Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Tennessee Williams (play)
Richard Brooks (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 September 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Just one pillow on her bed ... and just one desire in her heart!

Plot:

Brick, an alcoholic ex-football player, drinks his days away and resists the affections of his wife, Maggie. His reunion with his father, Big Daddy, who is dying of cancer, jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

Plot Keywords:

Alcoholic | Cancer | Mississippi | Birthday | Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 29

10:30 AM

TCM

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Margaret 'Maggie the Cat' Pollitt
Paul Newman	...	Brick Pollitt
Burl Ives	...	Harvey 'Big Daddy' Pollitt
Jack Carson	...	Cooper 'Gooper' Pollitt
Judith Anderson	...	Ida 'Big Momma' Pollitt
Madeleine Sherwood	...	Mae Flynn Pollitt
Larry Gates	...	Dr. Baugh
Vaughn Taylor	...	Deacon Davis

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 (re-rating) | Spain:18 | Finland:K-3 (2007) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:17 | Sweden:15 | USA:Not Rated | West Germany:18 (original rating) | UK:12A (re-rating) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Coleman Estate, Muttontown, Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The original stage play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by Tennessee Williams premiered at Morocco Theatre in New York on March 24, 1955 and ran for 694 performances. Elia Kazan directed the production, and among the replacement cast members during its long run was Jack Lord as "Brick".

Goofs:

Continuity: The "Southern accents" by almost every character are wildly inconsistent from scene to scene and from each other.

Quotes:

Mae Pollitt: [to Big Mama] Gooper is your first born. Why he always had to carry a bigger load of the resposibilities than Brick? Brick never carried a thing in his life but a football or a high ball.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "MGM: When the Lion Roars" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Boom, Boom and It Makes Me Crazy

Makes you wish they gave Oscars for ensemble acting.

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is truly an actor's movie, and it is one of those rare films where every single actor is perfect.

Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor are both brilliant as Brick and Maggie Pollitt, respectively. Not very often is there a screen couple that have the same chemistry together that they do.

Newman, however, steals the show. If you watch "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" for nothing else, watch it for his performance. One of the greatest actors of all time, Newman showcases how powerful an actor he can be. This is not to say the supporting cast isn't excellent. Burl Ives is superb in a supporting role as Big Daddy, a man who's greatest concern is having his legacy live on after him. The sequence with Ives and Newman in the basement of the house remains one of the most incredible displays of acting I have ever seen.

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a very appropriate title. It is a searing, wonderfully acted film that I will not soon forget. I recommend those who haven't seen it yet to rent it as soon as they get a chance. A true classic.