Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF(PG)

D: Richard Brooks

MGM/Avon (Lawrence Weingarten)

USA 🇺🇸 1958

108 mins

Drama

W: Richard Brooks & James Poe[based on the play by Tennessee Williams]

DP: William Daniels

Ed: Ferris Webster

Paul Newman (Brick Pollitt), Elizabeth Taylor (Maggie Pollitt), Burl Ives (Big Daddy Pollitt), Jack Carson (Cooper Pollitt), Judith Anderson (Big Mama Pollitt)

Tennessee Williams plied his career on writing plays uncovering the brutal underside of seemingly innocent domestic idylls, particularly in the Deep South. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is of similar cloth, as it takes a closer look at the Pollitt family and the secrets they hold, and while much of the homosexual undertones have been lightened for the big screen transition, the metaphor is still quite obvious to see.

Dying of cancer, Big Daddy Pollitt (Burl Ives) has become disenchanted with his two sons, one of whom, Brick (Paul Newman), an alcoholic ex-football player has fallen out of love with his wife, Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor).

Though it's evident that the content of the play has been toned down for a cinema audience, the main trio of performance are nothing short of excellent, particularly Burl Ives, who steals the movie, but some may say that this is representative of Elizabeth Taylor's finest acting performance.

8/10