Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Widescreen/Full Screen): Amazon.ca: DVD: DVD

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Maggie is the feline in question, as portrayed by a smoldering, angry Elizabeth Taylor. Paul Newman is her ex-athlete husband, Brick Pollitt, an alcoholic who frustrates and disappoints his wife and his overbearing father. Burl Ives is Big Daddy, the vulgar patriarch of this positively gothic Southern family whose children return to the nest like vultures when they learn he is dying of cancer. Infidelities, addictions, latent homosexuality, depression, unrequited love, and mendacity are woven into this still-powerful adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Though it was somewhat whitewashed by Hollywood, the sentiment remains powerful because of the provocative performances. It was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Actress for Newman and Taylor. --Rochelle O'Gorman

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
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Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Humanity at it's best..., Jun 12 2004

By

Justine "movie fanatic" Smith "border_c2001" (Montreal, QC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat/Hot Tin Roof (VHS Tape)

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a spectacular visual masterpiece about the human spirit.
Every character has three dimensions, and every line is perfectly written and delivered. Credit is needed for the original playright(although I am aware the plot was altered to please the strict critics of the time), who along with the screenplay writers are as important as the actors.
Speaking of actors, Liz Taylor, Burl Ives and Paul Newman were all flawless in their roles. They were human, and as a painting they were more real than reality. My opinions of the characters changed continually throughout the film. It was as if you were peeling away the skin layer by layer to find the truth. Annoyance turned into hate, hate turned into compassion.
The most important element of this film was feelings;emotions the players have, and have to deal with. As well as how you feel about them, and their situations.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars MEEEOOOOW!, Jan 27 2004

By

Kim Robinson "siammuse" (Duluth, MN. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

"Cat on the Hot Tin Roof"
Has so much tension, one can't cut it with a machete... Just another very dysfunctional family, which Tennessee Williams writes so brilliantly.

You have Maggie (the cat) The only character in the extended family who is 'Normal' The only one who seems to be keeping the family from killing one another. Liz, of course plays her beautifully, superbly, very sexy as 'The Cat'

(Brick) Paul Newman plays her husband...A drunk with many devils he needs to let out, such as why he will not sleep with Maggie, why won't he stop thinking about his foot-ball buddy who killed himself. The viewer will wonder if his has other preferences... Because who wouldn't sleep with (The Cat)??

Big Daddy...played by Burl Ives... The GOD of the family, the one with all the money, Power, the one who's dying. (Excellent performance)

(Goober) Brick's brother and his wife wait impatiently for Big Daddy's fortune. The wife is appalling enough to make one sick. Continually taunting Maggie about not having children, having a bad marriage, not controlling Brick. Her kids run around the house like little, foul animals.

This family is a disaster waiting to happen...The pressure cooker is on high, baby, and when she blows
Watch out...All hell will break loose all over the place.

They don't make um' like this anymore.

MEEEEOOOOOW!

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4.0 out of 5 stars Strong stuff for its day. Children by Diane Arbus, Nov 30 2003

By

abt1950 "abt1950" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

Tennesee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a powerful play and here has been made into a powerful film. Family ties, lies, power, money, death, sexual troubles and even sibling rivalry coalesce as the troubled Pollitt family deals with the terminal illness of its patriarch. Although the gay subtext has been muted to fit 1950's sensitibilities, it's still there, adding resonance to the film. There's a bit of the mannered approach common to movies of the period, which gives the film a more theatrical feel than many movie adaptations of plays. In some ways, "Cat" comes across as an early, Southern version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf."

The acting in this film is superb, if a little over-the-top at times. "Maggie the Cat" is a plum dramatic role, and Elizabeth Taylor more than does it justice. In her hands, Maggie's basic humanity alternates with her greed to eventually define her. Paul Newman likewise turns in an excellent performance as the troubled Brick. Burl Ives steals the show as Big Daddy, the larger-than-life dying patriarch. Jack Carson and Madelaine Sherwood play the elder, less-favored son and his fecund wife, Mae. Mae and her brood are played as wonderfully grotesque charicatures, greatly enhancing the oppressive atmosphere of the film. If you think of Diane Arbus shooting a movie, you'll get an excellent idea of what Mae and her little "no-neck monsters" are like.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Acting doesn't come any better than this. Newman and Taylor have such chemistry its unbelievable, and although the movie may drag in certain parts, overall it is a great character... Read more

Published on Feb 28 2004 by D.W. Griffith

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT WILLIAM'S AND A LOUSY TRANSFER TO BOOT!
It's a curious thing that Hollywood often tackled subject matter that it was forbidden to show on the screen. Read more

Published on Oct 25 2003 by Nix Pix