Mise-en-Scene in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

The Mise-en-Scene is crucial for the audience to find themselves lost in a motion picture. The Mise-en-Scene in A Streetcar Named Desire is a perfect example of the influence the environment within the film can have on the expression of the characters thoughts, emotions, and actions. Firstly, the film contains a vast amount of instrumental and metaphorical props that provide great insight into the characters and themes of the film. An instrumental prop of the film is Blanche’s, portrayed by Vivien Leigh, traveling trunk, which holds all of her possessions. She frequently digs through her trunk throughout the scenes held within the apartment, withdrawing from it her various dresses, scarves, and pieces of jewelry. A metaphorical prop within the movie is the Chinese lamp shade Blanche purchases and puts over the light bulb in her room. It represents the dark veil her lies places over all of the character’s faces. When Stanley, played by Marlon Brando, rips the shade from the lamp, it reveals Blanche’s face, allowing him to see how old she truly is. Stanley’s revealing of the light is a metaphorical representation of the light truth can bring. It also reveals that, like light, the truth always finds a way to shine through the darkness of lies and deceit. Secondly, another aspect of Mise-en-Scene in the film is the balancing of the perspectives of the main characters, which can only be done through the types of actors in the movie. Blanche is provocative, manipulative, and self conscious. Her sister Stella, played by Kim Hunter, is more confident, caring, and submissive. The contrast to Stanley is Mitch, portrayed by Karl Malden. Where Stanley is dominant, abusive, and dismissive of Blanche’s worries, Mitch is caring, gentlemanlike, and accepting of Blanche. It is only when her lies are revealed that Mitch falls out of love with her. Finally, the Mise-en-Scene as a measure of character within A Streetcar Named Desire is astounding. When Stanley and Stella’s apartment suddenly has a third inhabitant it becomes claustrophobic and cluttered. The apartment is a measure of the narrow minded Stanley, who has no idea how to treat a lady, and is only concerned with his own needs. He has no concept of an open mind in which an individual empathizes with other people, or in this case other characters. In a direct contrast, Mitch and Blanche’s most intimate conversation is held on a pier like location with open air, sea, and restaurant inhabitants detailing the environment. The setting is a measure of Blanche and Mitch’s open mind towards one another, and their desire to get to know and be with each other. The setting represents the potential for their love to continue to grow and develop unstrained. The Mise-en-Scene contributes greatly to the outcome of a motion picture. Through props, settings, and actor types, the audience is given a gateway into a world that provides an escape from the complexities of everyday life. In A Streetcar Named Desire, the Mise-en-Scene allows the audience to view the actors not only as characters, but as people they can relate to.