Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1966.
Unlisted / #67
Winner of 5 Academy Awards.

George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) invite over a young couple, and what follows is a no-holds-barred, booze-fueled descent into hell, where all of their marital problems are laid out on the table.

Eddie: Similar to our experience of THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, watching WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? drained the life out of us. It took us three viewings to make our way through the catastrophically bleak movie. I had never watched the movie in its entirety before, but I had seen the play (with Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin). I wasn't a big fan of the changes they made in translating the story to the screen - namely the late night venture to the bar. But overall, Ernest Lehman's adaptation of Edward Albee's play captures the mood, even if it strays from the location. Haskell Wexler earns the movie's MVP award (and one of its five Oscars) for his black and white cinematography. He uses every trick in the playbook on this movie - film noirish chiaroscuro, quick dolly moves, zooms, delayed focus pulls - and the result is a chaotic glimpse at George and Martha's madness.

Sarah: Besides the bleakness, another reason it took Eddie and I so long to watch this is we played the WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Drinking Game. When they drank, we drank. This was unwise, considering the clink of ice is so consistent in the film, it could have been part of the score. This film is Mike Nichols' directorial debut, and he uses it to showcase his talents.

Also, who hurt you, Mike Nichols? This and CLOSER? Not every relationship is a blood feast.

The script is brilliant, and the actors do it justice. Elizabeth Taylor is as dangerous as a tiger, while Sandy Dennis is as naive as a baby gazelle. Even if you're not drinking, the movie will have you feeling dizzy and confused, and when it's over, you will feel beat.

Why You Should See It: Sandy Dennis won an Academy Award for playing Honey, the young wife in the movie. Her role is the smallest of the main cast, but her performance is on par with - if not beyond - the rest.