Blanche

After viewing both clips, I feel Vivien Leigh portrays Blanche better than Jessica Lange. Leigh is the ideal Blanche. She's dressed up all fancy and acts exactly how you would picture Blanche from reading A Streetcar Named Desire. I feel the main reason Leigh acts as a better Blanche is due to the time period of the release of her movie. Growing up in the time period around when the story was produced should have given her a better grasp on how to portray Blanche.

"I have found it easier to identify with the characters who verge upon hysteria, who were frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person. But these seemingly fragile people are the strong people really."

This quote by Tennessee Williams fits Blanche perfectly. Hysterical describes Blanche to a tee. Blanche seems fragile throughout the plot but you can pick up on the hint that she is actually stronger than the others. In the clip Blanche just seemed to have unreasonable expectations of what to expect, which in a sense led to hysteria and proof of her being fragile. But all in all I feel Vivien Leigh is a better actress as far as relating to Blanche, and she did a great job in filling her shoes.