1958
Approved
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
1 h 48 m

1958
Approved
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
1 h 48 m

Summary Brick, an alcoholic ex-football player, drinks his days away and resists the affections of his wife, Maggie. His reunion with his father, Big Daddy, who is dying of cancer, jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

Drama

Directed By: Richard Brooks

Written By: James Poe, Tennessee Williams, Richard Brooks

1958
Approved
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
1 h 48 m

1958
Approved
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
1 h 48 m

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Name: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Genre: Drama
Released: 1958-08-29
Duration: 1 min 48 s
Rating: 84
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson, Judith Anderson

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 16 Critic Reviews

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings

7.6

My Score

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Where to Watch

Drama

Directed By: Richard Brooks

Written By: James Poe, Tennessee Williams, Richard Brooks

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Universal Acclaim Based on 16 Critic Reviews

75% Positive
12 Reviews

25% Mixed
4 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Universal Acclaim Based on 16 Critic Reviews

75% Positive
12 Reviews

25% Mixed
4 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

100

Chicago Sun-Times

A searing portrait of the human condition. [12 Oct 2007, p.B6]

By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW

100

Austin Chronicle

Tennessee Williams’ study of a crumbling Southern patriarchy is riveting stuff. Although the word homosexuality is never uttered, this Hollywood reworking brings a certain understanding of the son’s latent “immaturity” and his wife’s childlessness. Bolstered by extraordinary performances, this tale’s a summer sizzler.

By Marjorie Baumgarten FULL REVIEW

Entertainment Weekly

The manipulative Maggie, irritated by the heat and by Gooper and Sister Woman’s ”no-neck monsters,” is among Taylor’s most accomplished creations and earned her a second Oscar nod; the performance has an inner coil in it, as if something were ready to spring at any second.

FULL REVIEW

Village Voice

The 1958 film Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is not a good adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s play of the same name. But as a portrayal of the depths of loneliness we create for ourselves, and an example of the power of star performance, it’s a great film.

FULL REVIEW

Los Angeles Times

Richard Brooks adapted and directed this superbly acted though watered-down -- all references to homosexuality were deleted -- 1958 version of Williams' popular 1955 play. [30 Apr 2006, p.E14]

FULL REVIEW

Chicago Reader

The material has been bowdlerized to the point of abstraction, which makes Richard Brooks's sweaty, emphatic direction look a little silly—there just isn't that much to get worked up about. But Burl Ives and Judith Anderson are highly entertaining as the nightmare parents, Big Daddy and Big Mama, and Jack Carson has one of his last good roles as Newman's competitive older brother.

By Dave Kehr FULL REVIEW

LarsenOnFilm

The performances are sweltering...This isn’t a good thing. Yes, it’s fitting for the setting – a humid, suffocating Louisiana mansion where the family of an ailing tycoon (Burl Ives) connives to inherit his fortune – but the overall result is like watching a melodrama in a sauna. It’s just too much.

By Josh Larsen FULL REVIEW

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User Reviews

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User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings

7.6

94% Positive
15 Ratings

6% Mixed
1 Rating

0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

View All

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings

7.6

94% Positive
15 Ratings

6% Mixed
1 Rating

0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Avon Productions (II)

Release Date Aug 29, 1958

Duration 1 h 48 m

Rating Approved

Genres

Drama

Tagline Just one pillow on her bed ... and just one desire in her heart!

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Awards

Academy Awards, USA

• 6 Nominations

Golden Globes, USA

• 2 Nominations

Laurel Awards

• 1 Win & 3 Nominations

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Where to Watch

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Elizabeth Taylor

Maggie Pollitt

Paul Newman

Brick Pollitt

Burl Ives

Big Daddy Pollitt

Jack Carson

Gooper Pollitt

Judith Anderson

Ida 'Big Mama' Pollitt

Madeleine Sherwood

Mae Pollitt

Larry Gates

Dr. Baugh

Vaughn Taylor

Deacon Davis

Zelda Cleaver

Sookey

Brian Corcoran

Boy

Hugh Corcoran

Buster

Kevin Corcoran

Child

Patty Ann Gerrity

Dixie

Bobby Johnson

Pollitt Groom

Walter Merrill

Party Guest

Deborah Miller

Trixie

Robert 'Rusty' Stevens

Sonny

Vince Townsend Jr.

Lacey

Jeane Wood

Party Guest

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

Details

Details

Awards

Awards

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