Perhaps the original "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with Barbara Bel Geddes and Ben Gazzara was so ground-breaking in its stage debut that no revival could possibly touch it, although a 1990's revival with Kathleen Turner was rumored to be excellent. The recent Broadway revival was so slow- moving and poorly cast that I had to side with Mae ("Sister Woman") in her battle with "Maggie the Cat". The original film version, however (not the braying 1975 TV remake with Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner), was so hot, that it wasn't only the roof that was practically on fire.
From the moment you see Paul Newman as Brick and Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie, you know that you're in for a sexy time, even though this married couple is lacking in that department. It's a family fight to the finish for Brick, his older brother Gooper (Jack Carson), thanks to pushy "sister woman" Madeline Sherwood, and also a fight for the affections and heritage of their parents, Big Daddy (the powerful Burl Ives) and Big Mama (Judith Anderson, cast totally against type yet amazing). Big Daddy may or may not be dying, and only his doctor (soap veteran Larry Gates, who played his own "Big Daddy" type on "Guiding Light") knows for sure.
The little no-necked monsters harass Aunt Maggie so much that after one of them throws ice cream at her, that little "Bad Seed" gets her own come-uppance and deservedly so. Tennessee Williams wrote many classic plays, but this is for sure his sexiest (even if the undertones of homosexuality have been removed from the movie) and most popular screen adaption. It is a shame that Newman and Taylor only made this one film together, as their chemistry is as hot as anything Newman did with his own wife Joanne Woodward and even more so than most films which Taylor did with her later husband Richard Burton.
Fans of "The Flying Nun" will be shocked to see the future "Reverand Mother" playing such a meddlesome character, far from the stern but loving nun. Madeline Sherwood made infrequent film appearances over the years, working mostly on stage, yet always stood out in these rare screen roles. Burl Ives, who won the Oscar for Supporting Actor the same year for "The Big Country" is certainly worthy for a Lead Actor nomination here. His bellowing of "Mendacity!" is certainly unforgettable. Judith Anderson may seem too strong in certain scenes for the sometimes pathetic Big Mama, but she takes on the role with gusto, showing us that underneath this devoted, sometimes clinging woman, is a mother lion who can fight with the best of them.
Beautifully filmed in color and certainly ahead of its time in theme (even missing the gay undertones of Brick's friendship with the late Skipper), this is a difficult film to top. Director Richard Brooks takes time giving each character something important to say about the insides of their soul, faithfully transporting the stage text to screen and making this a true classic.
From the moment you see Paul Newman as Brick and Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie, you know that you're in for a sexy time, even though this married couple is lacking in that department. It's a family fight to the finish for Brick, his older brother Gooper (Jack Carson), thanks to pushy "sister woman" Madeline Sherwood, and also a fight for the affections and heritage of their parents, Big Daddy (the powerful Burl Ives) and Big Mama (Judith Anderson, cast totally against type yet amazing). Big Daddy may or may not be dying, and only his doctor (soap veteran Larry Gates, who played his own "Big Daddy" type on "Guiding Light") knows for sure.
The little no-necked monsters harass Aunt Maggie so much that after one of them throws ice cream at her, that little "Bad Seed" gets her own come-uppance and deservedly so. Tennessee Williams wrote many classic plays, but this is for sure his sexiest (even if the undertones of homosexuality have been removed from the movie) and most popular screen adaption. It is a shame that Newman and Taylor only made this one film together, as their chemistry is as hot as anything Newman did with his own wife Joanne Woodward and even more so than most films which Taylor did with her later husband Richard Burton.
Fans of "The Flying Nun" will be shocked to see the future "Reverand Mother" playing such a meddlesome character, far from the stern but loving nun. Madeline Sherwood made infrequent film appearances over the years, working mostly on stage, yet always stood out in these rare screen roles. Burl Ives, who won the Oscar for Supporting Actor the same year for "The Big Country" is certainly worthy for a Lead Actor nomination here. His bellowing of "Mendacity!" is certainly unforgettable. Judith Anderson may seem too strong in certain scenes for the sometimes pathetic Big Mama, but she takes on the role with gusto, showing us that underneath this devoted, sometimes clinging woman, is a mother lion who can fight with the best of them.
Beautifully filmed in color and certainly ahead of its time in theme (even missing the gay undertones of Brick's friendship with the late Skipper), this is a difficult film to top. Director Richard Brooks takes time giving each character something important to say about the insides of their soul, faithfully transporting the stage text to screen and making this a true classic.