Differences Between the Movie and Play: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
There are key differences and similarities between the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and its movie equivalent. Major differences would include the character Maggie, the possible homosexual relationship between Brick and Skipper, and the reason for Maggie’s distaste for Skipper. Similarities include most of the cast, the overall plot, and the bitterness that the family seems to not so secretly hold for each other. The character Maggie in the play version and in the movie version differs.
In the play she admits to sleeping with Skipper so that both of them could be closer to Brick, so that both of them could feel like they were making love with Brick. But in the movie Maggie denies and apparently never had relations with Skipper. With this being said, in the play version Brick’s hostility for Maggie seems much more unjustified. Also, Maggie was the one to tell Brick of his father’s terminal illness in the movie version. This job had been left to the doctor in the play version.
A second difference between the movie and play would be the possibility of a homosexual relationship or homosexual feelings between Brick and Skipper. In the 1950’s, when the movie was produced, it was unheard of to have any form of homosexuality in a production. This is a big difference because it leads to Brick not necessarily being weak because of the loss of a could be homosexual partner/friend but being weak because of the lack of love and compassion he received from Big Daddy. This leads to more drama between Brick and his father in the movie version.
With the previous being stated there has to be a difference for the distaste between Maggie and Skipper. In the movie, Maggie apparently never had relations with Skipper and the only reason she had for disliking Skipper was the time that he took from her and Brick. She felt that as a young married couple that Brick and Skipper spent far too much time together, time that Brick could be spending with her. Though there are many differences between the play and movie (this is usually the case when it comes to Hollywood) there still are some important similarities between the two.
The cast, with the exception of Maggie, are mostly unchanged. Brick’s alcoholism and the pain he feels after losing a dear friend, Gooper is hell bent on getting Big Daddy’s plantation, Mae is still a very easily dislike character who seems to be constantly birthing babies. , Big Momma is full of love and wants nothing more than to have one big happy family, and Big Daddy is still holding together the family for what seems to be the wrong reasons. The overall plot also seems to be unchanged.
It starts the same, introducing with hidden distaste between members of the family and not so hidden distaste that Brick feels towards Maggie. Big Daddy’s terminal illness, Gooper and Mae being hell bent on getting what the believe should be coming to them, and the end all seem to be unchanged either way you look at it. Though it has been mentioned more than once before, it is important to notice a big part of both the play version and movie. That is the distaste that the family feel for each other.
The feelings Brick has for Maggie, that Maggie has towards Mae and her children and vice versa, the way Gooper feels about Brick, and the way Big Daddy feels towards Big Momma are unchanging. In either, the family is completely separated and out for themselves. Each one, in their own way, are only out for themselves. With any comparison between a play and its movie counterpart there are bound to be major differences and key similarities between the two. In this case, both the play and the movie were spectacular for the same and different reasons.
