Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Film vs Play Comparison Matthew Braida 12th Grade

Tennessee Williams’ 1955 play ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, explores the avant-grade realities in which facades appear to dispel. Through his iconoclasm of the patriarchal normalities of 50s society, William’s embellishes characters as catalysts for taboo reveals of isolation, sexuality, and femininity. Whilst Richard Brooks’ adaptation of ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ holds overt similarities with Williams’ play, the clandestine discussions prevalent in the original are sidestepped in a manner meant to appeal to the audiences of 50s film. Converting motifs to appear more socially acceptable, Brooks’ representation of the play reverts the experimental ideas Williams’ detailed and lyrical description brought forth to conservative viewers, notably changing the core values from one another.

From Act 1 all the way to Act 3, the location of Williams’ play is never shifted; Maggie and Brick’s bedroom is continuously showcased despite the abundance of characters. Being a common convention of plays, this typically allows the setting to become a catalyst for a theme or motif that the playwright has accounted for. The backdrop of Williams’ play is not only the most personal room of a house, but also the most intimate, and it’s this quality that...