people. The sound recording for Lange's voice eventually was like nails down a chalkboard. This streetcar sadly ended up with a flat before it got to its final destination.
The second best Stanley Kowalski I've seen next to Brando, Alec Baldwin is completely understated and patient, and his annoyance to his sister-in-law does build, so perhaps that part of Lange's performance does make an impact. The best performance comes from Diane Lane as the much stronger Stella who is far different in perspective than Kim Hunter and Beverly D'Angelo, both excellent, but here on a unique plane that really works.
Fortunately, there's not much of John Goodman to dominate as Mitch, but his big romantic scene with Lange was cringy. The direction is theatrical, and camera work uncomfortably close, and after a while, I felt claustrophobic looking in on these troubled people. The sound recording for Lange's voice eventually was like nails down a chalkboard. This streetcar sadly ended up with a flat before it got to its final destination.