An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.
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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof shows incredible quanlification on Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor's performance.During watching this film,one who appreciates it must contribute adequate concentration to their expression.
Censorship or not it was okay. If they remove the homosexual theme today it would not have been received well. So if we ignore that for a second it is like one of those movies in real time where the scale is 1 minute in the movie equals 1 minute in the real world. At first you are aware that Brick's relationship with his wife is strained and the same goes to his relationship with his father. His father is dying and all family members have gathered like vultures. Brick's brother and family were shameless at it. If you hate the antagonists then its good acting. If you love the good guys despite their faults because they are relatable and seem human its a good plot and script. Bring back what we ignored and add whitewashing to its list of crimes then its just sad. If you can look past that then good for you.
Unlike many screen adaptations of Tennessee Williams plays, I experienced a peculiar detachment from the central character, Brick Pollitt, in this instance. There was a missing connection for me, but I can't exactly put my finger on it. Perhaps it was the fact that I just wasn't very convinced of Paul Newman as Brick Pollitt. Either Newman grew tired of the role somewhere along the way, or I lost interest watching him perform as a former high school jock who had a peculiar fixation with his former buddy, Skipper, for whose death he holds himself responsible. According to the IMDb trivia page for this film, the role of Brick was refused by Presley, Mitchum, Clift, and Gazzara. As Tony Franciosa and Don Murray were also considered and as James Dean tragically died before this movie was produced, that would mean Newman might have been the eighth choice, or were there even more possibilities in front of him? Why so many? Was it the potential professional stigma surrounding the obvious undercurrent of Brick's strongly suggested homosexuality in the highly homophobic world of 1958 that was at risk? If so, then Newman deserves credit for the courage that others did not possess. Without the powerful performances of Burl Ives and Elizabeth Taylor, this film would never have been so successful. Ives, who had been thought to be "just some folk singer" when he was chosen as "Big Daddy", is nothing short of magnificent in his role as the self-made patriarch who is dying of cancer and who seriously reflects upon the true meaning of his life, which is plagued by "mendacity" and pretense on all sides. Taylor, who had lost her beloved husband, Mike Todd, in a sudden plane crash just before production, seems to express her grief through her art as Maggie Pollitt, the frustrated (and gorgeous!) wife of Brick. Her interactions with the brood of "no neck", spoiled brat nieces and nephews, who invade the family estate for an unbearable and seemingly endless period of time, are hilarious, especially the unforgettable ice cream scene. Why the servants left ice cream out in the Louisiana summer heat is beyond me, but so be it. Her several exchanges with Brick reach a very high level of intensity, even though I felt that at least some of the couple's extended verbal wrangling could have been condensed.Both Madeleine Sherwood and Judith Anderson play very disagreeable members of the Pollitt family all too well. I found them both very difficult to watch for long, but that's what the script demanded. Jack Carson is perfect as Goober Pollitt, the pathetic, older brother who has dutifully adhered to all of the established family rules but who receives in return no respect from anyone.I can't blame playwright Williams for disliking this very murky screen adaptation of his very serious creation. He should have at least been grateful for the casting of Ives and Taylor because they both soar to the skies here, redeeming what otherwise might have been a dreary disaster.
Tennesse Williams. Liz Taylor. Paul Newman. and a film who seems be a Swiss watch. not only for splendid cast acting but for the atmosphere who transforms the play in a portrait with role of mirror. its virtue - the breaking of screen. ambiguity, angry, fear, the truth scenes, the dialogs, the need of the other and, sure, the ghosts of past are not only presented but explored by viewer. the actors are only tools. other adaptations of Tennessse Williams plays are more brilliant, impressive or spectacular. but in this case the axis is represented by deep honesty. the fragile force of Maggie, the levels of Big Daddy in admirable work of Burl Ives, Paul Newman in the perfect Brick skin and Judith Anderson as the wife of a statue are important not only for artistic purpose but for the the escape from South cage. a play and a special adaptation about vulnerability as heart of existences.