Watch Cat on a Hot Tin Roof For Free

To me, this movie is perfection.

Good start, but then it gets ruined

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I love Tennessee Williams' original play and I love Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman - they fit the characters so wonderfully and the tension and sexual frustration is palpable through their magnificent acting. But, oh, it is such a shame that homosexuality was regarded as something so taboo back then that they couldn't even bring it up - not even to speak negatively of it, though people were surely of that sentiment. The quality of the play just isn't the same once they stripped Brick of his sexual identity and rewrote him as heterosexual.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a story that people like to remake, but I don't really know why. In my opinion, it's not Tennessee Williams' masterpiece, and the supporting characters can get on the audience's nerves pretty quickly. The only reason I can imagine why everyone wants to take a crack at it is because the original is so beloved, other actors say to themselves, "I want to be Elizabeth Taylor!" or "I want to be Paul Newman!" If you've never seen a Tennessee Williams story, here's the skinny: It's set in the South, a key plot point is a sexual problem, there's an "old world" family drama, a hint of male homosexuality, and it's usually all during a very hot summer. Also, the movies are based off of plays, so there will be lots of monologues. I'm not dissing Tennessee Williams; I actually love many of his plays. I just wanted to let you know what to expect.In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a childless married couple is on the brink of divorce. They bicker and argue, all through the wife's family's visit. If you've heard of the characters Maggie the Cat or Big Daddy, they originate from this story. Obviously, with two beautiful people in the lead roles, this movie is enjoyable to watch, and the tension between them sparks off the screen. It might not end up being your favorite old movie, but it's worth a viewing.

Unlike many screen adaptations of Tennessee Williams plays, I experienced a peculiar detachment from the central character, Brick Pollitt, in this instance. There was a missing connection for me, but I can't exactly put my finger on it. Perhaps it was the fact that I just wasn't very convinced of Paul Newman as Brick Pollitt. Either Newman grew tired of the role somewhere along the way, or I lost interest watching him perform as a former high school jock who had a peculiar fixation with his former buddy, Skipper, for whose death he holds himself responsible. According to the IMDb trivia page for this film, the role of Brick was refused by Presley, Mitchum, Clift, and Gazzara. As Tony Franciosa and Don Murray were also considered and as James Dean tragically died before this movie was produced, that would mean Newman might have been the eighth choice, or were there even more possibilities in front of him? Why so many? Was it the potential professional stigma surrounding the obvious undercurrent of Brick's strongly suggested homosexuality in the highly homophobic world of 1958 that was at risk? If so, then Newman deserves credit for the courage that others did not possess. Without the powerful performances of Burl Ives and Elizabeth Taylor, this film would never have been so successful. Ives, who had been thought to be "just some folk singer" when he was chosen as "Big Daddy", is nothing short of magnificent in his role as the self-made patriarch who is dying of cancer and who seriously reflects upon the true meaning of his life, which is plagued by "mendacity" and pretense on all sides. Taylor, who had lost her beloved husband, Mike Todd, in a sudden plane crash just before production, seems to express her grief through her art as Maggie Pollitt, the frustrated (and gorgeous!) wife of Brick. Her interactions with the brood of "no neck", spoiled brat nieces and nephews, who invade the family estate for an unbearable and seemingly endless period of time, are hilarious, especially the unforgettable ice cream scene. Why the servants left ice cream out in the Louisiana summer heat is beyond me, but so be it. Her several exchanges with Brick reach a very high level of intensity, even though I felt that at least some of the couple's extended verbal wrangling could have been condensed.Both Madeleine Sherwood and Judith Anderson play very disagreeable members of the Pollitt family all too well. I found them both very difficult to watch for long, but that's what the script demanded. Jack Carson is perfect as Goober Pollitt, the pathetic, older brother who has dutifully adhered to all of the established family rules but who receives in return no respect from anyone.I can't blame playwright Williams for disliking this very murky screen adaptation of his very serious creation. He should have at least been grateful for the casting of Ives and Taylor because they both soar to the skies here, redeeming what otherwise might have been a dreary disaster.

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.