Tennessee Williams' 1955 play, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," explores avant-garde realities in which facades seem to dissipate. Through his iconoclasm of the patriarchal normalities of 1950s society, William embellishes the characters as catalysts for taboo revelations about isolation, sexuality and femininity. Although Richard Brooks' adaptation of "Cat on a Hot Tin Tin Roof" bears obvious similarities to Williams' play, the clandestine discussions prevalent in the original are avoided in order to appeal to 1950s film audiences. By converting the motifs to appear more socially acceptable, Brooks's performance of the play inverts the experimental ideas that Williams's detailed and lyrical depiction presented to conservative viewers, notably changing each other's core values. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay From Act 1 to Act 3, Williams' playing location is never moved; Maggie and Brick's room is continually highlighted despite the abundance of characters. Being a common convention in plays, this usually allows the setting to become a catalyst for a theme or motif that the playwright has considered. The backdrop to Williams's room is not only the most personal room in a house, but also the most intimate, and it is this quality that constantly exudes a sense of isolation; of lies. Brick is initially unable to really talk to his wife about the death of his best friend, Skipper, leaving Maggie to have a one-sided conversation that "never materializes". However, Brooks' film forgoes this and instead uses multiple exterior and interior locations to fit the conventions of cinema. Instead of beginning in the bedroom, Brooks' adaptation depicts Brick attempting to jump obstacles, an event that was only hinted at in the play, instantly dispelling the complexity of confinement that Williams was insinuating. Although she admits that they "occupy the same cage", Maggie's confession to Brick comes across as less scathing than when revealed in the play, in which the omnipresent "cage" setting makes the line difficult to digest. . Although grandiose, the Mississippi Delta Plantation house allows for less emotional solitude, letting each different room lead to a different emotional conclusion. As Brick and Big Daddy reconcile in the basement, Brooks' detachment from isolation aligns the film with the protocols of 1950s society, removing lying as a major theme. However, Brick also soothes with Maggie in their room; an ending that draws no parallel with the original play. Completely forgoing a traditional resolution, Williams uses the essence of lies and isolation as much as he can, extending their presence until the last line of the film. While Brick remarks that it would be "funny" if Maggie's love were "real," Williams' adoption of the bedroom setting further elevates the importance of lies through his exploitation of what should be an honest environment. By making one character always feel isolated in a typically intimate setting, the play circumvents conservative audience expectations, instead foregrounding communication as a means of lying. By removing this in favor of a "storybook" ending, Brooks' resolution of Brick and Maggie exercising intimacy ignores Williams' true intentions of exposing the facades of underlying taboos. Representationof sexuality, femininity and masculinity However, in Brooks' adaptation, the presentation of sexuality is also distorted, revoking the progressive movement exhibited by Williams in his play. In the original text, sexual desire is emphasized as the forefront of exposure and motivation. Maggie craves intimacy from Brick, and Brick craves his best friend, Skipper. In the film, Big Mamma asks Maggie if she "[makes] Brick happy?" » rather than if she makes him “happy in bed? as she does in the play, illustrating the extent to which Brooks' adaptation manages to censor the overt displays of sexual affection headlined in Williams's play. Capitalizing on Skipper and Brick's "pure" friendship, Williams alludes to the couple's homosexual tendencies. Although this avant-garde revelation constitutes crucial moments of the play, the film omits homosexuality entirely and instead focuses on the marital problems between Brick and Maggie. When Brick and Bid Daddy reach the crux of their conversation regarding Skipper, Maggie is asked to detail the truth. Instead of focusing on Brick and Skipper's friendship; which could be considered to display "uncommon tenderness", she recounts a difficult marriage, neglecting indications towards anything other than heterosexuality. However, in William's original play, the scene hinges on Brick and Skipper's discussion of intimacy. Bringing up Jack Straw and Peter Ochello, both of whom were excluded from the film, Brick begins accusing Big Daddy of drawing the same conclusions about him and Skipper that he does about the "few sissies". Revealing the room highlighted by the passionate affection of its previous occupants, the motif of homosexuality seems absolute and genuine, with Big Daddy expressing genuine acceptance. The contrast is the absence in the film of such a speech. Relying on marital and marital difficulties as the primary catalyst for the lie, the film's disregard for unfiltered dialogue about sexuality diminishes the ramifications of Williams' play. Changing the film's sexuality message is a conscious choice by the director. The conservative audiences for Brooks' films in the 1950s were not as progressive as those in the theater, and therefore the societal views of the time had to be followed more closely to avoid cinematic alienation. Although sexuality is sidelined in favor of traditional qualities, representations of masculinity and femininity are also significantly altered in each media. Introducing her character through direct dialogue delivered "yelling above the roar of the water", Maggie asserts masculine traits not seen in women at the time. Respected by feminists for her brazen attitude and unwavering dedication to her marriage to Brick, she maintains power unlike her female peers. In contrast to his constant attempts at total control is Brick, who has a "fresh air of detachment". Significantly more submissive and indecisive than his counterpart, his traits could be described as feminine, with dependence aiding his every judgment. This is not reproduced in Brooks' adaptation. Rather than exercising her masculinity as she does in the play, Maggie comes across as desperate, as if she is afraid of not being feminine. Her strength is no longer unshakeable, she depends more on Brick, who is less submissive, to help her repair their marriage. In the film, Brick informs Maggie of the news regarding her father's fate, thus stripping her of any power she had in the same scene of the play. By being removed from the information, Maggie is not portrayed as being ahead of everyone, but rather as trying to reach.