Die Katze auf dem heißen Blechdach

I've got to say that Tennessee Williams' 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof' was one of the best Newman films. It's one of those movies that grabs your attention in the first 10 minutes. The interactions between the gifted actors and actresses were stupendous. I really felt for Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor) "The Cat ", though and how she was able to keep her composure with her husband Brick Pollitt's (Paul Newman) berating of her. We learn that he was a drunk 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, but suddenly he falls and breaks his leg, leaving him dependent on a crutch. During the film, he has some harsh words for Maggie. I felt that her character was treated unfairly by Brick and to make matters worse, his father Big Daddy (Burl Ives), shows nothing, but contempt for his son that he's even violent towards him. I really understood why he was so angry with Brick and as you watch the verbal fight between the two, you really side with Big Daddy. Newman really was a great actor and was the best choice for this part. Taylor, on the other hand, is a big star And she played Maggie to a T! I really think the Hollywood scripts these days are dead weight compared to the 50s and 60s! The exchanges of dialog and the acting were definitely marvelous. Canadian actress Madeleine Sherwood, who played Mae Pollitt in the film, was the last one to pass away in 2016 at 93! they all left their mark in the acting world.

I first encountered "Cat" in a fine National Theatre production in 1988 with Lindsay Duncan as Maggie, Ian Charleson as Brick, Eric Porter as Big Daddy, Paul Jessons as Gooper and Alison Steadman as Mae.

The film is not the play, but you don't often get an opportunity to see a fine cast perform this amazing play, and it needs a fine cast.

The movie has a fine cast. The movie grips you from start to finish. The movie even adds a little; the basement scene works wonderfully in the movie in ways that would be hard or impossible to reproduce on stage.

Yes, the play has been bowdlerised to make it into a movie, but what do you expect in 1958. The reality is, this film is a piece of cinema and drama history. You'd need to be a "Williams Fundamentalist" to hate the movie for its toned-down-ness. To the balanced Williams fan, it is gripping, well acted and nicely-paced.

Once every 10-15 years there is a truly fine production of this play in a world-class theatre. If you get the chance, go see a great production in the theatre. In between times, this movie is a very good second.

I have never read or seen the play 'Cat on a Hot tin roof', but after watching the quite superb film, I want to. A movie about families, money, love or lack off. The acting is first rate, Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor are superb, if you're looking for laughs, look elsewhere. A classic.

Elizabeth Taylor's death a few days ago prompted me to watch one of her most famous movies.* I've never seen a stage production of Tennessee Williams's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", but I will say that the movie version is worth seeing, despite the unrealistic southern accents. The storm taking place outside the mansion is nothing compared to the tension between all the family members gathering for the patriarch's birthday.

As with another notable Tennessee Williams play -- "A Streetcar Named Desire" -- they had to remove the references to homosexuality to bring the movie to the silver screen. Still, the scenes of Maggie (Taylor) in her slip seem as though they would have been risqué for the time. Along with her, just about every character made me feel as if my throat was going to constrict. In a way, it's as if the only truly benign characters were the servants.

All in all, I wouldn't call this movie a supreme masterpiece, but I found it to be worth seeing. This one, along with "Streetcar" and "Baby Doll" are the three great adaptations of Tennessee Williams plays. Also starring Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Judith Anderson (Mrs. Danvers in "Rebecca"), Jack Carson and Madeleine Sherwood (Reverend Mother on "The Flying Nun").

*This is going to sound insane, but prior to "COAHTR", the only movie in which I'd seen Elizabeth Taylor was the god-awful "Flintstones" movie, in which she played Wilma's mother.

This is a fantastic look into a dysfunctional American family, 1950's Style. I was prepared to hate this movie, as I typically don't get into dramas at all. Fortunately, I was completely drawn in. Paul Newman's character (Brick) is enigmatic at best, but somehow, because Maggie the Cat loves him so much and is so utterly devoted to him, you find yourself caring about what happens to him and Maggie both.

Big Daddy and Big Mama both bring back fond memories of my own childhood, and if you grew up in the south, chances are you knew someone like the both of them. Their characters are written and performed so typically Southern, that I realized half way through I felt family connections with the whole family, including the no-neck monsters! Sister Girl is the sister in law from Hades, and her husband needs to dig into her purse for his...manhood. We ALL know a couple like that!

All in all? Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and Burl Ives are breathtakingly beautiful in their portrayals. This is probably not a good family movie, as Brick has a serious drinking problem and Maggie IS so desperate for his affections, and probably not a good Friday/Saturday night movie, but I still love it, and will think of it fondly for the rest of my life.

It rates an 8.8/10 from...

the Fiend :.