Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1966 Directed by Mike Nichols
Synopsis
You are cordially invited to George and Martha's for an evening of fun and games
Mike Nichols’ film from Edward Albees play brought new themes to the film industry. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton have never been more brilliant together as they portray an experienced married couple who love each other yet verbally attack one another when they see how boring their naïve newlywed guests have made their night.
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Ever been round someone's house and the couple who have invited you have an argument and you don't know what to do with yourself? Well, remember that and multiply it about 167 times in terms of how embarrassing and uncomfortable it is and then you have Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
I think this film is all too often pitched as being the Taylor v Burton on-screen re-enactment of their real life relationship, if I'm honest. Having watched it, I don't doubt that some of the animosity we see on the screen is a product of their lives together but I can't agree that is the biggest part of the intrigue with this film.
For me, it wasn't the alcohol…
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Basically 2 hours of powerhouse performances. Taylor is ferocious yet vulnerable, Burton is subdued but can erupt in rage at any given moment. The writing luckily matches their skill and it is a joy to watch them deliver line upon fantastic line. Of course George Segal and Sandy Dennis are great as well and Nichols gives them space and their own conflicts to deal with within the movie.
The cinematography was definitely a stand out. There is nothing showy here but the way everything is framed just gave me a certain pleasure.
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This film is awful. I don’t mean that disparagingly. I mean that this film is just awful because it’s so brutal, so tragic and so heart-breaking. Starring two of cinema’s greatest ever performers, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, it tells the story of George and Martha, a long married couple who host a late night drinks party for two guests, played by George Segal and Sandy Dennis. As the drinks flow and the tensions rise, the night turns into a gruelling, draining and downright horrific experience for all involved. If you’re looking for an entertaining, light-hearted film, don’t ever stick this one on.
George and Martha are two of the cruellest, most vindictive, loathsome people ever put to screen.…
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I have not seen a film where there was so much hatred and violence. Well, I am not talking about physical violence per say, but the way the characters treat each other is just downright spiteful. For the whole time I thought George and Martha were like this because of what they did to each other in the past.But then the ending made me realize that it was all because of what they could not do and could not have. The climax will just leave you stunned. This was one hell of a watch.
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I have seen a few films recently that share the disintegration of a marriage being played out in public theme.
Abagail's Party and Sweden's Heaven's Heart are both excellent and are bettered only by American Beauty. But when it comes to a married couple putting themselves through the ringer in front of their friends there's one film that stands alone and the Daddy of them all is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Ostensibly Martha and George, Taylor and Burton have invited Nick and Honey, George Segal and Sandy Dennis round to their place for late night drinks. The reality is Nick and Honey have been invited to witness and participate in Martha and George's train wreck of a marriage.
The…
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''I swear, if you existed, I'd divorce you.''
What an INCREDIBLE experience! This felt like the longest film I have ever seen. Not technically of course, but this 131 minute film felt like watching 'Lawrence of Arabia' 3 times in a row, One of the most intense and mentally draining films I have ever seen, but also probably one of the most brilliant and moving. a true cinematic marvel that features two of the greatest performances of all time.
I think April 2013 is turning out to be my greatest month of film watching ever.
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I was really disappointed. I am familiar with the play, so I was looking for performances and staging, etc.
Segal and the young woman were forgettable.
Richard Burton was as good as I expected - I'm sure I'd seen him in something before, but it was probably when I was too young to note or care. He was really good here.
Elizabeth Taylor, though, was over the top 'Acting!' - and it was just brassy and braying and obnoxious. Just watching how much work she was obviously putting into the performance made me tired, and not in a good way.
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After a decade in the stage play business, Mike Nichols got behind a camera to bring an infamously racy production to the screen. And for the first fifteen or twenty minutes of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, he does little more than point the camera at the stage.
Ernest Lehman’s unbelievably sharp-tongued script certainly starts Nichols on the right foot. Its rapid-fire dialog stays quotable throughout, and often, it’s an exercise just to keep up. Furthermore, its blunt humor and sexual innuendo remain surprisingly shocking. Few screenwriters can display intellect through dialog as Lehman does here. Of course, it takes fine actors to bring that intellect to the screen, and all four—Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton play Martha and George,…
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Most. Awkward. Dinner. Party. Ever.
Can you think of one of the most uneasy settings you have every been in? It might be that weird moment when you see an ex kissing somebody else. Or maybe it's when you have to tell a co-worker to clean up the microwave after re-heating a plate of spaghetti? For me, I harken back to the time where Whitney and I had a retire couple cut us a check to buy us out of a house contract because they decided not to move. Think of that personal moment for yourself… now multiply that for an entire movie! I'm being a tad over dramatic, but Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a film that leaves…
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Πρώτη φορά το είδα στο θέατρο και ξετρελάθηκα. Εδω απλά με ενθουσιάζουν οι ερμηνίες του Burton και της Τaylor.Αν και σε μερικά σημεία βαρέθηκα...
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I have not seen a film where there was so much hatred and violence. Well, I am not talking about physical violence per say, but the way the characters treat each other is just downright spiteful. For the whole time I thought George and Martha were like this because of what they did to each other in the past.But then the ending made me realize that it was all because of what they could not do and could not have. The climax will just leave you stunned. This was one hell of a watch.
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This was a bit of a struggle for me, not because it was bad, it was a tough watch. Watching two people trying to destroy each other and dragging a young couple into their games is uncomfrotable.
The film is really an actors piece, and it is easy to see it's based on a play. The four main cast members are outstanding, and Sandy Dennis was a real joy.
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Great bickering dialogue.
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I have seen a few films recently that share the disintegration of a marriage being played out in public theme.
Abagail's Party and Sweden's Heaven's Heart are both excellent and are bettered only by American Beauty. But when it comes to a married couple putting themselves through the ringer in front of their friends there's one film that stands alone and the Daddy of them all is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Ostensibly Martha and George, Taylor and Burton have invited Nick and Honey, George Segal and Sandy Dennis round to their place for late night drinks. The reality is Nick and Honey have been invited to witness and participate in Martha and George's train wreck of a marriage.
The…
-
Basically 2 hours of powerhouse performances. Taylor is ferocious yet vulnerable, Burton is subdued but can erupt in rage at any given moment. The writing luckily matches their skill and it is a joy to watch them deliver line upon fantastic line. Of course George Segal and Sandy Dennis are great as well and Nichols gives them space and their own conflicts to deal with within the movie.
The cinematography was definitely a stand out. There is nothing showy here but the way everything is framed just gave me a certain pleasure.