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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

 -  Drama  -  20 September 1958 (USA)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 23,663 users  
Reviews: 127 user | 58 critic

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.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 8 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
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...
...
...
Gooper Pollitt
...
Big Momma Pollitt
Madeleine Sherwood ...
Mae Pollitt
Larry Gates ...
...
Deacon Davis
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Storyline

The fifth Tennessee Williams play to reach the screen, wealthy Mississippi plantation owner Big Daddy Pollitt, unaware that he's dying of cancer and disturbed by the strained and childless marriage of his favored alcoholic son Brick and his other son, Gooper, whose wife is about to bring forth another in the endless line of little "no-neck monsters," celebrates his sixty-fifth birthday with his family. Brick's wife, Maggie, beautiful and desirable, tries unsuccessfully to coax her husband away from the bottle, while alternately enticing him and taunting him about his obsession with his deceased best friend and the guilt about their relationship. The seamy tensions reach a climax when the truth of Big Daddy's health is revealed, and he and Brick manage to resolve their differences. Written by alfiehitchie

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Every sultry moment of Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize Play is now on the screen! See more »

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

20 September 1958 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Die Katze auf dem heißen Blechdach  »

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Perspecta Sound) (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

(Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was originally to be filmed in black and white, as was the standard practice with "artistic" films in the 1950s. (Virtually all film adaptations of the plays of Tennessee Williams had been in B&W up to that time.) However, once Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor were cast in the leads, director Richard Brooks insisted on shooting in color, in deference to the public's well known enthusiasm for Taylor's violet and Newman's strikingly blue eyes. See more »

Goofs

The way Maggie holds on to Brick changes three times when Maggie has locked the door to give them privacy. See more »

Quotes

Margaret "Maggie" Pollitt: Did the storm cause any damage, Big Daddy?
Harvey 'Big Daddy' Pollitt: Which storm you talking about, the one on the outside or the hullabaloo I heard going on in here? Heard some mighty loud talking. What's the powwow about?
Mae Pollitt: Nothing, Big Daddy, nothing at all.
Harvey 'Big Daddy' Pollitt: What's in them important-looking documents you got there, Gooper?
Gooper Pollitt: Nothing, sir, nothing much of anything at all.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Rebel Set (1992) See more »

Soundtracks

"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by the family
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Makes you wish they gave Oscars for ensemble acting.
17 August 1999 | by (London, Canada) – See all my reviews

"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.


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