A wonderful review of one of my favorite plays/movies. I hadn't considered the parallels between the endings of Sunset Boulevard and Streetcar, but you are so right--although those (relatively) gentle endings for both Blanche and Norma seemed the norm for that time in cinema.

I think, no matter what character he played, Marlon Brando's sheer animal sexuality would have catapulted him to stardom, but yes, when you see his earlier movies, including Streetcar, On the Waterfront, The Wild One, etc., it's sad to see the waste of that talent in his later years.

Thank you for posting.