A searingly emotional tour de force, game-changing film
I first saw the monumental “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” as a young teenager, and though I didn’t fully understand it, I was so mesmerized and swept up by its emotional power, it earned a spot on my list of favorite movies. And while I’ve come to understand this film over the years, its penetrating look at what people will do to deal with life’s unrelenting disappointments is so richly packed, that I still discover new things every time I watch it. This film contains astonishing performances, was the most talked about film of 1966, shattered decades-long Hollywood censorship practices, and earned a whopping thirteen Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture), winning five. It has since been recognized as one of the greatest movies of the 1960s, and the American Film Institute voted it the 67th Greatest American Film of All-Time and the 89th Greatest Love Story. Enthralling, intense, funny, and brutal, it is as profound as it is entertaining.
A psychological drama, the likes of which you’ve probably never seen, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (which I’ll call “Virginia Woolf”) follows a pair of married couples from 2 AM until daybreak, beginning as the middle-aged “George” and “Martha” return home a bit drunk from a party. "George" is an associate history professor at a small New England university, and "Martha" is his wife and the daughter of the university’s president. The party was was one of her father’s faculty parties, where “Martha” met and invited a young married couple to come over for drinks because “daddy said to be nice to them”. The young couple is the university's newly arrived handsome biology professor "Nick", and his wife “Honey”, who “Martha” describes as “a mousy little type without any hips or anything”.
“Martha” is loud, vulgar, and wears the pants in the family, while the seemingly meek “George” is bitter, biting, and filled with disappointment. Their marriage has disintegrated into venomously needling each other, which they’ve come to relish, as they battle for power. As soon as the unsuspecting young couple arrive, they witness the cruel and abusive banter between "George" and "Martha", and before the night is over, become targets of it. It’s a night of continual drinking, piercing wit, the unveiling of deep dark secrets, and vicious mental games, some of which include “Humiliate the Host”, “Hump the Hostess”, and “Get the Guests”.
At one point “Martha” asks “Nick”, “Do you always deal on appearances?”, implying things are not always what they seem on the surface, and “Virginia Woolf” is about a couple who deeply love each other but turn to fighting and fantasy to escape the pain of reality. What unfolds out of their emotional wreckage is a profound study of couples, codependency, truth versus illusion, and ultimately love. And never fear, for as savage as the film can get (and it does), it is filled with humor and offers hope.
The mature and sophisticated themes and subjects in “Virginia Woolf” are probably not what you’d expect from a classic Hollywood film, and this film was controversial even before it was made. It was adapted from one of the great American plays of the 20th century, Edward Albee’s 1962 Tony Award-winning “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, which itself was controversial to the point where it was chosen for a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but due to its profanity and sexual themes, that decision was overruled and no Pulitzer was awarded that year in that category. Because of the Motion Picture Production Code (which I explain in my "Red Dust" post), the play was deemed unfilmable. But when Warner Brothers studio head Jack Warner saw it, he optioned the rights, thinking a film version would be perfect for his studio’s stars Bette Davis and James Mason, and hired screenwriter Ernest Lehman to adapt it for the screen.
Lehman was a major Hollywood screenwriter who had just written the blockbuster “The Sound of Music”. Because of his clout, he agreed to adapt “Virginia Woolf” only if he was given control over choosing all major cast and crew, and Warner accepted. So in addition to writing the script, Lehman became the film’s producer. He felt the film needed a big star, so Davis and Mason were out, and he chose Elizabeth Taylor (the biggest movie star in the world at the time) to play “Martha”. She agreed to do the film if her husband, actor Richard Burton, starred as “George” and Broadway director Mike Nichols would direct. Taylor, Burton, and Nichols were all startling choices at the time, but worked out gloriously, earning all three of them Oscar nominations (and one win), with Lehman earning nominations for Best Picture (as producer) and Best Adapted Screenplay. You can read more about the life and career of Ernest Lehman in my posts on “North by Northwest” and “The Sound of Music”.
