Today, we look at the 1958 adaptation of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” a Pulitzer-winning play by Tennessee Williams, starring Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor. It may be considered a family drama, or even a black comedy, but it is a lot tamer than the original script it was based on. I will elaborate further on that.

The movie opens at night at a high school with a drunk young man, Brick Pollitt (Paul Newman), reliving his days of past glory, attempting to run through a set of hurdles. It does not end well.

The scene shifts to a room in a large Mississippi mansion, surrounded by a vast estate. The young man is now resting on a couch, with his leg bandaged and a pair of crutches in his immediate vicinity.

Brick is a depressed alcoholic who is married to Margaret “Maggie the Cat” Pollitt (Elizabeth Taylor). The relationship between them is strained and carries with it baggage that has accumulated over the years.

When Maggie seeks his affections, Brick rejects her, insinuating that she does not look as attractive as the person he married. It must be pointed out that this rejection applies to Maggie, the character Elizabeth Taylor portrays. Ironically, Elizabeth Taylor, on the other hand, is well-maintained and her beautiful self. And for the record, I am against body-shaming too.

Back to the plot. Maggie and Brick have no children. However, another Pollitt, Gooper (Jack Carson), and Mae (Madeleine Sherwood) have five children between them and one on the way. Gooper is Brick’s elder sibling. Both families are on the estate for the 65th birthday of “Big Daddy” Pollitt (Burl Ives). Big Daddy is a large individual, a self-made man proud of all he has accomplished.

Soon Big Daddy arrives with Ida “Big Mama” Pollitt (Judith Anderson) on his private jet that lands in a hangar inside the vast estate. Gooper’s children, all prim and proper, perform before Big Daddy. Some of them are waving Confederate flags. Brick is noticeably absent to welcome his father.

Seeing through Gooper and Mae’s charade to win his favor, Big Daddy shuns them and chooses to drive with Maggie, who he has affection for, back to the mansion. Though Maggie likes her father- and mother-in-law, she is far from perfect. She wants a share of the estate willed to her, is suspicious of Mae’s intentions, and despises her children.

Big Daddy is the undisputed patriarch of the family. Every one of the Pollitts constantly attempts to win his favor, except for Brick, who has no aspirations to get any part of the patriarch’s estate.

Dr. Baugh (Larry Gates), Big Daddy’s physician, reveals to Gooper and Brick that Big Daddy has terminal cancer and does not have long to live. He has not divulged this to the patriarch.

There will be more revelations before the night is over. It is first revealed that Brick’s dear friend and football teammate, Skipper, passed away years earlier by committing suicide. The event has been devastating for Brick, who blames Maggie for Skipper’s death, as he believes Maggie had an affair with Skipper. Brick believes Skipper’s guilt drove him to take his own life.

Big Daddy has a preferential affection for Brick, who resents him. The two men have a tête-à-tête where they try to work out their differences. With so much hurt, baggage, and jealousy, can this family ever work out their differences and come closer? The rest of the plot answers these questions.

The well-written plot of the movie, with clearly defined characters, works thanks to the stellar ensemble cast that includes Hollywood heavyweights like Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman.

However, playwright Tennessee Williams was unhappy with how this movie was made. Richard Brooks, who directed the movie and wrote its screenplay, removed much of the content, especially its homosexual innuendo.

This was partly due to the prevalent and highly restrictive Hays Code, which I have written about in many of my earlier posts. Another movie adaptation of the play made for TV in 1984 would be closer to it in its screenplay.

However, the critics loved it and heaped immense praise on it. The movie also received five Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. It is a movie well worth watching.