The Pollitt family gather to celebrate the 65th birthday of Big Daddy (Burl Ives), wealthy land owner and cotton merchant. Amongst the group are Big Daddy's wife, Ida, their eldest son, Gooper (Jack Carlson), Gooper's wife Mae (Madeline Sherwood) and their five children and the Pollitt's youngest and favourite son Brick (Paul Newman) and Brick's wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor).
The movie opens with Brick, in a drunken stupor, attempting to recapture his lost glory days on the athletics track. Unfortunately, the only glory he gains is a broken ankle. Brick is a former star footballer who has become a miserable alcoholic. He spends his days in a deep depression, hobbling around on his crutch, grieving for the death of his best friend, Skipper, and yearning for the love of his father that he has never had. Brick is so wrapped up in feelings of disgust and sadness; he can't even bear to make love to his wife Maggie (whom he accuses of seducing and sleeping with Skipper). He lies on the couch swilling whiskey, nursing his broken ankle and wounded pride and rejecting Maggie's seductive advances as well as refusing to care about the family quarrelling downstairs.
The story really heats up towards the middle of the film. As a thunderstorm erupts outside, the gloves come off. Determined to find out the cause of Brick's alcoholism, Big Daddy battles Maggie and Brick behind closed doors. Several revelations finally come to the surface. Brick's hatred of himself over losing his best friend and 'crutch', finally bring him out of his emotionless state as he starts to talk about the events leading up to Skipper's death. His deep blue eyes slowly well with tears and his grief-ravaged face crack through his father's harshness towards him. Big Daddy realises that his son's 'very close and almost obsessive' friendship with Skipper replaced the love that had been denied by his father for so long. During the heated arguing, Brick lets it slip that to Big Daddy that he has been lied to about his illness. Stunned with the revelation that he has terminal cancer and he has been lied to, Big Daddy wanders off to be alone.
Brick searches for Big Daddy to apologise, and finds him in the basement, where they both have a deep and meaningful talk about their relationship. Father and son then realise how much they need each other. Brick doesn't care about wealth. All he wants is a father, not a boss. Both men are physically crippled Brick with his broken ankle and Big Daddy with cancer. However, they become emotional crutches for each other, which in turn ease the physical pain. With a new found respect, understanding and love for each other, father and son help each other up the stairs to face the storm brewing in the living room between the remainder of the family. This particular scene is the strongest and most emotional in the entire movie.
The family gather for a 'final confrontation' in the living room. It is uncovered that Gooper and Mae have drawn up papers to try and take Big Daddy's plantation from under him due to his terminal illness. With these revelations out in the open, Maggie cunningly takes the opportunity to give her 'birthday present' to Big Daddy. She announces that she is in fact pregnant with Brick's child. Of course Big Daddy knows that it is a lie. But he also knows now that Brick's demons have finally been laid to rest, and that his youngest son is ready to take on the responsibility of a family as well as the Pollitt property. He admires Brick for his simple want of love not money. Big Daddy then organises to have his lawyer leave his wealth to Brick.
Paul Newman captures the intense depression of Brick really well. For the first half of the movie, he is emotionless, uncaring and wrapped up in his own world of pity and sadness. Elizabeth Taylor was perfect as the desperate and beautiful Maggie the Cat. She was courageous and powerful. Her performance perfectly bounced off Newman as he expressionlessly thwarted her advances. Both Newman and Taylor are so stunningly beautiful in this movie, that they take your breath away.
Burl Ives was magnificent. What I loved most about Ives' performance, was Big Daddy's ability to be the domineering patriarch, but at the same time in his scenes with Brick, he allows himself to show that he understands his son's emotional pain, and in his facial expressions, you can see that he does hurt for the torment that Brick is going through. They are very subtle expressions of tenderness, but at the same time, they do make an impact on the viewer. Big Daddy's heart does truly break for his son, and it is clear that Brick is the favourite. Madeline Sherwood was impeccably cast as Gooper's annoying, greedy wife, Mae. Her whining, yelling and constant sneering at Brick and Maggie's infertile marriage is enough to make you wish Maggie actually did slap her into oblivion. The underrated Jack Carson is Gooper. Judith Anderson plays Big Mamma the desperate, lonely and under-appreciated wife.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof takes us back to when the performances of actors were simply enough to draw audience. The story only revolve around family domestics, but it keeps the viewer interested and thoughtful until the final scene because of the pain, torment and greed of its characters. It was a pleasure to see such wonderful and talented performers at the top of their craft, and it is a terrific salute to the way dramatic film should be made.
