Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Richard Brooks – Director, Screenplay

James Poe - Screenplay

Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman

As you may have noticed, had you opened a paper, turned on the tv, perused the internet or found yourself in an impromptu discussion of Hollywood Movie Starlets, Elizabeth Taylor died last week. Yes, she of the infamous violet eyes complete with double row of lashes (a genetic mutation, I’m not joking, look it up) finally succumbed at the ripe old age of 79 after a lengthy battle with various illnesses and more divorces that one can really be expected to keep track of. For many of the younger generation, she is known primarily for her widely publicized marriages and ensuing divorces, and, secondly, for her vast array of stunning jewels (um… the Taylor-Burton Diamond? Anyone?) However, for anyone who bothered to take even a fleeting glance at cinema prior to 1970, Elizabeth Taylor was a prominent figure in many of Hollywood’s most celebrated films, winning 2 Academy Awards for Best Actress as well as countless other recognitions, including A Lifetime Achievement Award.

So in honor of her legacy, I decided to take a look at one of her most quintessential works, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In a role that seems nearly tailored (get it?) for her, Liz plays Maggie “The Cat”, the sultry wife of an alcoholic former football player who could not be less interested in her (truth be told, he seems infinitely more interested in romanticizing a relationship with his now dead former best friend.) At the birthday party of his wealthy landowning father (Burl Ives), Maggie finds herself torn between desperately vying for the affections of her frigid husband, Brick (Newman), and fighting his brother, Gooper’s (Jack Carson), family for a stake in Big Daddy’s fortune. Rife with family dysfunction and a boiling undercurrent of sexual tension, this film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play is the perfect portrayal of human baser instincts against the backdrop of 50’s Mississippi where everyone’s societal position was well known and absolute. In a world where a woman’s role was to support her husband and provide a family, Maggie’s obviously tumultuous marriage and lack of children provides the perfect weapon for her more, shall we say, fertile and money hungry sister-in-law.

In an industry where extraordinary beauty and sexuality is often little other than a way to score prime roles, Taylor practically casts hers as a character in its own right, playing the dual roles of an advantageous means to capture Big Daddy’s attention, and an unwitting characteristic that scares her already reticent husband.  Though it is arguably difficult to tear your eyes off Taylor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is awash with theatrical legends. While Liz smolders with sexuality, Paul Newman tempers his to mere embers, shining as a former star athlete hounded by personal demons. Often recognized for their musical and stage performances, Burl Ives and Madeline Sherwood also both take a star turn as two dominating forces in this adaptation (Sherwood reprises the role she first played on stage.)

A study in 50’s era Hollywood, where dramatic speeches take place as much to the center of rooms and various windows as they do to other characters, and where no kiss is complete without a slow camera pan to the curtains, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a refreshing to revert to Classical Cinema. Like they say, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.