Review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) by Blake P — 17 Aug 2011
Top five best movies ever made! Unhappily married George (Burton) and Martha (Taylor) always bicker, and invite junior professor Nick (Segal) and his wife Honey (Dennis) to their house. Little do they know how much their hostes' fight and drink .
.. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" is considered both Elizabeth Taylor's and Richard Burton's best film. It's very easy to see why. This was one of Mike Nichols' first movie, and was followed by the more popular "The Graduate".
They're obviously very different, which proves his versatility. Though a married couple fighting seems like a bad idea, it's so much more than that. Taylor was only 34 when this was filmed and had to portray someone in their '50's.
Burton was only in his '40's so it was the same for him. This movie goes down the same spiral every time-- a topic that sets George and Martha off, cringing, comic relief, and then silence. Though a weird mix, it's very noticeable, and besides being such a essential drama, I also think it is definitely the best black comedy as well.
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is perfect because there's hardly any music, no thrills, no glitz, so the effect is so much more real. To make it better, the four actors are all absolutely mesmerizing.
Dennis and Segal are the perfect married couple, and yes they most definitely deserved their Oscar prizes. Burton had already proved his point in this kind of genre, but this was a huge risk for the late Elizabeth Taylor.
She had only proved herself as a dramatic actress, and though being good, she was always glamorous and made people think, "Elizabeth Taylor is a vision". This movie could have ruined her career, but instead marked a new point.
She is ugly in this movie because of the makeup, and the way she portrays Martha is so painful yet wonderful that I was in awe every time she opened her mouth. Bravo. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is one of the best movies ever made, and those who say it's long and boring are obviously stupid.
This review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) was written by Blake P on 17 Aug 2011.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
