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 | Birthday | Mississippi | Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations

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) | Brazil:14 | 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:

Due to a musicians union strike, the movie lacks a traditional musical score composed especially for the picture. Instead, a "canned" score, comprised of pre-recorded pieces from the MGM music library, is used. Most of this music, including the evocative main theme, was originally composed by André Previn for MGM's Tension (1949).

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Margaret "Maggie" Pollitt: Where did I fail you? Where did I make my mistake?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Last Picture Show: A Look Back (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

Soothe My Lonely Heart

It was the Cotton Bowl, sister-woman.

I have just read through most of the comments on this great film. A few responses here, then, first. I disclose that I haven't seen the play on which it was based, and so was unencumbered by either false expectations or relevant expertise. And I "walked in" on the film when Big Daddy disembarked from his plane. I'm undecided whether that makes me mendacious, for hiding from my ignorance, or if that'd just be "Bull!"

Natasha thought "Guys might get bored". I notice on the demographics that men outnumber the women among voters, by a factor of 3-4. I suspect that reflects the centrality (to my -- male -- mind) of the male-male relationships: Brick-Big Daddy, and Brick-Skipper.

Maggie of course was a lead character, but -- firstly -- Taylor didn't imbue her with... well, with the life-spirit that her character unwittingly and eloquently claimed at film's end: "The gift of new life, sired by Brick." (I paraphrase.) Hence, Maggie didn't show any spiritual renaissance as the plot developed. I should be better off, though, remarking that, indeed, the plot gave her no *reason* to change, since (as I recall things) she didn't ever learn anything non-ephemeral. Maggie had a good bit of life in her; but her character was essentially a tool for the development of and between Brick and Big Daddy. Brick's reconciliation with his wife had everything to do with his newfound appreciation of the meaning of mendacity, and nothing to do with either Maggie's past or the manner in which she brought it to discussion in the present. My feeling was that Brick took to heart his father's purportedly cynical line about the world being a system of mendacity in which we must make love to wives we no longer love -- transformed, in Brick's action, into a healthy rejection of indispensible myths and indispensible truths.

So, to conclude that thought. Without presuming to speak against the pleasure a woman viewer might take in the film, guys have more than a few enthralling moments and themes for themselves. My take, at least, is that men, particularly (or perhaps even uniquely), must grapple with forging an identity reconciling Brick's loyalty to Skipper -- and other high-minded ideals -- with his eventual absolution -- and acceptance of a flawed reality.

At this point I can't remember what else I wanted to mention. I disagree with most of Telegonus' assessment, though (or: the portions I am qualified to judge). It didn't strike me as dated. Nor did I notice of the behind-the-scenes Williams, "he is out to enlighten his audience on sexual matters; also on life in the then still exotic Deep South. " (This may well be my shortcoming.) That is, how was it an attack on "Middle America"? Perhaps Telegonus refers to the theme that money can't buy love; I tend to see avarice as a perversion for the extremes of society, the vigilant elites and the covetous proles.

That'll do. Now I must sleep and face the day tomorrow without Kentucky bourbon and its "cold mechanical click".