User Reviews

In "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Newman is an ex-football player, trying to relive his college athletic glories… Drinking and staggering, he attempts to jump hurdles, resulting in a painful injury that has him hobbling around on crutches during most of the film…

The role was certainly another demonstration of his widening range, for Brick is in many ways the antithesis of Ben Quick ("The Long, Hot Summer"). Although he too is cynical, cold and guilt-ridden, he manifests it by becoming moody, withdrawn, introverted… In addition, whereas Ben was strong and decisive, causing and participating in events, Brick is weak and passive, largely reacting to events around him... And he's anything but ambitious: while his greedy brother and sister-in-law await Big Daddy's death so they can inherit his huge fortune and plantation, and while his wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor) urges him to fight for his share, he merely broods and drinks... An emotionally crippled, "thirty-year-old boy," he refuses to face responsibility and truth, preferring to drown his memories in liquor…

Newman and Taylor enact striking contrasts in temperament: she is fiery, loud, animated, sensual; he is cold, quiet, immobile, dispassionate… Brick and Maggie haven't been sleeping together, and she wants him desperately, but he keeps rejecting her advances… As she talks, he replies with sarcasm, contempt and mostly indifference, speaking in a dreamy, monotonous manner, as if only half-there…

In conversations with her, as with Big Daddy (Burl Ives), he stares into space, or walks away (usually toward the liquor supply), turning his back on the other party and forcing the dialog to take place on separate planes… All of this places him in a private world, where he hides his torment and anxiety beneath a mask of detachment…

If Newman is best at enacting Brick's unspoken thoughts and emotions, he's also effective in the more spirited moments, as when he screams at Maggie or Big Daddy, to prevent them from getting at the truth he wants kept buried… But exactly what the "truth" is remains unclear…

In the play, Brick's fear of admitting a homosexual attachment led indirectly to his friend's death and explained his overall moodiness and passivity… But because of Hollywood's moral code, director-scriptwriter Richard Brooks had to eliminate this, and the character's motivations are considerably weakened… His hostility toward Maggie—understandable in the play—is especially confusing because it results from events that are unconvincingly outlined…

With the homosexuality cut out, Brick's dependence upon his friend is now explained by the failure of Big Daddy to provide strength and love, and this changed emphasis does make for exciting drama… The film's key scene—not in the play—is one in which Brick confronts his father with this painful truth… As they sit in a cellar disarranged with the old man's useless antiques, he tells Big Daddy that love cannot be bought… Newman moves powerfully from anguished looks to an eruption of emotion, smashing everything in sight, finally breaking down and crying: "All I wanted was a father, not a boss ... I wanted you to love me." Both are in pain—Big Daddy because of cancer, Brick because his crutch has (symbolically) been broken, and they need each other's he1p to get upstairs… Therefore the film ultimately becomes another statement of father-son alienation, and their coming to terms with it, as in "The Rack" and "Somebody Up There Likes Me," leads the characters to a new strength (and an upbeat ending not in the play).

Despite its compromises, the film was still daring by 1958 standards, and was an enormous commercial success… It received six Oscar nominations, including one for Newman as Best Actor—his first. Newman had developed, at last, a really impressive acting ability, and a distinctive screen image

Yet another example of a 1950s stage to screen adaptation in which the entire reason for the play's existence is removed from the screen version in order to placate the censors. Why did people even want to make movies out of plays if they wanted to remove everything that made the plays interesting in the first place? Without the homosexual subtext, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" isn't about very much except Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor disliking each other until they do a complete 180 and get it on in the film's final scene. I guess at the time the pairing of two hot actors was enough to get audiences into the theatres, but that's not good enough now. This is tepid and bland, with uninspired direction, and would make anyone wonder why this Tennessee Williams play is considered to be such a classic.

There is one reason to see this film, though, and that's Burl Ives. Newman and Taylor fade into the background, and the movie becomes the story of Ives' Big Daddy, who gives a fascinating, bellicose performance as a dying patriarch, desperately in need of a worthy heir to carry on his legacy. With this and "The Big Country," released the same year, Ives had perhaps the best 1958 of any other actor working at the time.

Grade: C

The Pollitt family gather to celebrate the 65th birthday of Big Daddy (Burl Ives), wealthy land owner and cotton merchant. Amongst the group are Big Daddy's wife, Ida, their eldest son, Gooper (Jack Carlson), Gooper's wife Mae (Madeline Sherwood) and their five children and the Pollitt's youngest and favourite son Brick (Paul Newman) and Brick's wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor).

The movie opens with Brick, in a drunken stupor, attempting to recapture his lost glory days on the athletics track. Unfortunately, the only glory he gains is a broken ankle. Brick is a former star footballer who has become a miserable alcoholic. He spends his days in a deep depression, hobbling around on his crutch, grieving for the death of his best friend, Skipper, and yearning for the love of his father that he has never had. Brick is so wrapped up in feelings of disgust and sadness; he can't even bear to make love to his wife Maggie (whom he accuses of seducing and sleeping with Skipper). He lies on the couch swilling whiskey, nursing his broken ankle and wounded pride and rejecting Maggie's seductive advances as well as refusing to care about the family quarrelling downstairs.

