Tennessee Williams's overheated tale of familial strife in the Deep South comes alive in this atmospheric dramatisation - it's all steamy, fly-blown and shutters slammin'. Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman are at the peak of their star attraction. She overdoes the "Daddy Dawlin" routine - accents are not her strong suit - though Newman is splendid as the sullen but only upright member of a thoroughly dislikeable clan. The surprise plus is Burl Ives as the dying patriarch, Big Daddy. It's one of the sounder screen adaptations of the playwright's work, even if the play's references to Newman's character's homosexuality were watered down for the film.

An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.