In any adaptation, there are obviously going to be differences from one form to the other. A Streetcar Named Desire is no different. There are many differences, both big and small, but the one that stood out to me was the change in Mitch’s attitude toward Blanche in the end. This could just be the adjustment of watching it acted out instead of reading the dialogue and stage directions, but during the confrontation between the two, Mitch seems much angrier. He kicks open the door, yells, rips the lantern off of the bulb, and drags Blanche into its light to see her clearly. In the play, while he was still upset, it didn’t read like the dark anger seen in the movie.
Another difference in Mitch I noticed has to do with a part of a scene that’s unique to the movie. In the last scene, when they’re taking Blanche away to the institution, he yells at Stanley “You did this to her!” and swings on him. There’s no scene like this in the play. In the final scene of the play, Mitch isn’t even mentioned by name. He is only a part of the poker players collective, giving the feeling of indifference at her being dragged away. It seems in the play that he doesn’t know about the assault, or at the very least, doesn’t care. I find the difference in his presentation very interesting. Could his attitude change be an appeasement of the moviegoers, like the ending of the movie?