A Streetcar Named Desire and Blue Jasmine - A Short Comparison

            "Blue Jasmine," a modernized version of Tennessee Williams' theatrical masterpiece, "A Streetcar Named Desire," depicts Jasmine French as a character based on Blanche Dubois. Woody Allen, the director of "Blue Jasmine," creates more sympathy for the Blanche character than Tennessee Williams does. Allen is able to do this by including Blanche's whole back-story and showing that her first husband made her the way she was. In the movie, you feel sympathetic for Jasmine because you realize that her deceased husband, Hal, continued to cheat on her and was a complete fraud as a businessman. In the play, you don't feel sympathetic for Blanche because she basically caused her husbands death, lied to most people she met, and destroyed some people's lives along the way. .
             Woody Allen shows Jasmine's past one piece at a time through a series of flashbacks. This helps the audience to sympathize with her because they can see how her husband's personal and business affairs destroy her stability. During the first flashback, Jasmine seems to have the perfect life and the perfect husband. As each new flashback appears, the audience learns about another problem their relationship. Her husband happens to be some kind of businessman; what kind, the audience doesn't really get to know. The audience does learn, however, that he makes much of his money from fraudulent business dealings. The audience also learns that Hal has many affairs and lies to Jasmines face about them. .
             Conversely to the way Jasmine's past is presented, Williams reveals Blanche's past all at once. He also presents it in such a way that makes it look like she is the only one who can be blamed for her problems. Stanley explains to Stella what really happened to Blanche and how he has three people to back him. He says "She's not going back to teach school She'd gotten mixed up with!" (Williams 122). The lies Blanche has told are being revealed.