Review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) by Andrea F — 29 Jul 2010

The shallow would say this is a film about angry drunk people screaming at each other. They would be wrong. This is a film about unhappy people whose only solace is their own fantasy world, a world which one party maliciously destroys in order to wound the other one the deepest.

With only four characters and two main settings, the focus is on dialogue and the interactions of the characters. And these four actors do not disappoint. Burton gives a more restrained performance as the exasperated husband who quietly and subtly cuts down his wife, only raising his voice when absolutely necessary.

Liz is more brazen as his wife, screaming and tearing into him with insults that would still sting today. She is nonetheless just as incredible in her performance; even in black and white you can see every angry flash in her eyes.

Sandy Dennis was a revelation as Honey; when I first saw her on screen I thought "Bambi" because she looked like a deer in headlights. And when she opened her mouth I saw that she acted like one too, a child not quite grasping the horror of what's happening around her.

Segal seems to be the forgotten one here, seemingly the weakest of the four, but the fact that he held his own in one on one scenes with the thunderous presence that was Burton shows his true depth. This is not a movie you can watch often--unless for some reason you enjoy watching people verbally knife each other in the heart--but there can be no denying that the first time you see it will be unforgettable.