A Streetcar Named Desire (1984)

An aging and high strung Southern belle (Ann-Margret), near the end of her nerves, comes to stay in New Orleans with her pregnant sister (Beverly D'Angelo) and her brutish husband (Treat Williams). She and her brother in law immediately clash as she slowly unravels. Based on the classic play by Tennessee Williams and directed by John Erman (THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES). While Shakespeare's Hamlet remains the one role every actor must conquer at some point in order to challenge himself as an actor and prove his mettle, Tennessee Williams' Blanche DuBois is the female equivalent. Perhaps, the greatest role ever written for a woman. This version may not do the Williams play justice (the 1951 Elia Kazan film, despite the censor's restrictions of the era, remains the definitive film version) but Ann-Margret's Blanche is a glorious triumph. She seems to have a tougher hide than Vivien Leigh's Blanche but it makes her final breakdown all the more horrifying. Randy Quaid is also very good as Mitch but Treat Williams' Stanley is inadequate and D'Angelo as Stella is passable. Unlike the 1951 film, Williams' play is untouched and Oscar Saul's adaptation is faithful to the play. The trite Marvin Hamlisch score seems to have no affinity for the material.