Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - (1958, Richard Brooks)
An adaptation of the fiery Tennessee Williams play, Brooks' adaptation is a real scorcher. For those unfamiliar with the play, Paul Newman plays a drunken ex-football player who takes his seductive wife (Elizabeth Taylor) home to see his family. His father is a Memphis tycoon, played by the incomparable Burl Ives (Oscar win).
I love this film. Is it a little over the top at times? Yes. Do I care? No. I could watch a young Newman and Taylor go round and round all day. Dirty secrets. Flawed characters. Nobody holds back, as they tear each other apart. They hit hard, fast, and deep. Nobody escapes unscathed.
This feels like a southern version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which is also a favorite of mine. I really miss the days when Hollywood wrote these types of characters. Six nominations, including Best Picture and nods for both Newman and Taylor. Easily some of their best work. A true classic. (4/4)