Lies And Mendacity In Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

In the 1976 TV adaptation to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the cast was strategically chosen to capture realness, express desperation, and ironically depict the “lies and mendacity” theme that the original play was built upon. The TV movie adaptation remained true to the plot line of its theatrical play write version. The cast isn’t as precise in depicting the characters exactly as described, but the film brings to life the homosexual undertones of the original Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which could not be explored into because of the censorship codes during the 50s. The movie also touched on major themes, such as the infamous mendacity and family hood. In previous works of the play, critics emphasized the change in the appearance of some characters such as Big Mama and Big Daddy as being just as their names suggest, …show more content…
Throughout the ending and climax of the play, Big Daddy, Brick’s dying father, and Brick begins to yell over and over, “Lies and Mendacity!” Brick is disgusted with mendacity and all of the lies that is circulating within their dysfunctional family. Big Daddy is angered by all of the mendacity and lies about his health, his family’s true love for him, and his son’s personal problems. Ironically, the one thing that angers and disgusts the characters of the story is what is happening as the actors play them. Both Woods and Wagner are lying and pretending to be the young, attractive couple that everyone envies. It almost reveals a hint of comedy as Brick (Wagner) screams he is tired and disgusted with all the lies, but the actor himself has the suit of dishonesty covered over his face. This cleverness to include older characters to pretend to be younger is what makes the film more funny as the theme of lies and mendacity is what is tearing the family apart but fixing the play