Paws for Thought (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (DVD))

Member Name: samueltyler

Product:	Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (DVD)
Date:	08/12/08 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great story, acting and characterisation

Disadvantages: Slower than modern films, a restricted number of sets

The age of the Hollywood legend appears to be coming to an end. In the Golden Age of cinema there were many actors and actresses who would fill up the Cineplex's no matter the film; Chaplin, Brando, Hepburn, the list goes on. Nowadays the equivalent list is so short as to be worthless - Will Smith. Every other actor who sports the moniker of modern legend is lying; Cruise is a perhaps although recently not so much, the same can be said for Roberts. Don't even mention the likes of Pitt, Jolie and Clooney whose glossy magazine column inches are far superior to box office clout. The legends of cinema are dead or dying and recently we lost someone who can truly be called one; Paul Newman. His screen presence was undeniable and as homage I went back and watched one of his classics.

Brick and Maggie Pollitt are by no means the perfect couple. Trapped in an apparently loveless marriage they hate to be with one another, but are too scared to be apart. Based on a Tennessee Williams play 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' is set over one momentous day when events come to a head in the Pollitt household. Brick is trapped in the house with a broken leg and all he is interested in doing is drinking. Maggie longs to be forgiven by Brick for something we do not know about. Both are trapped in Brick's father's house as the family have come together to celebrate his birthday. With his brother and his loathsome family on the premises its seems that everyone is more interested in Big Daddy's will than a party. Will the events on one humid and stormy night drive Brick and Maggie together or apart?

'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' is a classic 50s film in every way. From the cast, production, direction and feel there is not mistaking it for a modern picture. Therefore, if you are not a fan of the slower character based films of yesteryear you better avoid this! Being based on a successful play of the time 'Cat' has an even more rigid feel to it than many films of the era. The entire story is set in about 5 locations, all within the same house. The film (and I assume play) kept the locations to a minimum by having Brick in a plaster cast therefore meaning he could not travel too far. Unfortunately, for some people the lack of varying locations may prove a problem; for me it did not.

A tight collection of sets means that the film has to be strong elsewhere and in this case those areas are story, character and acting. The story itself is very Tennessee Williams with lots of Deep South drawl and aspects that appear stereotypical now. The world of 'Cat' is far removed from my own, but I was drawn into the simple story of love and family angst. These issues are timeless and are proved so here. It helps that the collection of characters are so interesting. There is no one 'hero' in the film as everyone has an ample number of flaws. Paul Newman's Brick at first seems like the person to attach yourself to as he seems to have a shrew of a wife, but dig deeper and perhaps Elizabeth Taylor's Maggie is not so bad. Personally I enjoyed Burl Ives as Big Daddy the most, his arrogant and truthful attitude is a great mirror for the lies that make up the rest of the family.

The three above actors do a great job in their roles giving their characters a three dimensional feel and making sure they get the most out of the writing. I was surprised how good Taylor was as a young actress, very attractive and compelling. Newman is slightly worse as he has less to do, but it's clear why he became a star after this film. I also thought that the actors playing the rest of the family were strong as they acted loathsome brilliantly!

'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' is the ideal film to watch with your partner on a quite Sunday afternoon. The characters and story are universal and resonate as much today as 50 years ago. I did feel that there were some small restrictions imposed on the film by its play routes; especially in terms of pacing and sets, but overall, I really enjoyed this film.

Director: Richard Brooks
Year: 1958
Cert: 15
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Burl Ives
Price: Amazon uk £4.98
Play.com £5.00


Extras

Like with so many classic films there are few extras of note. Here there is really only the original trailer which seems to give most of the plot away so don't watch it first!

Summary: A classic film