Original artwork, not a still
Stella! Hey, Stella!
— A Streetcar Named Desire · 1951
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a man's regret turned into a roar, and the film's quiet horror is that it works: Stella comes down. The scene puts desire, violence and forgiveness in one shout, which is why it has been parodied from cartoons to sitcoms by anyone who wants to bellow a name in the street. Brando's raw, mumbling performance made it the image of the new, physical style of screen acting in the early 1950s.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for A Streetcar Named DesireShow the scene
In the 1951 film of Tennessee Williams's play, a drunken poker night in the Kowalskis' New Orleans apartment ends with Stanley striking his pregnant wife Stella. She and her sister Blanche flee upstairs to the neighbour's rooms. Once his rage fades, Stanley wanders into the courtyard below and bellows her name up at the building until Stella is drawn back down to him, and they go to bed together. Elia Kazan directed, and the film kept most of its cast from the 1947 Broadway production, including Marlon Brando as Stanley. The American Film Institute later ranked the shout number 45 among movie quotes.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film)Plot and ProductionReference checked
- Wikiquote: A Streetcar Named Desire (film)Stanley Kowalski sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
