Review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) by Daryl R — 09 Mar 2010

This film, the first film directed by the brilliant Mike Nichols, changed film as we know it today. It broke down the barriers of how people spoke in movies and movies were never the same after this.

The film has 4 characters-George (Richard Burton), associate history professor. Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) George's loudmouthed wife and daughter of the head of the college. Nick (George Segal) New member of the biology department. And Honey (Sndy Dennis) Nick's young bride. That's it. The plot-Nick and Honey come over to George and Martha's home after a faculty function for night-caps. That's it.

However what happens is two hours of talk, drinks, secrets, and games. George and Martha love having people over for drinks and games (Hump the Hostess, Get The Guests, etc.) They love torturing and abusing one another with words and Nick and Honey very quickly realize that instead of coming over for drinks, they've actually entered Hell, in the form of a living room. Secrets are revealed and the more liquor they drink the more vicious the games become. This is a landmark film and anyone interested in film history needs to see this film.

Elizabeth Taylor won a much deserved Oscar as the overweight and drunken Martha and Sandy Dennis won for her sad disturbed portrait of Honey. The film captured 6 Oscars in all failing to win Best Picture, which is completely deserved. The Academy chose the more safe "A Man For All Seasons," a good film but nothing like the masterpiece this film is. The film was released by Warner Bros and is not rated.