Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?  01/07/11

Director: Mike Nichols            Writer: Ernest Lehman(screenplay)

1966

Being mortally scared of marriage myself, the concept of a film depicting such a dysfunctional relationship intrigued me, would there be some “Hollywood” resolution of differences? Either way this film features some staggeringly good performances, and earned all 4 cast members Oscar nominations. A few days before watching it I had seen Taylor in one of her best roles in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and couldn’t really imagine her topping her on screen marriage with Paul Newman, but she did. I doubt it could have happened without her being cast opposite then-husband Richard Burton, and I won’t bother discussing their real life turbulent relationship, but it is safe to say all nominations and subsequent awards were earned.

So what struck me about this film? Well the cinematography is superb and i have Haskell Wexler(also responsible for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest) to thank for that treat. It took me a little while to get it, at first I thought there was just some good framing, for example around half an hour in George and Honey are on the edges of the frame, excluded from the other’s flirtation, and that the close-ups were used as punctuation for the dialogue. However what is really going on is a depiction of social power, whoever is in control of the conversation and the room gets a close-up, those not in power are excluded, and this is enough to make the script shine.

That script is so important to the success of this film. Barely changed from its stage version despite Ernest Lehman writing a screenplay, the clever and sadistic dialogue challenger censors and is never boring, especially when Burton is on a roll. From the choice to have a film about an after party (not the party) some witty and vicious insults (“I swear, if you existed, I'd divorce you”), right to a quite lovely end shot, I was impressed. Watch it!