"I'm not living with you," Maggie snaps at Brick. "We occupy the same cage, that's all." The raw emotions and crackling dialogue of Tennessee Williams' 1955 Pulitzer Prize play rumble like a thunderstorm in this film version whose fiery performances and grown-up themes made it one of 1958's top box-office hits. Paul Newman earned his first OscarO nomination* as troubled ex-sports hero Brick. In a performance that marked a transition to richer adult roles, Elizabeth Taylor snagged her second. Her Maggie the Cat is a vivid portrait of passionate loyalty. Nominated for six Academy AwardsO including Best Picture* and also starring Burl Ives (repeating his Broadway triumph as mendacity-loathing Big Daddy), Judith Anderson and Jack Carson, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof sizzles.
DVD Features: Audio Commentary:Commentary by Biographer Donald Spoto, Author of The Kindness of Strangers: The Life of Tennessee Williams Featurette:? New Featurette Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Playing Cat and Mouse
Elizabeth Taylor has never been sexier than as Tennessee Williams's hot-blooded Maggie "The Cat" Pollitt, prowling around her boudoir in a slinky white slip. That's how you know her alcoholic, ex-football-player husband, Brick (Paul Newman), must have more than just his leg in a cast. It's the 65th birthday of wealthy (but dying) southern patriarch Big Daddy (Burl Ives), and his sons Gooper (Jack Carter) and Brick have come to suck up to him for $10 million in inheritance money. Gooper is a family man and father to a brood of "no-neck monsters"; youngest boy Brick is papa's favorite (as if you couldn't tell from the fellow's names), but hasn't sired progeny. Maggie is definitely in heat, but Brick refuses to sleep with her because he suspects her her of being unfaithful with his best friend, who recent committed suicide. Although toned down for the movies, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is vintage Tennessee Williams. The film was directed by Richard Brooks (In Cold Blood, Blackboard Jungle, Elmer Gantry). --Jim Emerson
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof:
Great old Classic. The Stars are truly some of the tops of all times, great storyline
Enough Mendacity to Sink A Ship:
Enough Mendacity To Sink A Ship Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Theater of Tennessee Williams, Volume Three, New Directions Books, New York, 1955 The first couple of paragraphs here have been used as introduction to other plays written by Tennessee Williams and reviewed in this space. This review applies to both the stage play and the film versions with differences noted as part of the review Perhaps, as is the case with this reviewer, if you have come to the works of the excellent American... more info
taut, intense drama with unforgettable performances:
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof showcases the magnificent talents of Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor; and look for Burl Ives to do a stunning performance as well. The plot moves along at a good pace and the cinematography is excellent. This is a movie with guts to it and it should be mandatory viewing for people who view film as a true art form! When the action starts, a rather wealthy Southern family gathers ostensibly to celebrate the 65th birthday of its patriarch, Big Daddy Pollitt (Burl Ives). However, the... more info
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof:
I ordered this shortly after Paul Newman's death. He was so georgous as was Elizabeth Taylor. This is a great Southern story with characters you wouldn't believe could exist unless you're from the South. I know some of these people!
![The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HZyS6RP6L._SL75_.jpg)
