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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
Tempestuous, vitriolic, spiteful, ego-driven. These are all words which describe the marriage of George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, scripted from the controversial stage production. These roots are quite obvious as the acts are played out and in this case the formula works perfectly, to have altered the script and timing would have destroyed some of the most accurate and painful dialogue that I've ever seen. The first scenes involve George and Martha alone after their return from a college party, hosted by Martha's father (the college President). Light insults are traded freely, together with moments of tenderness, indicating both the depths of their bond and the long years that they've spent together. However, instead of being able to retire and sleep off their inebriation it turns out that Martha has invited the new college professor and his wife over for drinks.

The young, deferential couple do arrive and they walk into the middle of an intellectual war-zone. George and Martha know each others weak spots intimately and they both exploit Nick (George Segal) and his wife (Sandy Dennis) in their attacks. Embarrassing moments from the past are raked up like decaying rubbish as the alcohol flows freely; grease for the lack of inhibition in this small college community. Nick and Honey have no desire to be part of this domestic spat and yet they are drawn deeper into the mire. The marital warfare increases through several climaxes as the young couple reveal wounds from their past, Martha flirts with Nick and George decides on the ultimate weapon.

In the final act George wants everyone to play a final game - the night has been a string of games in which George and Martha are equal protagonists - where he can drop the final bombshell. The emotional fallout from this is intense and somehow gives rise to an exhausted calm during which the sun rises and the long night is over.

The outstanding feature of this harrowing movie is the ensemble acting. Burton and Taylor provoke outstanding performances from each other as the sparks fly, while Segal and Dennis are no less impressive in their roles as emotional foils. The script is equal to this intensity with no lulls and some moments which are hyper-realistic in their depiction of domestic strife. Perhaps the stage origins will put off some viewers but I hope not, otherwise they'll miss scenes which may just be reminiscent of the Burtons real family life! "Truth or illusion?".

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