The movie opens with Brick, in a drunken stupor, attempting to recapture his lost glory days on the athletics track. Unfortunately, the only glory he gains is a broken ankle. Brick is a former star footballer who has become a miserable alcoholic. He spends his days in a deep depression, hobbling around on his crutch, grieving for the death of his best friend, Skipper, and yearning for the love of his father that he has never had. Brick is so wrapped up in feelings of disgust and sadness; he can't even bear to make love to his wife Maggie (whom he accuses of seducing and sleeping with Skipper). He lies on the couch swilling whiskey, nursing his broken ankle and wounded pride and rejecting Maggie's seductive advances as well as refusing to care about the family quarrelling downstairs.
The story really heats up towards the middle of the film. As a thunderstorm erupts outside, the gloves come off. Determined to find out the cause of Brick's alcoholism, Big Daddy battles Maggie and Brick behind closed doors. Several revelations finally come to the surface. Brick's hatred of himself over losing his best friend and 'crutch', finally bring him out of his emotionless state as he starts to talk about the events leading up to Skipper's death. His deep blue eyes slowly well with tears and his grief-ravaged face crack through his father's harshness towards him. Big Daddy realises that his son's 'very close and almost obsessive' friendship with Skipper replaced the love that had been denied by his father for so long. During the heated arguing, Brick lets it slip that to Big Daddy that he has been lied to about his illness. Stunned with the revelation that he has terminal cancer and he has been lied to, Big Daddy wanders off to be alone.
Brick searches for Big Daddy to apologise, and finds him in the basement, where they both have a deep and meaningful talk about their relationship. Father and son then realise how much they need each other. Brick doesn't care about wealth. All he wants is a father, not a boss. Both men are physically crippled Brick with his broken ankle and Big Daddy with cancer. However, they become emotional crutches for each other, which in turn ease the physical pain. With a new found respect, understanding and love for each other, father and son help each other up the stairs to face the storm brewing in the living room between the remainder of the family. This particular scene is the strongest and most emotional in the entire movie.
The family gather for a 'final confrontation' in the living room. It is uncovered that Gooper and Mae have drawn up papers to try and take Big Daddy's plantation from under him due to his terminal illness. With these revelations out in the open, Maggie cunningly takes the opportunity to give her 'birthday present' to Big Daddy. She announces that she is in fact pregnant with Brick's child. Of course Big Daddy knows that it is a lie. But he also knows now that Brick's demons have finally been laid to rest, and that his youngest son is ready to take on the responsibility of a family as well as the Pollitt property. He admires Brick for his simple want of love not money. Big Daddy then organises to have his lawyer leave his wealth to Brick.
Paul Newman captures the intense depression of Brick really well. For the first half of the movie, he is emotionless, uncaring and wrapped up in his own world of pity and sadness. Elizabeth Taylor was perfect as the desperate and beautiful Maggie the Cat. She was courageous and powerful. Her performance perfectly bounced off Newman as he expressionlessly thwarted her advances. Both Newman and Taylor are so stunningly beautiful in this movie, that they take your breath away.
Burl Ives was magnificent. What I loved most about Ives' performance, was Big Daddy's ability to be the domineering patriarch, but at the same time in his scenes with Brick, he allows himself to show that he understands his son's emotional pain, and in his facial expressions, you can see that he does hurt for the torment that Brick is going through. They are very subtle expressions of tenderness, but at the same time, they do make an impact on the viewer. Big Daddy's heart does truly break for his son, and it is clear that Brick is the favourite. Madeline Sherwood was impeccably cast as Gooper's annoying, greedy wife, Mae. Her whining, yelling and constant sneering at Brick and Maggie's infertile marriage is enough to make you wish Maggie actually did slap her into oblivion. The underrated Jack Carson is Gooper. Judith Anderson plays Big Mamma the desperate, lonely and under-appreciated wife.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof takes us back to when the performances of actors were simply enough to draw audience. The story only revolve around family domestics, but it keeps the viewer interested and thoughtful until the final scene because of the pain, torment and greed of its characters. It was a pleasure to see such wonderful and talented performers at the top of their craft, and it is a terrific salute to the way dramatic film should be made.