Richard Brooks allows Tennessee William's play to come to life in this film by using nearly everything that the legendary playwright bled into his classic play. Brooks uses place in order to establish deeper understanding through the imagery. For example, Big Daddy and Brick's fights take place in the downpour of rain outside the home and in the basement surrounded by antiques. The imagery allows us to understand the internal nature of the characters and creates an attachment to their emotions for the audience. The rain represents the pain within both men and the basement's antiques represents their living in the past.
Brooks also allows the characters to come to life through action and has his camera stay out of the way of the action so that this behavior can be captured in the frame. We watch as Maggie's announcement of a child stills everyone in the room with Big Daddy in the forefront of the picture and Brick left out of the composition, and we also see Maggie and Brick alone at the end of the film in dim lighting as Brick tells her to lock the door. She does and her breath deepens and quickens, showing us the excitement between her and Brick.
The classic film brings life to the big-screen and allows the audience to peer into the Old South fighting to stay alive through the characters, as well as revealing Maggie's desire to overcome poverty. All while revealing deep relationships between the characters throughout the entirety of the play.
