Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? [M]

After a faculty party, middle-aged married couple George, history professor and his wife Martha, daughter of the school’s president, invite a young couple around to their place for late-night, after-party drinks. As the drinks keep refilling, a series of uncomfortable conversations take place resulting in George and Martha’s forcing their guests to take part in a series of mentally disturbing and emotionally shattering games.

Pretty much a word-for-word screen adaptation of Edward Albee’s play of the same name, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a mesmerising and dramatic look at a hellish marriage; one that is filled with booze, lies, drama, and violence.

After a faculty party, middle-aged married couple George, history professor, and his wife Martha, daughter of the school’s president, invite a young couple around to their place for a few late-night, after-party drinks. As the drinks keep refilling, a series of uncomfortable conversations take place, resulting in George and Martha’s forcing their guests to take part in a series of mentally disturbing and emotionally shattering games.

I have to say, having literally read the play for the first time today and grabbing the film to watch immediately afterwards, it’s amazing to see something you’ve read, brought to life on screen. It really makes you appreciate the filmmaking industry. It’s most definitely my own fault, numbing my brain with booze, but when I read the play, I did not envision it to be as mesmerising and unutterably amazing as this film was.
Albee’s dialogue was matched almost word-for-word and that fact that it’s in black and white just adds a very powerful tone of melancholy to the whole thing. Not to mention the hauntingly sad instrumental soundtrack. But without a doubt, the film was moved forward solely by the performances from famous confrontational screen couple, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. After executing illicit malevolence towards one another in The Taming of the Shrew, they were the obvious choice for the leads.
Elizabeth Taylor as Martha, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, delivered a performance that was harsh, aggressive, triumphant, determined, and tortured. The only other film in which I saw a performance under the influence to match hers was that of Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses. Elizabeth was absolutely mesmerising.
Richard Burton stars as George and he received an Academy Award nomination for the film. His was a performance that was taunted, silently defiant, competitive, and alarmingly disturbed. It’s a classic example of that old adage: less is more.
Starring George Segal, who recieved an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Sandy Dennis, who scooped up the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Frank Flanagan, and grabbing the Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Music, Best Sound, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an alarmingly mesmerising film filled with drama, booze, deception, and violence. It’s an amazing, amazing film!