The story really heats up towards the middle of the film. As a thunderstorm erupts outside, the gloves come off. Determined to find out the cause of Brick's alcoholism, Big Daddy battles Maggie and Brick behind closed doors. Several revelations finally come to the surface. Brick's hatred of himself over losing his best friend and 'crutch', finally bring him out of his emotionless state as he starts to talk about the events leading up to Skipper's death. His deep blue eyes slowly well with tears and his grief-ravaged face crack through his father's harshness towards him. Big Daddy realises that his son's 'very close and almost obsessive' friendship with Skipper replaced the love that had been denied by his father for so long. During the heated arguing, Brick lets it slip that to Big Daddy that he has been lied to about his illness. Stunned with the revelation that he has terminal cancer and he has been lied to, Big Daddy wanders off to be alone.

Brick searches for Big Daddy to apologise, and finds him in the basement, where they both have a deep and meaningful talk about their relationship. Father and son then realise how much they need each other. Brick doesn't care about wealth. All he wants is a father, not a boss. Both men are physically crippled – Brick with his broken ankle and Big Daddy with cancer. However, they become emotional crutches for each other, which in turn ease the physical pain. With a new found respect, understanding and love for each other, father and son help each other up the stairs to face the storm brewing in the living room between the remainder of the family. This particular scene is the strongest and most emotional in the entire movie.

The family gather for a 'final confrontation' in the living room. It is uncovered that Gooper and Mae have drawn up papers to try and take Big Daddy's plantation from under him due to his terminal illness. With these revelations out in the open, Maggie cunningly takes the opportunity to give her 'birthday present' to Big Daddy. She announces that she is in fact pregnant with Brick's child. Of course Big Daddy knows that it is a lie. But he also knows now that Brick's demons have finally been laid to rest, and that his youngest son is ready to take on the responsibility of a family as well as the Pollitt property. He admires Brick for his simple want of love not money. Big Daddy then organises to have his lawyer leave his wealth to Brick.

Paul Newman captures the intense depression of Brick really well. For the first half of the movie, he is emotionless, uncaring and wrapped up in his own world of pity and sadness. Elizabeth Taylor was perfect as the desperate and beautiful Maggie the Cat. She was courageous and powerful. Her performance perfectly bounced off Newman as he expressionlessly thwarted her advances. Both Newman and Taylor are so stunningly beautiful in this movie, that they take your breath away.

Burl Ives was magnificent. What I loved most about Ives' performance, was Big Daddy's ability to be the domineering patriarch, but at the same time in his scenes with Brick, he allows himself to show that he understands his son's emotional pain, and in his facial expressions, you can see that he does hurt for the torment that Brick is going through. They are very subtle expressions of tenderness, but at the same time, they do make an impact on the viewer. Big Daddy's heart does truly break for his son, and it is clear that Brick is the favourite. Madeline Sherwood was impeccably cast as Gooper's annoying, greedy wife, Mae. Her whining, yelling and constant sneering at Brick and Maggie's infertile marriage is enough to make you wish Maggie actually did slap her into oblivion. The underrated Jack Carson is Gooper. Judith Anderson plays Big Mamma – the desperate, lonely and under-appreciated wife.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof takes us back to when the performances of actors were simply enough to draw audience. The story only revolve around family domestics, but it keeps the viewer interested and thoughtful until the final scene because of the pain, torment and greed of its characters. It was a pleasure to see such wonderful and talented performers at the top of their craft, and it is a terrific salute to the way dramatic film should be made.

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.

Like most of the movie-going world, last night I commemorated the recent passing of veteran actor Paul Newman by watching one of his films. 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)' was among Newman's earliest big-name roles, and one that catapulted this humble, affable performer into Hollywood's A-list. The film, the latest in a series of Tennessee Williams play adaptations, was directed by Richard Brooks, even though Elia Kazan {who had also helmed the screen versions of 'A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)' and 'Baby Doll (1956)'} had directed the stage version. It was theatre adaptations like this that proved Hollywood's greatest opportunity to produce "artistic" pictures, and, accordingly, such films were usually shot in black-and-white. However, with the casting of Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman the wise decision was made to film in colour, to capitalise on those vibrant violet and blue eyes, respectively. Though I hear that considerable changes were made to Williams' original play (much to the author's chagrin), Richard Brooks' film has the intimate, claustrophobic feel of a stage production.

