Mike Nichols made his mark initially in the theatre, first as comedic performer and writer and then director. It makes sense that his cinematic debut would be an adaption of a play. This play would be the mature adult drama, “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, by Edward Albee. Using hard hitting, coarse language, it was thought to be impractical to film in 1966. Nichols thought otherwise and was determined to retain the original language of the play for his adaption. This was a smart move on his part.
The movie deals with the destructive relationship of middle aged married couple, George (Richard Burton) and Martha (an unrecognizable Elizabeth Taylor). Nichols was the one who demanded casting real life married couple Burton and Taylor for his film, and that to was a masterful stroke of genius. Taylor in particular had to gain 30 pounds and look unattractive for the role.
George and Martha are a long married couple who constantly bicker and argue. Their arguments fall under the destructive and personnel as they come across as two people who loath rather than love one another. George is an associate history professor at a small New England collage and Martha is the daughter of the collage president. Throughout the movie there are hints that this may have been a marriage of opportunity for George. If true, then he has paid a huge price for it ever since. As the movie begins they both have just returned from a faculty party drunk and Martha informs George that she has invited a nice young couple she met at the party over for more drinks and socializing. Throughout the movie Martha consistently harasses and verbally abused George. George for his part is the quintessential, passive – aggressive, husband with his seemingly quite neglect and sarcasm. Their disdain for one another is aggressive and only gets worse as the evening progresses. The entire movie revolves around one evening.
The invited couple who arrive are the biology professor Nick (George Segal) and his wife Honey (Sandy Dennis). It is 02:30 at night when they open the door to the invited guests, while in the middle of another loud and insulting argument. Nick and Honey are initially put off, but then grow interested in the stinging dynamics of their hosts. Having also arrived a bit inebriated helps to add to their curiosity. All four continue to drink throughout their night together.
What makes this a searing fascinating character study is the dialogue written by Albee, and by retaining the original words with their sharp adult edge, Nichols succeeds in retaining the power of the destructive message. Martha never ceases to berate and verbally torture George, but we are also given many hints as to why she has become such a shrill. George enjoys responding to her verbal attacks by snide underhanded remarks and a disrespected manner. By the end of the film I was emotionally drained but fascinated as to what created this destructive relationship. I also asked myself the question as to how many similar relationships exist in homes throughout the world. The answer is probably many. I assume that someone who lives in a similar atmosphere would find this film very hard to watch. This is not what I would call an enjoyable viewing experience. It is however thought provoking and interesting throughout.
Nick and Honey, in my opinion, are examples of George and Martha when they were young as both Nick and George are intellectual professors and both Martha and Honey come from rich well-to-do families. At one-point Nick confesses to George that he may have married Honey for her money. Is this what George did when he married Martha? In addition, the subject of parenting holds a strong driving theme in the development of these emotionally ugly people.
Nichols proved, with this, his first directorial film, that he had an eye for the visual as his camera is constantly moving, as it follows the characters through their emotional turmoil. His choices as to when and to whom to emphasize the camera shots work to enhance the theatrical dialogue. His choice to also film his movie, which is located 90% of the time in only a couple of rooms of a large house, in an actual college residence, rather than a studio, also serviced to give the words a more real and honest perception.
While not what I would call enjoyable, “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, is a riveting, searing portrayal of how life can descend into bitter despair, making this a movie worth watching at least once.
1001 Movies before you die 