Both films of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Member of the Wedding contain sequences that do not appear in the play. Your goal is to select one of the sequences below and in a post of no fewer than 350-500 words, explain what is significant about the sequence itself, and how it embodies something important about the larger film–its themes and techniques.
The homecoming sequence in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. This sequence begins with the descent of Big Daddy’s private’s plane and concludes back at the house with the children singing “Skidamarink” at Big Daddy’s birthday party. The sequence includes the conversation between Gooper, Mae, and Maggie before Big Daddy arrives; the revelation (false as it turns out) that Big Daddy is not in bad health; two conversations between Big Daddy and Maggie, one as they look as his land and one as they arrive at his house; a brief glimpse of Brick on his balcony; and the children’s little song, carefully orchestrated by their mother Mae.
The night town sequence in The Member of the Wedding. This sequence begins with the light on the train, which is moving too quickly for Frankie to jump on board, and concludes with the light going out in John Henry’s window after Frankie decides against running away. The sequence includes sights and sounds that Frankie encounters as she roams around downtown. It also includes a near-rape with a drunken soldier who is playing pinball; Frankie’s flight through an alley out back; and her sense of puzzlement when she finds out from her father and Berenice that John Henry is badly sick.
Consider the following questions as you plan your post. (1) What visual and aural elements condition your response to the film sequence? (2) Why do viewers see and hear what they hear? (3) How does the sequence relate to what has gone before and how does it prepare for what follows? Note that the homecoming sequence comes near the beginning of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof while the night town sequence comes near the end of The Member of the Wedding. (4) To what extent is the sequence faithful to the themes and meanings of the original text?
