Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

You are cordially invited to George and Martha's for an evening of fun and games
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Format:  DVD
item number:  9S2D
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DVD Details

  • Rated: Not Rated
  • Run Time: 2 hours, 11 minutes
  • Video: Black & White
  • Encoding: Region 1 (USA & Canada)
  • Released: November 9, 2010
  • Originally Released: 1966
  • Label: Warner Home Video

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring , , &
Directed by
Edited by
Screenwriting by
Composition by
Director of Photography:

Major Awards:

Academy Awards 1966 - Best Actress: Elizabeth Taylor
Academy Awards 1966 - Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (b&w or Color): Not Applicable
Academy Awards 1966 - Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (b&w): Not Applicable
Academy Awards 1966 - Best Cinematography: Haskell Wexler
Academy Awards 1966 - Best Costume Design (b&w): Not Applicable
Academy Awards 1966 - Best Supporting Actress: Sandy Dennis

Entertainment Reviews:

Certified Fresh95%

TOMATOMETER
Total Count: 42

Upright91%

AUDIENCE SCORE
User Ratings: 21,596
Rating: 9/10 -- [Haskell Wexler's] camera work is highly expressive, using odd angles, unusual close-ups, and handheld shots to mirror the out-of-kilter nature of the characters' worlds.
PopMatters
May 13, 2016
Nichols has actually committed all the classic errors of the sophisticated stage director let loose on the unsophisticated movies. For starters, he has underestimated the power of the spoken word in his search for visual pyrotechnics. Full Review
Village Voice
Mar 10, 2015
Rating: 3/4 -- I could watch Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton do this for hours. Full Review
LarsenOnFilm
Sep 19, 2016
Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? is easily the most sensational film of the year. Full Review
Maclean's Magazine
Jun 26, 2019
Rating: 4/4 -- It's one of the Academy's black marks that Burton didn't win the Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable, career-capping performance. Full Review
Creative Loafing
May 14, 2016
When Nichols finally settles down, it's almost too late. Full Review
Chicago Reader
Jun 28, 2007
One of the most scathingly honest American films ever made. Full Review
New York Times
May 21, 2003

Product Description:

Turning the underbelly of bourgeois academia into a microcosm of human relationships in all their arduous complexities, Mike Nichols' auspicious debut feature is a harrowing descent into the private lives and painful secrets of two couples thrown together for an evening. Based on the controversial play by Edward Albee, this noir-ish 1966 drama stars former real-life couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, in what many critics consider to be their best performances. George (Burton) is a senior professor of history who has turned to alcohol to deal with his vituperative, vicious wife Martha (Taylor), whose appetite for administering abuse knows no bounds. Invited to the couple's home for late-night drinks are new professor Nick (George Segal), and his naïve wife Honey (Sandy Dennis), where over the course of the evening, the polished veneer of the hosts tarnishes grotesquely. The witty repartee of consummate sophisticate Martha degenerates into increasingly violent verbal abuse of both her husband and guests, while George's stoic façade crumbles both physically and emotionally. The horrified Nick and Honey initially come off as happier foils to the misery of the older married couple, but the guests are soon mirroring George and Martha in their mutual antagonism, giving voice to buried resentments and alcohol-fueled revelations of repressed injuries.

A director with a reputation for delivering intelligent, "adult" films, Nichols made a remarkably smooth and successful transition from stage to screen with this adaptation of Albee's already-notorious play. Screenwriter Ernest Lehman kept the text of the play virtually intact, maintaining the intensity and sheer violence of the frankly foul language. The film shocked audiences, presenting them with a tortuous foray into a love-hate relationship and, ultimately, mental illness. WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF' received Academy Award nominations in virtually every category it was eligible for, winning five of them.

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Product Info

  • Sales Rank: 125,110
  • UPC: 883929157877
  • Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
  • International Shipping: 1 item

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