Throughout my film experiences I have discovered many cinematic gems which find their way into my list of all-time favorites almost immediately and never diminsish in terms of love and quality. It is in these types of films where I have located special performances of such rich depth and emotional connection/understanding that they become permanently lodged into my memory. A particular example of this enduring admiration comes in the form of.....
....Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Kim Hunter plays the famous role of Stella Kowalski in Tennesse Williams' masterpiece play/film, A Streetcar Named Desire. Stella is rejoined with her sister Blanche (Viven Leigh in a flawlessly rich and exquisite performance) when she comes to stay with Stella in New Orleans after losing their childhood home, and as she slowly gets sucked into a whirlwind of insanity.
Stella had moved away from Belle Reve years ago, much the dismay of Blanche, and had started to develop a life and direction different to that of her sister who wanted to keep everything that was intact with as little change as possible. Blanche has her fair share of secrets (primarily about why has come to visit now) which she keeps tightly to herself, and Stella respects that privacy and understands that even though her sister is in her time of need, that she needs not to smother her but to lend her some breathing room.
Basically, Stella wants to reach out and lend a helping hand to Blanche, as she knows how great of an ordeal she's been through and how her vast insecurites are taking over her line between reality and illusion. However, Stella happens to be married to a brute named Stanley Kowalski (the raw, magentic Marlon Brando in one of the best performances of all time) who's hatred of Blanche grows and grows as she pushes herself more and more into the couples lives.
Hunter's first real big accomplishment in this complex role is staying in sync with Brando's Stanley in their love-hate relationship. This "bond" between these two individuals is based solely off of their sexual attraction towards one another, and how even Stella may at times hate Stanley's guts...
...she is always drawn back to him because of pure, animalistic lust that compinsates for their lack of real emotional connection as husband and wife.
The chemistry between Hunter and Brando is completley authentic; sexy, charged, raw, and compelling. This is needed one hundred percent as their relationship is emotionally essential to the film's overall effectivenes.
As Blanche begins to take serious notice of Stanley's abusive, disturbing behavior she pleads to Stella to get out of this life she shouldn't have even started living, and even as Stella explains to Blanche that she is perfectly happy and content the way her life now is, Hunter successfully conveys that Stella is in fact hesitant about it all.
There is that slightly foggy air where Hunter's Stella hides her true dissapointments, confusions, and uncertainties to better herself and to those around her.
Hunter's second big achievement is acting as the films only real level-headed anchor and keeps the proceedings grounded, both with aplomb. Her Stella is bascially a pawn caught between two oposing forces (Stanley and Blanche) who both try to win/pull her over to their side, but thanks to Hunter's artfully nuanced playing, she lets this engimatic problem hang in the air. Although Stella expresses warmth and concern for both sides, Hunter keeps Stella rather ambiguous in who's side she is truly on, which in turn, lends even more multi-layered depth to this already complicated picture.
Throughout her performance, Hunter always maintains a certain clarity, and even when playing off of Brando or Leigh she can still provide a powerful, naturalistic, and unsentimental disposition. That's no easy feat, my friends.
In fact the ending of the film actually helps finish Stella's arc. In the play, even though deep down Stella knows that Stanley raped Blanche she still stays with her husband because some desires (sexual) are stronger than others (moral). But the film's ending shows Stella seeing how much she had misjudged Stanley ("I'm not going back up there...not this time!") and leaving him with their baby. This ending truly boosts Hunter's characterization because the goodness, strength, and integrity of the character we have seen throughout the movie are put to good use as she uses all of those traits to find her way out. The play just drops that all and has Stella scurry back to her man. But the movie truly supports the performance, and it's Hunter who makes those few final moments so devestatingly heartbreaking.
In ways both big and small, Kim Hunter's performance helps to greatly elevate this flawless gem of a film, and her work in the role remains subtley astounding and vividly humane in the graetest ways possible. It's why she's one of the best winners this category has turned out...
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