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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? [DVD]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Turning the underbelly of bourgeois academia into a microcosm of human relationships in all their arduous complexities, Mike Nichols' auspicious debut feature is a harrowing descent into the private lives and painful secrets of two couples thrown together for an evening. Based on the controversial play by Edward Albee, this noir-ish 1966 drama stars former real-life couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, in what many critics consider to be their best performances. George (Burton) is a senior professor of history who has turned to alcohol to deal with his vituperative, vicious wife Martha (Taylor), whose appetite for administering abuse knows no bounds. Invited to the couple's home for late-night drinks are new professor Nick (George Segal), and his nave wife Honey (Sandy Dennis), where over the course of the evening, the polished veneer of the hosts tarnishes grotesquely. The witty repartee of consummate sophisticate Martha degenerates into increasingly violent verbal abuse of both her husband and guests, while George's stoic faade crumbles both physically and emotionally. The horrified Nick and Honey initially come off as happier foils to the misery of the older married couple, but the guests are soon mirroring George and Martha in their mutual antagonism, giving voice to buried resentments and alcohol-fueled revelations of repressed injuries. A director with a reputation for delivering intelligent, "adult" films, Nichols made a remarkably smooth and successful transition from stage to screen with this adaptation of Albee's already-notorious play. Screenwriter Ernest Lehman kept the text of the play virtually intact, maintaining the intensity and sheer violence of the frankly foul language. The film shocked audiences, presenting them with a tortuous foray into a love-hate relationship and, ultimately, mental illness. WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? received Academy Award nominations in virtually every category it was eligible for, winning five of them.
Academy Awards Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (b&w or Color) 1966
Academy Awards Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (b&w) 1966
Academy Awards Best Costume Design (b&w) 1966
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress 1966 Sandy Dennis Oscar winning actress, WHO'S ARFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF
Academy Awards Best Actress 1966 Elizabeth Taylor Oscar winning actress, GIANT, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF
Academy Awards Best Cinematography 1966 Haskell Wexler Cinematographer/Director/Producer/Screenwriter
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Credits

Richard Burton, Richard Walter Jenkins, Elizabeth Taylor, Liz Taylor, George Segal, Sandy Dennis, Sandra Dale Dennis, Nichelle Nichols
Critic Reviews

"...[A] still-blistering movie of Edward Albee's play..."
USA Today