Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Lesson Plan

Stage, Film, and Sexuality

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

Students will compare and contrast the cinematic adaptation of the play with the original text, and analyze the choices made in adapting the film

Structure:

Watch the 1958 film in class or, if you prefer, arrange for students to watch it for homework the night before. First, gather general impressions. How did students experience the film as compared to reading the play? What surprised them about the director's choices, or the actors' performances?

Then share this paragraph, from an article by Dan Sheehan:

Both Tennessee Williams and Paul Newman were incensed by the film’s...