Up until the literal ending itself, both versions of A Streetcar Named Desire, the script and the movie adaptation, generally stay pretty similar. In the script, there’s a few additive mentions such as the specific notes about how Mitch was supposed to sit with him looking dazed and “dissolved into space,” and how “There is a moment of silence–no sound but that of Stanley steadily shuffling the cards.” Little notes like that would hardly be intentional gestures the audience watching the movie would likely notice, but it wouldn’t necessarily change the feeling, outcome, or final thoughts that the ending would leave its audience with regardless of whether they were reading the script or watching the adaptation.
Where the two versions drastically differ is after Blanche is led out by the Doctor; in the movie Stanley gets punched by Mitch and an argument about whether or not Stanley had done anything to Blanche. Stella ends up watching her sister be driven away while holding her baby, and it’s insinuated that she finally leaves Stanley for good after she runs up the stairs to Eunice’s apartment. The movie ends with Stanley calling after her without actually going up to check on her. In the play, Blanche acts pretty similarly to how she does in the movie. She walks out in a daze, not ignoring anyone, but simply not seeing them. Whenever she walks off, she doesn’t look over to see her sister either as stated in the stage notes. “[Blanche walks on without turning, followed by the Doctor and the Matron. They go around the corner of the building.]” Stella is nearly inconsolable as she hold her baby; Stanley calls out to her, walks over, kneels beside her, and opens her blouse, with the play essentially ending right after that.
The endings to both are far from happy, but at least the movie version provides a bit of solace in that Stella leaves her unhealthy relationship with Stanley. It’s unclear whether she will go back to him given her history of forgiving him, but for the moment the audience knows that she’s relatively safe in the apartment above. There are numerous open-ended questions, and while “happy” is far from the word that I would personally use to describe the ending, it’s at least satisfying to some minor extent. The script’s ending is depressing; it ends with Blanche being sent off, no one knowing for sure that Stanley assaulted her, Stella being inconsolable, and Stanley (for some reason) thinking that while she’s weeping that would be the perfect time to “find the opening” in her shirt. It leaves the impression that nothing will ever change for Stella, that Stanley will likely get away with his crime, and this baby will be left with a dysfunctional and unhealthy family while likely never knowing who Blanche was or what happened to her. Both are tough endings to swallow and leave a lot to think about in terms of sexuality, truth versus perception, vanity, and the way people are simple creatures who do what they like regardless of any consequences.