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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Even under the rigidity of
extreme censorship, Richard Brook's adaptation of
Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
remains a scathing deconstruction of intimate
family bonds. As per the production code that
governed motion pictures of this vintage, all
references to Brick's homosexuality and his affair
with his football buddy who committed suicide -
Skipper, have been omitted herein. In place, and
to explain away the inexplicable sexual frigidity
Brick harbors toward Maggie, Brooks and
screenwriter James Poe have concocted a rather
flimsy assumed love affair between Skipper and
Maggie that, in actuality, never transpired.
Hence, Brick has been holding out on his wife for
reasons which seem thoughtless and simpering at
best. Regardless of these omissions and mutations,
Cat' is a power keg of dangerous sexuality,
chiefly thanks to the electric sparing
performances of Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor.
Taylor's performance is particularly brilliant,
perhaps in part because she was internally reeling
from the fiery death of her third husband
producer Michael Todd, in a plane crash just days
before principle photography began. As for Newman,
he exudes all the lush qualities of a studly
leading man, but sadly, minus any deportment that
might have better hinted at Brick's subliminal
homosexuality.
As the story unfolds, Big Daddy Pollitt (Burl
Ives) arrives home after having undergone a series
of tests to confirm or deny a medical condition of
terminal cancer. Although the prognosis is
negative, Dr. Baugh (Larry Gates) has decided to
conceal the truth from his patient and his family.
Meanwhile, back at Big Daddy's plantation, his
youngest son, Brick (Paul Newman) is in the middle
of tying on another alcoholic bender. Brick is
laid up with an ankle he broke the night before
while reliving his glory days as a high school
athlete by jumping hurdles in the dark. Brick's
withholding of intimacy toward sultry wife, Maggie
(Elizabeth Taylor) whose overt sexual behavior
seems to repulse him, is at the crux of Maggie's
frustrations and hyperactive disgust at having
children. The dialogue between Brick and Maggie
during these early scenes is peppered with subtle
hints of the play's more blatant stance on
homosexuality such as "You agreed to live like
this!" Brick. "I know, but I can't! I can't!"
Maggie.
Big Daddy's eldest son, Gooper (Jack Carson) is
also waiting for his father's return. A
noncommittal type married to the domineering
one-woman fertility machine, Mae Flynn (Madeleine
Sherwood), Gooper is caught in the urgency of
having Brick removed from Big Daddy's will. But
Big Daddy favors Brick, and more to the point,
Maggie. Destined to return to his cavalier days as
a ruthless businessman, Big Daddy chides his wife
Ida (Judith Anderson) and denounces Brick's
drinking as a frivolity no self-respecting
patriarch would tolerate.
From hereon, the story is very much a picking
apart of those deep wounds and scabs in pain and
denial between father and son. Brick tells Big
Daddy the truth about his medical condition a
move that hastens his father's demise. But it also
softens Big Daddy's heart. He realizes that he has
made a life based on material wealth and not love.
The end of the story as portrayed on screen is one
of return to normalcy and trust within those
familial ties that bind.
Warner Home Video's Deluxe Edition of Cat On A Hot
Tin Roof at last corrects all the problematic
elements in transfer quality inherent in its first
DVD incarnation. Colors on this newly minted DVD
are far more rich, vibrant and accurate. The
biggest complaint of the original transfer was
that it favored a decidedly cold and bluish color
palette with considerable fading and age related
artifacts present throughout. There was also an
intense amount of film grain present then, as well
as some very distracting digital anomalies (edge
enhancement, pixelization, etc.). All of these
shortcomings have been remedied on this anamorphic
reissue. Colors now favor a red tone that is
probably more in keeping with the original
theatrical release. Flesh tones are consistently
rendered. Fading is not an issue. Blacks are deep
and solid. Whites are generally bright, though not
blooming. Film grain is barely visible. All
digital anomalies have been removed. The audio is
mono but fitting for what is essentially a
dialogue driven character study. Extras are a tad
disappointing. Save Donald Spoto's audio
commentary (that rambles aimlessly in spots), the
only other feature included is an all too brief
(under fifteen minute) featurette offering
superficial coverage of the back story behind the
making of the film. The film's original theatrical
trailer is also included. |
