The 1951 film production of A Streetcar Named Desire shifted the focus of the story even further onto Blanche than the original play. Both versions portray Blanche as the protagonist, but the movie made her the star of the show right from the beginning by changing the first scene.
In Tennessee Williams’ play, the first characters the audience sees are the neighbors Eunice and an unnamed black woman, who sit on the steps outside. Stanley and Mitch come around the corner, and Stanley delivers the first piece of dialogue. He hollers to Stella, who comes outside and tells him not to yell in that manner at her. The following action sets the tone for Stanley and Stella’s relationship; Stanley throws a package of meat from the butcher’s at Stella, telling her to “Catch!” Stella catches it and laughs, but Stanley and Mitch are already heading back around the corner. When Stella calls after Stanley to ask if she can join them, his response is “Come on.”
I find the action of Stanley essentially chucking this package at Stella a little humorous because of its absurdity. The play has just started and here is this man we don’t know yet who hollers at his wife then, as the play puts it, “heaves” this meat at her. However, this interaction also shows how little respect Stanley has for Stella. He could not have been bothered to take a few more steps to give it to her, and after she’s caught the package he’s already on his way out. Additionally, Stella doesn’t mind this treatment. She acts as if it was some sort of joke. Stanley also doesn’t seem to wait up for her when it’s decided that she’s coming to watch him bowl. He continues on with hardly a second thought for her. This lays out an introduction to their relationship for the audience. Stanley disrespects Stella, and Stella reacts positively toward it. This is explored later with Stella thinking Stanley’s destructive outbursts are exciting.
It is not until after a short conversation between Eunice and the unnamed woman on the steps that Blanche makes her first appearance. This is in stark contrast to the movie, which opens directly with Blanche at a train station on her way to the Kowalski’s. The audience follows her journey to her sister’s, then to the bowling alley where she finds Stella. Opening on Blanche makes her feel more important, like she’s the one to pay the most attention to. Additionally, cutting the scene with the meat falls in line with the movie’s ending, in which Stella leaves Stanley and moves out. But the beginning is a very powerful part of a story, and dedicating the entire opening scene to Blanche gives her the spotlight, while the original beginning shines light on Stella and Stanley’s relationship.
There were other changes to the story, but this once stuck out to me because I felt like it deeply affects how the audience views the characters. Blanche is still the protagonist in William’s version, but that fact is much more prominent in the movie. In fact, Blanche seemed to get more screen time throughout the story in the movie than she did in the play, and it all started with the beginning.