Who S Afraid of Virginia Wo: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis, Agnes Flanagan, Frank Flanagan, Haskell Wexler, Mike Nichols, Sam O'Steen, Ernest Lehman, Edward Albee: Amazon.ca: Video

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A word of advice: If George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) ever ask you over for late-night cocktails--pass. On the other hand, if you have the opportunity to see Mike Nichols's scorching film version of Edward Albee's sensational play, don't miss it! Elegantly photographed in crisp black and white by the great Haskell Wexler, the play has been "opened up" for the screen by director Nichols (The Graduate, Primary Colors) and producer-writer Ernest Lehman (North by Northwest) without diluting its concentrated, claustrophobic power. Taylor has never been better or brasher as Martha, letting loose with all the fury of a drunken, frustrated academic's wife on one crazy Walpurgisnacht bender. Burton plays her husband, George, the ineffectual history prof married to the college president's daughter. And George Segal and Sandy Dennis are young, callow Nick and Honey, who have no idea what sort of mind-warping psychological games they're being drawn into. Among the most successful theatrical adaptations (artistically and popularly) ever brought to the screen. The entire principal cast was nominated for Oscars--and Taylor, Dennis, and cinematographer Wexler won. --Jim Emerson

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Customer Reviews

85 Reviews

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (85 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful movie that will grab you!, Jun 8 2004

By

Alison (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

I saw this movie with my parents and let me tell you...this movie really grabbed me into being part of the story, part of the movie! Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton play exceptionally well! I couldn't help but drop my jaw on their powerful performances between eachother. They made me want to further
become a great actor. This a great movie for anyone who wants to be a
successful actor, director, or anything else that goes with movies. Teenagers (like myself) should see this kind of movie that really makes you think about life and just overall observe the movie and be touched. Nowadays, as other reviews here have said which I totally agree is that many people just watch non-thinkable trash movies. This is a masterpeice which everyone should love! When the movie will be over, it will literally take days to talk about the ending...because it is THAT good!!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Classic movie!, Oct 17 2011

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Amazon User - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

This is the classic movie of the love-hate dynamics in this marriage from hell! Even though they spend the whole movie at each other's throats, it is painfully obvious that they love and understand each other as well. Good story, although very dated...

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4.0 out of 5 stars Un Succès manqué, Oct 10 2011

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Stephen John Vogel (Manhattan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (DVD)

Songeons un peu à la distribution souhaitée par Edward Albee, l'auteur de la pièce, avant que les Warner Brothers ne l'aient transformée en film. Dans le r�le de George, il a voulu voir James Mason. Dans celui de Martha, l'incomparable Bette Davis. Certes, une distribution de r�ve.

Mais au lieu de cela, on a eu droit au couple Taylor-Burton, alors au sommet de leur renommée parfois scandaleuse, et un moyen s�r d'obtenir de bons résultats au box office. Parfois, �a a donné aussi de bons résultats artistiques, parfois pas. Ici, je trouve les résultats mixtes.

Burton incarne à merveille George, prof un tantinet ringard mais sournois et plein de lucidité, capable de se défendre au besoin des assauts verbaux, et parfois m�me physiques, de sa femme. Taylor a moins de succès à jouer Marthe, cette femme parfois caline, parfois violente, et dévouée malgré tout à un mari dont elle n'a cesse de bafouer, tant elle est dé�ue de sa manque d'ambition et de réussite dans le monde académique. C'est un r�le complexe qui dépasse les talents de Taylor à l'époque du film. Elle avaient presque 20 ans de moins que son personnage et avait du mal à cacher sa fabuleuse beauté physique, qui pour la première fois dans sa carrière ne lui était d'aucune utilité et consituait m�me un certain désavantage pour jouer ce r�le. (Cela aurait été un r�le en or pour la Davis, qui avait alors tous les atouts pour jouer Martha à la perfection.)

Dans l'ensemble, le film est très bien fait. Le réalisation de Mike Nichols (ce film marquait ses débuts au cinéma) est remarquable de tout point de vue. George Segal, et surtout Sandy Dennis, jouaient les r�les sécondaires avec une parfaite ma�trise de tous les aspects divers de leurs personnages. Le scénario, lorsqu'il ne s'écarte pas trop de la pièce d'Albee, est excellent.

Ne serait-ce que pour une Liz Taylor pas faite pour son r�le, ce film serait un succès. (Il lui a pourtant valu un Oscar. J'accepte de tenir un avis minoritaire quant à elle dans ce r�le.)

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