Former footballer Brick Pollitt (Newman), in the year since the death of his close friend and teammate, has quit his job and descended into bouts of vicious drinking. He and wife Maggie (Taylor), to whom he has become cold, have arrived at the vast estate of his father "Big Daddy" (Burt Ives), who is suspected to have contracted terminal cancer. While Big Daddy tries to come to terms with his situation, Maggie tries to restore her failing and childless marriage, lest she lose the old man's considerable fortune to Brick's brother Gooper (Jack Carson) and his gruesome family of "no-neck monsters." Throughout a hot, humid evening that culminates in a cleansing torrent of rain, the family of characters attempt to reconcile their differences, convinced that they can no longer simply run from their problems. The story ends on an ambiguous note – not quite tragic, but hardly optimistic either – as Brick decides to simply accept the lies and mendacity in his life, even if it means making nightly love to a woman for whom he feels nothing but an obligation.

Fortunately, given the film's intimate focus on characters and relationships, the cast is very well-chosen. Elizabeth Taylor, then a Hollywood star for well over a decade, brings a conflicted beauty to the screen, the persona of a woman trying desperately to retain an image of grace and happiness, and yet not quite pulling it off. She also sports one of those annoying Southern accents that, had she been anybody other than Elizabeth Taylor, would have driven me up the wall. Paul Newman spends the first half of the film reserved and isolated, but, through his interactions with Big Daddy, finally begins to open up about what he's really feeling. A subplot concerning Brick's sexuality was among the themes excised from Williams' original play to appease the Production Code, but the subtext nonetheless simmers slightly beneath the surface, all the better for not deliberately drawing attention to itself. All in all, 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)' is a film that's impossible not to admire, even if I can't honestly confess to having loved it.

For years I was turned off from watching this movie. I tried once, but found that the movie looked like an episode of MOMMA'S FAMILY where they finally gave everyone meat cleavers and told them to mix it up good!! It was that ugly and tough to watch in only the first 10 or 15 minutes, so I just turned it off and assumed it was not my type of movie. Thankfully, I tried it again and realized it was an exceptional film in every way.

The movie is essentially a film about how everyone in the family is dealing with the imminent death of the family patriarch, Big Daddy. For some odd and annoying reason, everyone has nicknames like "Big Momma", "Big Sister", etc. but considering this is my only complaint, it's no big deal really.

The problem is that the family is at heart really screwed up. The oldest son, played by Jack Carson, is the "good" son who became a lawyer and is superficially dutiful, though down deep he does everything to try to maneuver himself and his evil brood into the best position when the loot is divvied up when Big Daddy dies. It's totally sick the way he and his obnoxious brood fawn over Big Daddy so unconvincingly in order to ingratiate themselves.

His wife, Mae, played by Madeleine Sherwood, is probably the most detestable of all the adults in the film. Just how awful she is is revealed more and more as the film progresses, as she has both the mouth and heart of a viper AND she choreographs the kids to do some major sucking up to Big Daddy. This sucking up is so saccharine and annoying that Big Daddy obviously detested the kids! The children are basically evil spawns of Satan, as their parents allow them to do ANYTHING so long as they suck up to Big Daddy and Big Mamma. When the film starts, one of the brats is reaching her hands into a big bowl of ice cream--ruining it for everyone. When she sees her Aunt Maggie (Liz Taylor) she throws a huge handful on her. Another of these darlings later laughs at Aunt Maggie and taunts her because she doesn't have any kids! They did a great job of playing horrid kids, as I found myself wanting to strangle them.

Aunt Maggie is also pretty mercenary, though is much more subtle and likable than her brother-in-law and sister-in-law and the little demons. But she and her husband, Brick, played by Paul Newman, have a stormy marriage at best. Of all the kids and in-laws, the only one without designs on the fortune is Brick, who is so full of self-pity and self-loathing that all he really is interested in is staying drunk.

Big Mamma, played by Judith Anderson, is pretty ineffectual and lives in a constant state of denial. Otherwise, she would have to admit to herself that her kids are creeps and her husband doesn't care at all about her.

Big Daddy, played by Burl Ives, is a loud and obnoxious man who as insensitive and blunt. His way of showing love is through money and success. He appears to realize the score on everyone and where they stand--except for himself. Here he's got a huge blind spot--thinking he's done a fine job when the problems he sees are in many ways his own doing.

Initially, Big Daddy thinks that the stomach pains he's been having are not very serious--after all, that's what the doctor has told him. However, he's dying of cancer and his time left is very short. Once he learns this is so, he actually stops yelling and the most poignant part of the film begins. His conversation with Brick about the illness and the future is one of the finest moments in movie history. In particular, Paul Newman's performance nearly brought me to tears. It was only then that real raw feelings and pain began to emerge and the movie began to feel so real and wonderful.

Where all this goes from there you just need to see for yourself. I had a hard time choosing whether or not to give the movie a 9 or a 10, but I tend to be more conservative than some and reserve 10s for only a very select group of films--and this one nearly made it. See it and be amazed.

PS--A final interesting note is that one of the kids playing the brats was Rusty Stevens--"Larry Mondello" from the old LEAVE IT TO BEAVER show. Look quickly at the kid running around with the sparkler--it's him. He's not listed in the credits, but is on IMDb and I'm sure it's him.