Summer Nights Film Series: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

In the third and final play adaptation this season, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof indulges in the notion of what remains unsaid as much as what is actually said. Also focused on the uber-rich, this Dixie-drama centers on Maggie (a resplendent Elizabeth Taylor) and Brick (an icy-blue Paul Newman), her worldly needs and his attempt to drown out the disappointment of letting his best friend down. Surround this small storm, a larger storm brews within Brick’s family between his father, Big Daddy (Burl Ives) and brother Gooper (Jack Carson) regarding the family’s wealth after Big Daddy eventually succumbs to the cancer they just discovered. Lies of love and love of lies weave throughout Cat, enriching this stage to screen interpretation.

Directed by Richard Brooks and Dan Fogelman, 1958, 108 minutes, Not Rated.

Content Warning: This film contains potentially triggering content.

Tags: excessive drinking, terminal disease, domestic verbal and physical abuse, allusion to sex, implied suicide, and smoking

The National Bank of Indianapolis Summer Nights Film Series features 15 films this year. To see the full lineup, click here.