Cat On a Hot Tin Roof [PG]

At a family gathering to celebrate the birthday and homecoming of Big Daddy, it proves to be a day that all present will remember. Troubled and alcoholic ex-sports star Brick is nursing a broken leg and refusing to see his old man. His wife Maggie is struggling to keep a calm face whilst being surrounded by her in-laws’ loud and rude children and a husband who no longer loves her. Brick’s suck-up brother and his heritage-grubbing wife make the day even more irritating with their overbearing smiles and celebratory exclamations mixed with their snide attitudes towards Maggie and her relationship with Brick. As the tensions continue to escalate over the course of the day, some horrible truths are going to come to light… some that will hurt and some that will free those whom they are pointed at. 

Adapted for the screen from Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning play, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof is a most remarkable movie that boasts the most dazzling and breathtaking performances one could ever want. Paul Newman earned his first Oscar nomination, Elizabeth Taylor picked up her second and the film itself was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It’s a most cunning, dramatic, ferocious, and fiery piece of cinema if ever there was one and I absolutely adored it from beginning to end. 

At a family gathering to celebrate the birthday and homecoming of Big Daddy, it proves to be a day that all present will remember. Troubled and alcoholic ex-sports star Brick is nursing a broken leg and refusing to see his old man. His wife Maggie is struggling to keep a calm face whilst being surrounded by her in-laws’ loud and rude children and a husband who no longer loves her. Brick’s suck-up brother and his heritage-grubbing wife make the day even more irritating with their overbearing smiles and celebratory exclamations mixed with their snide attitudes towards Maggie and her relationship with Brick. As the tensions continue to escalate over the course of the day, some horrible truths are going to come to light… some that will hurt and some that will free those whom they are pointed at. 

As it’s based on a play, the film is filmed rather in a similar fashion: with minimal sets. Most of the film’s central conflicts take place in one room and without a story that boasts musical, action, or science fiction special effects, the power of the film is raw and thrown upon the audience by way of its dazzling script and incredible performances from its cast. The stars of this movie are truly superior talents! 

Paul Newman stars as Brick and he delivers a memorable performance that begins the film as being very distant and impatient, but then progresses into much more emotional territory and he’s absolutely incredible to watch. 

I’ve never seen a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor in which she was not brilliant! As Maggie the Cat, Elizabeth delivers a beautifully fiery and ferocious performance that, at the same time as being maritally frustrated, has enormous compassion and loyalty to her husband. It’s impossible not to love Elizabeth Taylor! 

Starring Burl Ives, Jack Carson, Madeleine Sherwood, Larry Gates, Vaughn Taylor, and Judith Anderson, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof is a fantastic film filled with dazzling performances, conflicts of all kinds, drama, and love. I absolutely adored it, it’s a real classic and will have you completely captivated.