rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1958
Directed by Richard Brooks; produced by Lawrence Weingarten; screenplay by Richard Brooks, James Poe
Starring Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Burt Ives, Jack Carson, Judith Anderson, Madeleine Sherwood
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
The injured Brick Pollitt (Paul Newman) and Maggie Pollitt (Elizabeth
Taylor) are in the house of Brick's parents. They do not talk too each
other. Maggie tries to make things better, but Brick is a drunk and doesn't
even want to look at her. What has happened is one of the secrets that
slowly unfolds.
Brick's brother Gooper (Jack Carson) is also in the house with his pregnant
wife Mae (Madeleine Sherwood) and his five children. They are all here
because their father Harvey, who is called Big Daddy, has his birthday.
There is a chance he is dying of cancer and since he is a very rich man
Gooper, Mae and Maggie all try to suck up to him. The only one doesn't seem
to be interested is Brick. There are more secrets.
Brick used to be a professional football player. He and his friend Skipper
started their own team. We learn that Skipper has killed himself and that
there is a good chance that Maggie has something to do with that. Is
everything as it seems?
All these questions make this movie very impressive. The movie opens with a
husband and wive not talking, keeping up appearances for the other members
of the family. At first you have no idea what they are talking about when
they mention a guy named Skipper and slowly we learn more and more. Whether
their father is dying or not, who was Skipper, what had Maggie to do with
him, why is Brick mad at Maggie and why is he mad at Big Daddy, why is he
drinking all the time; we all slowly learn to know these things.
Paul Newman is great here and together with Elizabeth Taylor he has some
great scenes. Burt Ives as Big Daddy has a nice performance as well and
Madeleine Sherwood does a very good job by creating one of the most annoying
characters I have seen in the movies. Her whining Mae is hated by everyone
and we totally understand why. With a movie where there is this much talking
and the story line is mostly talking about things rather than experience
them the actors are very important and do a very good job.