On W List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
5/04, 2/05, 3/17
3/17:
Come on over to Martha and George's house for an evening of fun, games, and drinks.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? marks Mike Nichols' directorial debut, and it's a smashing success, receiving an Oscar
nomination in every eligible category (being one of the two films to do so along with Cimarron) which is thirteen in
total.
Elizabeth Taylor had never been this good in her entire career as she was in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She's
always a classy actress, relying on her looks to get by and succeeding at it. But to call Elizabeth Taylor a truly
great actress wouldn't be possible until she took on the role of Martha. She's shockingly unrecognizable, gaining thirty
pounds and looking like a trashy, alcoholic, and washed-up hag. That acid tongue of her character is unbelievable which is
actually accurate of Elizabeth Taylor in real life.
As for Richard Burton, he gives another great performance, making it seem like child's play. What a surprise he
never won an Oscar out of seven nominations. To round out the rest of the cast are Sandy Dennis and George Segal.
They're perfect. It's interesting how their characters are amateur drinkers compared to Martha and George who
come off as pros. Sandy Dennis would win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress while George Segal snagged a nomination.
The three reasons why Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is such a brilliantly made picture are the acting, the language, and
Haskell Wexler's cinematography. Of course, the dialogue is mostly nonsensical which is a result of the alcohol-fueled
night of verbal and emotional violence that's triggered by the anniversary of Martha and George's inability to conceive a child.
No matter what, it's poetry, and the momentum is jump-started every three to five minutes by the beautifully
stringed lines of choice words.
The acting is beyond brilliant. It's Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who set the standard, and Sandy Dennis and
George Segal were challenged to match it, reminding me of the Brando effect on the principal cast in
A Streetcar Named Desire. There's art to the black-and-white look of the picture,
and that's why Haskell Wexler won the Oscar. He captures some of the most dramatic scenes in film history including the "what
a dump!" scene and the dizzy sequence that led to Honey throwing up.
All in all, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a timeless masterpiece.