Maggie is the feline in question, as portrayed by a smoldering, angry Elizabeth Taylor. Paul Newman is her ex-athlete husband, Brick Pollitt, an alcoholic who frustrates and disappoints his wife and his overbearing father. Burl Ives is Big Daddy, the vulgar patriarch of this positively gothic Southern family whose children return to the nest like vultures when they learn he is dying of cancer. Infidelities, addictions, latent homosexuality, depression, unrequited love, and mendacity are woven into this still-powerful adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Though it was somewhat whitewashed by Hollywood, the sentiment remains powerful because of the provocative performances. It was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Actress for Newman and Taylor. --Rochelle O'Gorman