To me, this movie is perfection.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This is what passed for adult fare in the repressed 1950's-- Elizabeth Taylor walking around in her underwear while Paul Newman broods darkly about something or other, nobody can figure out what. Few films date as badly as this one. Nor do many from that decade illustrate its afflictions more vividly than Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Pitched about 10 decibels too high so that the audience can confuse loud talk with superior acting, the result is more annoying than thought-provoking or even, perish the thought, entertaining. For a screenplay that prides itself on honesty, what could be more "mendacious" than excising playwrite Williams' homosexual theme from the endless palaver, leaving the audience of that day and this pondering just what is Brick's problem. This is two hours of sound and fury that finally boils down to the tritest of messages-- boys need fatherly love. And how transparent are several of the characters, especially the luckless no-neck clan who make even a Gene Autry B-Western appear sophisticated by comparison. Only Newman manages to come through with professional dignity intact. To think that a slew of Academy Award nominations went to this overheated gab fest proves once again that the awards are more about investments than artistic invention. So pass this one up unless you have a yen for a punctured eardrum and a headache.

A drunken ex-football player Brick Pollitt (Paul Newman) hurts his leg while jumping hurdles like the good old days. He and Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor) are back for his father Big Daddy's (Burl Ives) 65th birthday only because it might be his last. Mae (Madeleine Sherwood) and Gooper (Jack Carson) have brought their bratty kids for the same reason but Big Daddy still likes Maggie more. Big Daddy comes back with news that it was all a false alarm. Brick is itching to leave. Their marriage has been on the rocks for some time. Big Mama (Judith Anderson) berates Maggie of being childless. Then Dr. Baugh tells Brick that Big Daddy is actually dying and he had lied to him about it. The death of Brick's 'friend' Skipper had hit him hard.Newman and Taylor are in fine form. Their acting is electric especially Taylor. The rest of them are all top notch. The homosexuality subject of the original Tennessee Williams play is covered up quite a bit, and there is a tacked on happy ending. Even with all the changes, the movie still sizzles. Burl Ives' massive performance is dominating. This is one of the few well-made classics that needs a big remake and I think many are willing to help out.

This is a play from what we might call the First period of Tennessee Williams' prolific career, the time - roughly a decade from the mid- forties to mid-fifties - when he turned out a fine body of work from The Glass Menagerie through A Streetcar Named Desire, The Rose Tattoo, Summer and Smoke and including, towards the end of this period, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Whilst it has definitely been sanitized and diluted by Hollywood an even greater sin is the fact that not one single frame tells us we are in the Deep South and for all the authenticity on display we could just as well be in Bangor, Maine, or Kokomo, Indiana. Writer-director Richard Brooks must be a graduate student of irony: before he began directing films Brooks wrote a couple of fine novels, one of which, The Brick Foxhole, was adapted for the screen and, with a new title, Crossfire, was directed powerfully in 1948 by Edward Dymytryk. Brooks wrote a novel about how hate can lead to murder, a homosexual is killed just for being a member of a minority group. In 1948 Hollywood no one was about to put a gay man on screen so the victim became Jewish, another minority group. Ten years later Brooks was STILL not allowed to touch on the possible homosexuality of one of the three leading characters, Brick Pollitt, played by Paul Newman, meaning other reasons had to be fashioned for his alcoholism and aversion to having sex with his wife, Maggie the Cat, played by Elizabeth Taylor. The third lead was Big Daddy Pollitt, played by Burl Ives, whose terminal cancer was a handing metaphor for the 'decaying Magnolia' school of writing to which it belongs. Williams scholars will always want to see it but it is mediocre at best

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a 1958 American drama film directed by Richard Brooks. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Tennessee Williams adapted by Richard Brooks and James Poe."(Wikipedia)Elizabeth Taylor gives her best performance in the role as Maggie the cat, in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof playing opposite Paul Newman, who plays Brick, an alcoholic, in the closet gay. This Tennessee William's play adaptation shows Taylor and Newman's sure power on the screen. The contrast between Elizabeth Taylor's and Paul Newman's eyes is the magical spark that inflames the audience. After the tragedy of Mike Todd's death left an ever showing scar on the newly widowed Elizabeth Taylor, which in turn her sadness and melancholy is shown through her passion for Brick as she tries various ways to seduce the man who she once thought loved her. The secretiveness about homosexuality is curiously brought out through the eyes of Tennessee Williams as well, and is played out perfectly by the Taylor/Newman duo. The rage and missing passion that is seen in Elizabeth Taylor's face will strike the very heart of you and grip you into this tussle between husband and wife. This film is almost foreshadowing to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which was released later in the 60's. For any fan of either Tennessee William's, Elizabeth Taylor, or Paul Newman, or just a great performance, this is a great addition to your collection. As Elizabeth Taylor gained her fame to the top of Hollywood royalty, her marriage to Michael Wilding went into turmoil. Elizabeth Taylor basically sought solitude and a safe haven to have children and found that in Wilding. However, as Taylor soared, Wilding's career deflated, which sparked arguments and later led to the couples divorce. Elizabeth Taylor found the love of her life; producer Mike Todd. The two were seen everywhere, toting fabulous jewels such as her famous tiara, as well as Bulgari necklaces and earrings and other noted gems in which Todd expressed his love for Taylor. As Mike Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days" hit the screen, so did the couples romance. As a wedding gift and honeymoon, Todd took Taylor on a worldwide tour promoting the film. Internationally the couple gained mass attention, creating crowds wherever they went. Newspapers and tabloids were constantly spreading gossip and creating the attention for them. Unfortunately Todd boarded his plane for New York named "The Lucky Liz", while Taylor stayed at home with the stomach flu. Mid-flight the plane failed and Todd and the other occupants all were killed. As soon as the news filtered to Taylor, she went into a tantrum and drank heavily from devastation. Taylor was divorced twice and a widow at the age of 26. Soon after the tragedy, Elizabeth Taylor began the final scenes of "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof". Some speculated whether or not Taylor was going to even step foot onto the set, because of locking herself into confinement for multiple weeks after Todd's death. Yet, contrary to rumors, Elizabeth Taylor gave one of the best performances of her career. Elizabeth Taylor gave intense anger and sadness that stemmed from tragedy. As a great actress, Taylor funneled her feelings into "Maggie the cat", which intensified her role in the Tennessee Williams play. At first the people behind the production of "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" wanted to make the film in black and white, yet after criticism decided to film it in color. Many said that they would be fools to miss the opportunity to capture Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman's eyes, because of the craze that was behind them. Paul Newman's eyes were crystal blue and could seduce a woman easily just from a glance, and Elizabeth Taylor's eyes were violet and captured the hearts of men across the world. This film would be a great addition to your collection because it captures some of the best performances of the cast's lives. Heart racing scenes and troubling arguments create a feeling of uneasiness that settles into the hearts of its viewers. In addition to that, you also get a look into some of the history of Hollywood as the secretiveness of homosexuality that is confided into the men of the silver screen. Any fan of great plots as well as great acting would surely appreciate adding this film to their watch list.