Sunday, September 7, 2008

Which Blanche Do I Believe?

In the two clips from Streetcar Named Desire, the two characters try to portray Blanche. The problem with the two clips is that each of them is at a different pace. The more frantic pace of the older video leads to the thought of her portraying a better Blanche than Jessica Lange according to Tennessee Williams. When he says it's easier to identify with characters who verge upon hysteria, that leans without a doubt to the older video. Blanche's motions in the older clip, lead to a sense of hysteria. She is constantly moving, thinking, and acting. In my opinion though, I believe they both do a credible job of portraying Blanche. The Jessica Lange version is a more sincere, heart felt scene in the book, that leads to less hysteria. So, to me, according to Tennessee Williams quote, the older video portrays Blanche the best, but the newer clip also portrays Blanche very well according to the mood of the scene.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you commented on the positives in both potrayals. Good post!