Academy Awards, USA 1959
| Nominee Oscar | Best Picture Lawrence Weingarten |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role Paul Newman | |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role Elizabeth Taylor | |
| Best Director Richard Brooks | |
| Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Richard Brooks James Poe | |
| Best Cinematography, Color William H. Daniels |
MGM
Directed by Richard Brooks
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Warner Archive Collection)
Paul Newman is "Brick", a pathetic alcoholic in an unhappy marriage, apparently unable to get over the suicide of his best friend in college. He blames his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, whom he suspects of sleeping with his friend, and they have frequent, bitter fights. Meanwhile, his father, Burl Ives, celebrates his 65th birthday, unaware that he has just been diagnosed with cancer, which is being hidden from him by his doctor and family. The truth finally comes out, releasing pent up emotions between all of these various family members. The acting is phenomenal, but it comes precariously close to unintentionally hilarious at times, particularly Ives' treatment of his family. The changes to the Tennessee Williams source material are substantial and detrimental to the story, which is why Newman's explanation for the cause of his problems never quite makes sense.
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