Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a 1958 American drama film directed by Richard Brooks and starring Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor and Burl Ives. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Tennessee Williams adapted by Richard Brooks and James Poe.

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Plot: Late one night, a drunken Brick Pollitt (Paul Newman) is out trying to recapture his glory days of high school sports by leaping hurdles on a track field, dreaming about his moments as a youthful athlete. Unexpectedly, he falls, leaving him dependent on a crutch. Brick, along with his wife, Maggie "the Cat" (Elizabeth Taylor), are seen the next day visiting his family in Mississippi, waiting to celebrate Big Daddy's (Burl Ives) 65th birthday. Depressed, Brick decides to spend his days inside drinking while resisting the affections of his wife, who taunts him about the inheritance of Big Daddy's wealth. Numerous allusions are made as to their tempestuous marriage – the most haunting of these are speculations as to why Maggie does not yet have children, while Brick's brother Gooper (Jack Carson) and his wife Mae (Madeleine Sherwood) have a whole clan, many of which run around the "plantation" (as Big Daddy's estate is called) unsupervised and singing obnoxiously. Big Daddy and Big Mama (Judith Anderson) arrive home from the hospital and are greeted by Gooper and his wife, along with Maggie.

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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Despite the efforts of Mae, Gooper and their kids to draw his attention to them, Big Daddy has eyes only for Maggie. The news is that Big Daddy is not dying from cancer. However, the doctor later meets privately with Brick and Gooper and divulges that it is a deception, but the family wants him to remain happy. Maggie begs Brick to put care into getting his father’s wealth, but Brick stubbornly refuses. When Big Daddy is fed up with his alcoholic son’s behavior, he demands to know why he is so stubborn. Brick angrily refuses to answer. Big Daddy forces the issue, dragging Maggie into the conversation and the revealing moment ensues when Maggie tells what happened the night Brick's friend Skipper committed suicide. Maggie reveals she was jealous of Skipper because he had more of Brick's time. She claimed she wanted to ruin their relationship "by any means necessary". She intended to seduce Skipper and put the lie to his relationship with her husband. She got scared and ran away without going through with it. Brick claimed to blame Maggie for Skipper's death, but it is revealed that he actually blames himself for not helping Skipper when he called Brick in a hysterical state.

–from wikipedia

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

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