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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
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by MGM (Warner)
Sales Rank: 29170
Price: $14.95
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Maggie is the feline in question, as portrayed by a smoldering, angry Elizabeth Taylor. Paul Newman is her ex-athlete husband, Brick Pollitt, an alcoholic who frustrates and disappoints his wife and his overbearing father. Burl Ives is Big Daddy, the vulgar patriarch of this positively gothic Southern family whose children return to the nest like vultures when they learn he is dying of cancer. Infidelities, addictions, latent homosexuality, depression, unrequited love, and mendacity are woven into this still-powerful adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Though it was somewhat whitewashed by Hollywood, the sentiment remains powerful because of the provocative performances. It was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Actress for Newman and Taylor. <I>--Rochelle O'Gorman</I>
Viewer Reviews
Reviewing `The Hustler' brought to mind the fact that I have as of yet to review `Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and so I decided to go ahead and get this ball rolling. As I mentioned with `The Hustler', what impresses me most about the actor that was Paul Newman was his ability to compliment and support all of his co-stars. Sure, he was a force and an immediate attention grabber, but instead of being greedy for the limelight he always allowed his co-stars to soak up his natural charm and charisma. This paid off in spades, for the performances given by (especially) his leading ladies is almost always best in show.
In other words; Elizabeth Taylor is beyond marvelous in this movie.
The film tells the story of a very wealthy family, or at least a very wealthy patriarch named Harvey Pollitt, affectionately known as `Big Daddy'. It becomes known to Harvey's sons that he is close to death and so his boys Cooper and Brick make their way to their father's estate to celebrate his birthday and quarrel over his estate. Brick is a washed up football player who has drowned his sorrows in alcoholic and resorted to resenting his wife Maggie. Cooper is the responsible yet resentful son; the one who always tried the hardest yet fell short of daddy's expectations. His nagging wife Mae Flynn is determined to win over Big Daddy's heart and his money.
When word is given that Big Daddy may not be dying after all this causes a big stir in the family as tensions mount and Big Daddy himself decides to weigh in heavy on his two sons, their wives and their `issues'.
`Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (a saying that refers to the predicament Maggie feels she has found herself) is taken from a stage play, and that may be my one and only complaint with this film. At times it carries a stiffness that only seems to come from stage-to-screen adaptations. It is minute and sparse, but to say it isn't there would be a bold-faced-lie. It doesn't take away much from the film, and it is not really worth mentioning, but I feel compelled to at least bring it out.
There is so much good here that the one sore spot becomes forgettable. The script is wonderful, truly engaging and deeply sincere. The development of relationships, especially between Maggie and Brick, is flawlessly crafted. Cooper and Mae Flynn feel like slight clichés, I have to be honest, but they help add layers to Brick, Maggie and even Big Daddy. There are few films that really grapple the realities of marriage with such blunt honesty, but the relationship between Brick and Maggie ("we occupy the same cage") is so pure I felt such a deep connection. The film broaches much more than marital relationships but approaches the subject of fatherly affection with candor and honesty. As Brick breaks down towards the end of the film we can see how the relationship between father and son is much more important than some give heed to.
The performances by the entire cast really raise the bar here as well. Newman and Ives are magnetic as they spar with one another, but it is Elizabeth Taylor who just dominates this film from start to finish. Her vulnerability and unwavering devotion is just effortlessly captivating. You bleed for her character and strive for her to find her happiness, one way or another.
Richard Brooks (who also directed the gloomier yet equally impressive `In Cold Blood') delivers a fantastic film that is very well crafted and marvelously fleshed out, giving the audience much to appreciate and adore. If you are looking for a tense family drama then look no further, for there are few as rewarding as this one.
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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
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