Feature Film Friday: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

I’m a really big fan of most, if not all, of Tennessee Williams’ plays- but I love Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for it’s starring cast and the fact that it gives me the excuse to yell “Mendacity!” all the time. In case you haven’t seen this movie, mendacity – being the tendency to lie, or an instance of falsehood – is the buzzword for this movie, and used most famously by Big Daddy in reference to his own family and friends. And while I might not be the brash, large, plantation owner- I find Big Daddy’s favorite phrase to rather useful in everyday life, see how I use it:

College Representative: “Sorry, you owe $3,000 in tuition”

Me: “Mendacity!”

Cashier at the grocery store: “Sorry, that coupon has expired- you can’t use it”

Me: “Mendacity!”

Doctor: “You’ve gained weight. Maybe you should think about going on a diet?”

Me: “MENDACITY!”

My mom: “You look just like Rachel Weisz”

Me: “Men- er- SURE!”

See how useful mendacity can be? Now, if you haven’t seen Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, you should- that way you can learn how to use mendacity in your everyday conversations too!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDk0JtQHc0A]

Memorable Cat on a Hot Tin Roof quote:

“What’s that smell in this room? Didn’t you notice it, Brick? Didn’t you notice a powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity in this room?”

– Big Daddy

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.