I saw a movie this morning that I have seldom seen over the years — 1966's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Perhaps you aren't familiar with it. It has been nearly 45 years since it was showing in America's movie theaters. But you've certainly heard of its two stars — Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, both of whom were nominated for Oscars (Taylor won). And you may be familiar with their two co–stars — George Segal and Sandy Dennis, both of whom were nominated for Oscars (Dennis won).
In the public eye, Taylor was a svelte beauty, but she put on 30 pounds, radically altering her image, in order to play the frumpy Martha in the film version of Edward Albee's play. Burton, Taylor's husband at the time, also had an image as something of a sex symbol, thanks to his good looks, but he apparently also made some physical adjustments to meet the requirements of playing George the professor.
Actually, director Mike Nichols' original choices to play George and Martha were James Mason and Bette Davis, according to Edward Sikov's book about Davis. I've heard that he shared this information with the playwright, and Albee approved of the choices, particularly since the character of Martha refers to Davis and quotes her famous line from "Beyond the Forest" ("What a dump!") early in the film. In the end, though, Taylor and Burton got the roles as the dysfunctional couple.
At the heart of their dysfunction is the fact that they have never had children, a fact that is only hinted at through much of the film although, in hindsight, all the clues were there. But their guests — along with the audience — don't figure it out until near the end, after George and Martha have played their sadistic games designed to hurt everyone in sight.
Their most pointed barbs are aimed at each other, although their guests are hardly spared.
Suffice to say, it isn't a "feel good" flick. There's a lot of shouting and a lot of profanity — and not many terms of endearment. But it is an important film.
Taylor and Segal may never have made a film as good since. Certainly the now deceased Burton and Dennis didn't. And I would argue that Nichols, who was a first–time director when he made it, went on to direct only a few films that were as good or better, among them his next effort — "The Graduate."
For my money, it is one of the most important films of the second half of the 20th century. If you didn't see it this morning, when it aired on Turner Classic Movies' "31 Days of Oscar," I urge you to watch it when you can.
