Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

by guest writer

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof represents one of the greatest screen adaptations after Tennessee Williams’ play. Richard Brooks is the one responsible with the direction and screenplay. We find ourselves in the middle of a disfunctional Southern family dealing with avarice, rivalries and tensions. Due to the strict Production Code in the late ’50s, all references to strong language and homosexuality were deleted or obscured from the original play. Nevertheless, hints of “something being seriously wrong”, as one of the main characters, Big Daddy (Burl Ives), observes, are present throughout the movie. Paul Newman (Brick) is at his best in the skin of a washed-out ex-professional sportsman, having to deal with both liquor and family problems. Elizabeth Taylor plays her part with her usual intensity: she is Maggie, the impatient wife of Brick, wanting the inheritance as sincerely as the love of her husband. A controversial classic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is photographed in colour, helping somehow convey the drama in a more powerful way.

photo: still from the movie, Metro Goldwyn Mayer