Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
(A or 3.5/4 stars)
Based on an award-winning play, Mike Nichols' 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' depicts the emotional unraveling of an alcoholic 50-something college professor, George (Richard Burton) & his wife, Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) during one long night of attacks & counter-attacks on each other's weaknesses. The 1st scene shows them stumbling into their house after a party, drunk as skunks. Martha's 1st words as she enters her home are, "What a dump!". Nice, huh? And for the next 2 hours, most of our time is spent stuck with these 2 as they push each other's buttons & rip into each other.
Their heated marriage thrives on a love/hate, almost sadomasochistic relationship. Their tumultuous 20 some-odd year union manifests in emotionally empty lives. This even makes them invent a child(!) and act out a dangerous fantasy lifestyle. George & Martha are contrasted with another childless couple whom they invited into their home after said party: young opportunistic professor named Nick (an excellent George Segal) & his immature wife, Honey (a superb Sandy Dennis), who caught him as a husband with her fake pregnancy; and ever since then ... he's been afraid of both sex & children.
The script is chock full of biting wit, sarcasm, sexual innuendos galore; and it has a lot to say about parental oppression, psychoses of people in their 50s, and the unearthing of secrets/sins. Simply put, this is one powerful piece of cinema. There's a claustrophobic feel to the movie. Filmed in start black & white and with uncomfortable close-ups, you almost expect something to be hurled at you through the screen when the characters erupt into argument.
There are very few moments of levity throughout the film. Any moments of tenderness are welcomed with open arms. But just when you think you'll get a respite from the anger, just then, they launch into a new argument over something that you didn't think could spark one. This all is not to say there isn't any humor in the story. Plenty of the barbs that these characters hurl at each other are intrinsically funny; but so, too, are they harrowing. At any point of the long night, each of these 4 characters winds up being the instigator, the victim, and/or the bystander.
Richard Burton fires on all cylinders. Liz Taylor, too. She gives Martha a lively, yet sad woman whose alcoholic desperation permeates the screen. Her Martha even utters the word "Goddamn"; which was seen as racy in Hollywood, at the time. Furthermore, Taylor, at the height of her fame (33 yrs. old) even went so far as to deglamorize herself to play Martha - a woman in her early 50s. And of course, the fact that a contentious real-life couple are at the center of the film (Burton & Taylor) makes this film just all the more interesting. 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' won't be for everyone; I think it may be a tad too relentless, at times -- ya feel like this night won't ever end. Still: great writing, dynamic acting. The film goes highly recommended by me.
Their heated marriage thrives on a love/hate, almost sadomasochistic relationship. Their tumultuous 20 some-odd year union manifests in emotionally empty lives. This even makes them invent a child(!) and act out a dangerous fantasy lifestyle. George & Martha are contrasted with another childless couple whom they invited into their home after said party: young opportunistic professor named Nick (an excellent George Segal) & his immature wife, Honey (a superb Sandy Dennis), who caught him as a husband with her fake pregnancy; and ever since then ... he's been afraid of both sex & children.
The script is chock full of biting wit, sarcasm, sexual innuendos galore; and it has a lot to say about parental oppression, psychoses of people in their 50s, and the unearthing of secrets/sins. Simply put, this is one powerful piece of cinema. There's a claustrophobic feel to the movie. Filmed in start black & white and with uncomfortable close-ups, you almost expect something to be hurled at you through the screen when the characters erupt into argument.
There are very few moments of levity throughout the film. Any moments of tenderness are welcomed with open arms. But just when you think you'll get a respite from the anger, just then, they launch into a new argument over something that you didn't think could spark one. This all is not to say there isn't any humor in the story. Plenty of the barbs that these characters hurl at each other are intrinsically funny; but so, too, are they harrowing. At any point of the long night, each of these 4 characters winds up being the instigator, the victim, and/or the bystander.
Richard Burton fires on all cylinders. Liz Taylor, too. She gives Martha a lively, yet sad woman whose alcoholic desperation permeates the screen. Her Martha even utters the word "Goddamn"; which was seen as racy in Hollywood, at the time. Furthermore, Taylor, at the height of her fame (33 yrs. old) even went so far as to deglamorize herself to play Martha - a woman in her early 50s. And of course, the fact that a contentious real-life couple are at the center of the film (Burton & Taylor) makes this film just all the more interesting. 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' won't be for everyone; I think it may be a tad too relentless, at times -- ya feel like this night won't ever end. Still: great writing, dynamic acting. The film goes highly recommended by me.