“What a dump.” Bette Davis, in some forgotten film

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a film version of the Edward Albee stage play of the same name and has been a part of my video collection for a good many years. The film is not easy to watch, but it illustrates for me all too well the dichotomy between the academic world and the so-called “real world.”

George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) are a married couple locked in the double prison of an academic campus ran by her father, under which George labors as a history perfessor, and a marriage made in hell. It is 2:00 a.m. Neither of the two having the intestinal fortitude to break it off and start afresh on their own, they have fallen into a continual pattern of intellectual sniping and game playing, aided and abetted by heavy doses of alcohol. As they drunkenly make their way into their modest untidy home the games begin…

Munching a chicken leg rudely torn from the left-standing- open refrigerator, a cigarette in her other hand, Martha launches into her tirade about the line from a forgotten Bette Davis vehicle. Not wanting to play her game, George stretches himself inertly on the bed. Martha mounts him horse fashion and brays rather than sings “who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?” to the tune of the Disney song about the big bad wolf. Then she announces they have company coming…

“Do you realize what time it is?” complains George. “Where are they?” The bickering continues until Martha bellows a resounding “Goddamn,” the front door opens and the guests are standing there. George reflects secret amusement at Martha’s discomfiture as he ushers the guests into their home. Uneasy, the visitors try to make their excuses but George and Martha will hear none of it. It’s going to be a long evening…

The guests turn out to be a young couple, college professor Nick (George Segal) and wife Honey (Sandy Dennis). Deferential to begin with, the duo becomes more like the older couple as the alcohol flows freely and George and Martha sharpen their claws on each other and them…

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an impressive picture. Directed by Broadway director Mike Nichols (The Graduate) on his first movie assignment. Nichols chose to film in black and white, probably not to save money but rather to emphasize the dialog and indicate the colorless marriage of the older couple, played with aplomb by real-life couple Liz and Dick, who were a hot item at the time (1966) both on and off screen. Cinematographer Haskell Wexler did a very perceptive job with camera placement and lighting to indicate the changing emotional score in this two hour battle of wits. Score by Alex North is not continuous but punctuates the key points of the film very effectively. Editing by Sam O’Steen moves the viewer at a breakneck emotional pace between the few locations, for example, when George says he is going to get the car in the next instant we see the car rocketing along the darkened road to the sound of screeching tires. Similarly, when Martha commands George to stop at the roadhouse, the edit shows a straining tire that immediately turns into a spinning Honey on the dance floor. These breakneck changes of venue keep the viewer off balance and a sucker for the body blows provided by the actors.

Acting, of course, is beyond reproach, with this film being Elizabeth Taylor’s finest hour, in my opinion. Richard Burton is always on my A-list but he lives up to it here in spades with his mild mannered appearing professor with a heart full of bile. George Segal and Sandy Dennis provide some vitriol of their own and are worthy foils for the dynamic Liz and Dick.

All in all the film is not easy to take but is well worth the viewing for the emotional release it provides the viewer. Anybody who has seen Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf will want to see it again and again. That’s why it is a part of my video collection.

For those who like a strong stage play, might I recommend The Lion in Winter, Becket, and Glengarry Glen Ross.

Happy viewing!




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age