Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (film)

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This is an article about the movie adaptation. For the original play, see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Richard Brooks
Produced by Lawrence Weingarten
Written by Tennessee Williams (play)
Richard Brooks
James Poe
Starring Elizabeth Taylor
Paul Newman
Burl Ives
Cinematography William Daniels
Editing by Ferris Webster
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) September 20, 1958 (1958-09-20)
Running time 107 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $3,000,000
Gross revenue $26,355,483
Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in a scene from the film

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) is an Academy Award-nominated MGM film directed by Richard Brooks based on the Tony-nominated play of the same name by Tennessee Williams adapted by Richard Brooks and James Poe. One of the top-ten box office hits of 1958, the film stars Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor and Burl Ives.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Late one night, Brick Pollitt is out trying to recapture his glory days of college sports by leaping hurdles on a track field, dreaming about his glory moments as a youthful athelete. Expectedly, he falls and injures his ankle and needs crutches. Just afterward. he, along with his wife, Maggie "the Cat", are visiting with his family in Mississippi, awaiting to celebrate Big Daddy's 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.

Big Daddy, arriving from the hospital, is unaware that he is dying from cancer because his family and doctors refuse to tell either him or Big Mama. 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 and the revealing moment ensues when Maggie tells what happened the night Brick's friend Skipper committed suicide. In the film, 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 blamed Maggie for Skipper's death. Later, when Big Daddy learns that he will die from cancer before his birthday, he along with Brick decides to give his inheritance to Maggie who "has life". Brick, with his troubles behind him, recognizes the affections of Maggie and the film ends, with the couple having a long kiss.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production notes

The original stage production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opened on Broadway March 24, 1955, with Ives and Sherwood in the roles they subsequently played in the movie. Ben Gazzara played Brick in the stage production and rejected the film role as did Elvis Presley.[citation needed] Bowing to the tenor of the times, the suggestion of Brick's homosexuality was toned-down for the film, thus causing George Cukor to decline MGM's offer to direct the film.[citation needed] Lana Turner[citation needed] and Grace Kelly[1] were both considered for the part of Maggie before the role went to Taylor.

Production began on March 12, 1958, and by March 19, Taylor had contracted a virus which kept her off the shoot. On March 21, she canceled plans to fly with her husband Mike Todd to New York, where he was to be honored the following day by the New York Friars' Club. The plane crashed, and all passengers were killed. Beset with grief, Taylor remained off the film until April 14, 1958, at which time she returned to the set in a much thinner and weaker condition.[2]

Tennessee Williams so disliked the toned-down film adaptation of his play that he told people in the queue, "This movie will set the industry back 50 years. Go home!"

[edit] Academy Awards

Although the film did not win any Academy Awards, it received several nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Newman), Best Actress (Taylor), and Best Director (Brooks). The film also received nominations for Best Cinematography, Color (William Daniels), and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
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[edit] References

  1. ^ Parish, James Robert; Mank, Gregory W.; Stanke, Don E. (1978), The Hollywood Beauties, New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House Publishers, p. 326, ISBN 0-87000-412-3 
  2. ^ Parish, p. 329
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