Cat out of the Bag
Mendacity. Politely, lies and then damned lies. Brick Pollitt, favored heir of the Pollitt empire, lies to himself about why he is an alcoholic, and why he resists the affections of his beautiful wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor). Big Daddy Pollitt (Burl Ives) lies to himself about loving the family, as opposed to, well, owning them. And other son and daughter-in law Gooper and Mae (Jack Carson and Madeline Sherwood) are the very picture of pretentiousness as they make their rather obvious moves for the Pollitt empire. Cat on A Hot Tin Roof is set on Big Daddy’s 65th birthday, and, unknown to him but to the knowledge of his family – his impending demise. One by one, through intense bursts of dialogue, all the truth comes tumbling out of the closet. Brick’s self-loathing and guilt on account of blaming himself for the death of a friend, is revealed only through the dialogue with Big Daddy. In the meantime, the relationship between Brick and Maggie move towards the mend, even as the brother and his wife’s true intentions are glaringly revealed. The emoting is generations from what modern audiences would expect, but the story in no way appears theatrical - it is a fairly believable account of what can befall a family if each member is clouded by his or her own self-seeking goals. And Maggie pulls off an understated and brilliant performance as one who has her heart, her past and her little white prevarications all in the right place
14/20
14/20