Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers:

Edward Albee (play)
Ernest Lehman (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 June 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

You are cordially invited to George and Martha's for an evening of fun and games.

Plot:

A bitter aging couple with the help of alcohol, use a young couple to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other.

Plot Keywords:

Imaginary Person | Saturday | Domestic Violence | Swing | Flower

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Martha
Richard Burton	...	George
George Segal	...	Nick
Sandy Dennis	...	Honey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Agnes Flanagan	...	Roadhouse waitress (uncredited)
Frank Flanagan	...	Roadhouse manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Mike Nichols

Writing credits
Edward Albee		(play)
Ernest Lehman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ernest Lehman	....	producer

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
Haskell Wexler		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Sam O'Steen

Production Design by
Richard Sylbert

Set Decoration by
George James Hopkins

Costume Design by
Irene Sharaff

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup artist: Miss Taylor
Ron Berkeley	....	makeup artist: Mr. Burton (as Ronnie Berkeley)
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist: Miss Taylor
Jean Burt Reilly	....	supervising hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bud Grace	....	assistant director

Art Department
Craig Binkley	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Harold Michelson	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Joseph Musso	....	production illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
M.A. Merrick	....	sound
George Groves	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Michael A. Jones	....	rigging gaffer (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Alex North	....	conductor
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)

Other crew
Richard Barr	....	stage producer
Doane Harrison	....	production advisor
Hal W. Polaire	....	assistant to producer (as Hal Polaire)
Meta Rebner	....	script supervisor
Clinton Wilder	....	stage producer
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)
T.J. Healy II	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Herbert Ross	....	choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Chenault Productions Inc.
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1973) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1976) (Finland) (TV)
• Warner Bros. Finland (1966) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1966) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (????) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1966) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner-Tonefilm (1966) (Sweden) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | West Germany:16 (f) (re-rated) | South Korea:12 (2006) | West Germany:18 (f) (original rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #21074) | Singapore:PG | Portugal:17 (original rating) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Australia:M | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Chenault Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Frank Flanagan, who appears uncredited as the motel/café innkeeper, was the film's gaffer. The woman who plays his wife is actually his real-life wife Agnes who was Elizabeth Taylor's hairdresser on the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As George and Nick are coming back into the house from their scene in the garden, Nick's shadow on the porch is seen to suddenly disappear just before George enters the shot.

Quotes:

George: I used to drink brandy.
Martha: You used to drink bergen, too.

Movie Connections:

Edited from The Letter (1940)

"George and Martha,.......sad........sad........sad"

Edward Albee's award winning play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ran for 664 performances on Broadway and just closed down when this film version made its debut in 1966. The Broadway play was set entirely in the living room of George and Martha's home and starred Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, Melinda Dillon, and George Grizzard. All eminently respectable players, but none of them exactly movie box office.

This film was destined to make money when the most publicized couple of the decade, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, chose it as a star vehicle for themselves. Of course what was not clear was how well a one stage play would adapt to film.

It adapted very well and went quite beyond one stage. The action of the film moved effortlessly to an all night diner at one point with some stops along the way. You'd hardly know the story as originally told only had one setting.

There's no real plot to it. For reasons I can't fathom this middle aged and bitter couple George and Martha have a younger couple, Nick and Honey, over to their house at two in the morning. I don't know about you, but I'm usually not my best at that time. Also they had just come from a party at Martha's father's house. Martha's dad is the president of a college and George teaches there. Nick and Honey are a newly hired professor and his wife.

The late night and the liquor bring out the worst in everybody. A whole lot of ugly truths get told.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf was the summit of the professional team of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Playing against type, Elizabeth Taylor got her second Oscar the one she felt she earned. She always disparaged the one received for Butterfield 8 as it came on the heels of her well publicized pneumonia bout.

In fact all four members of the cast were nominated with Sandy Dennis winning Best Supporting Actress. Ironically Richard Burton didn't win, losing to Paul Scofield for A Man for All Seasons. I guess the Academy voters figured Burton would get another shot. He never brought home the big prize though.

George Segal usually gets overlooked. This film and Ship of Fools was the start of his long career, but no Oscar for him either.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is quite the indictment against marriage, especially after the love has died. It's far from the whole story of marriage. There are many who stay married longer than George and Martha and happily. But it wasn't in Edward Albee's life experience to draw from.

But this should be seen to see Liz and Dick at their very best.