Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (15)
D: Mike Nichols
Warner Bros (Ernest Lehman)
US 1966
131 mins
Drama
W: Ernest Lehman [based on the play by Edward
Albee]
DP: Haskell Wexler
Ed: Sam O'Steen
Mus: Alex North
PD: Richard Sylbert
Cos: Irene Sharaff
Elizabeth Taylor (Martha), Richard
Burton (George), George Segal (Nick), Sandy Dennis (Honey)
The marriage of Liz & Dick is brought to the screen, as
the pair play off each other as an alcoholic married couple, whose vitriol towards each other culminates in an all-night argument when they invite a younger couple to their affluent house for
drinks (there is obviously a more adult motive for the invitational, but this is only referenced to in a wink-wink fashion).
As an adaptation of a stage play, the entertainment value is
underwhelmed by the importance of the cinematic milestone which is achieved by this work, heralding a new dawn of cinematic maturity.
Audiences of 1966, unaccustomed to hearing a tirade of
four-letter curse words being bounded about on-screen would have felt the full force of the films importance, while modern day audiences will feel rewarded by a quartet of excellent acting
performances. All four credited cast members were nominated for Oscars, with Elizabeth Taylor & Sandy Dennis both winning statuettes.
8/10