Lehman initially altered the play but kept its scandalous dialogue, feeling the words were being used as weapons and were integral to the plot. Nichols disliked Lehman’s plot changes (which I address in the TO READ AFTER VIEWING section since it will spoil a central plot point), so Lehman went back to closely following the play, editing it down a bit while keeping the salty language. According to Robert Osborne's book “Academy Awards Illustrated”, the film contains eleven “goddamns”, five “sons of bitches”, seven “bastards”, and several even more graphic profanities. Today it might seem mild, but these words were never before uttered in American films.
Since 1934, Hollywood films needed a seal of approval from the Motion Picture Production Code to be shown. Without it, American movie theaters wouldn’t play them. But with the popularity of TV (which was tackling more adult topics), the increasing success of foreign films into the American market since the late 1950’s (who didn’t fall prey to Code censorship), and a few Hollywood films and directors that were already pushing the censorship envelope (such as Otto Preminger and “Anatomy of a Murder”), the Motion Picture Production Code was weakening.
Jack Warner boldly refused to censor “Virginia Woolf”, so the head of the Production Code refused to approve it. Warner then met with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) appeals board and its new president Jack Valenti (who oversaw the Code), and agreed to change one line of dialogue from “Screw you” to “Goddamn you” and to release the film for “adults only” with no rating. A warning was placed on all advertising materials which read: “IMPORTANT EXCEPTION: No one under 18 will be admitted unless accompanied by his parent”. It was the first Hollywood film designated for adults only and a changing point in American movie censorship that ushered in more adult themes and language.
Controversies over the content, casting, and real-life stormy relationship between stars Taylor and Burton, created a giant buzz even before the film was made, which (along with glowing reviews) helped it become a box-office hit. As a result, Valenti realized modern audiences wanted films that better reflected real life and people, and as a result, in 1968 he replaced the Motion Picture Production Code with an MPA film rating system (G, PG, R, and X, and later PG-13 and NC-17) which is still used today. Decades later, Valenti reflected: “‘Virginia Woolf’ started the unraveling of the old and the introduction of new ways to let parents know the content of films and help guide them so they can make their own decisions about what movies they want their children to see and not to see”. This film was a game-changer.
Every aspect of “Virginia Woolf” was executed with such artistic excellence, it’s no surprise it’s recognized as a masterpiece. One surefire reason is the work by its captain of the ship, director Mike Nichols. Anyone who’s witnessed a first-rate stage production knows the electrifying impact felt exclusively from the live energy of the theater, and when transforming a play to the screen, those powerful vibrations are the first to go. But Nichols ingeniously understood that and masterfully rethought the telling of the story using elements inherent only to cinema.
Whereas the play takes place solely in “George” and “Martha’s” living room, Nichols opens up the film to other rooms of their home, their enormous front lawn, a car, and even to a roadhouse. He uses the camera in ways that highlight emotions and detailed moments, often not showing someone as they speak but focusing on another character’s reactions (as showing “George” walking to the closet while we hear “Martha” recount their boxing match, or making us feel "Martha's" fired-up state by following her as she paces in the roadhouse parking lot). For a film heavy with dialogue, there are relatively few close-ups, as Nichols reserves them to punctuate important lines or reactions, as with the tight shot of “George’s” face when “Honey” says “I didn’t know you had a son”. Nichols' direction keeps the entire film bouncing with energy, and it never feels like a filmed play. It is its own work of art, which is pretty remarkable considering this was the first film Nichols ever directed.
In 1960, Nichols was appearing as half of a very successful comedy duo in the Broadway hit "An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May”. That's when he met Richard Burton, who was also starring on Broadway at the time in “Camelot”, and met Taylor through Burton. Shortly after, Nichols became the toast of the town directing several major Broadway comedies and winning three Best Director Tony Awards. When he saw the original Broadway production of “Virginia Woolf” starring Uta Hagen and Arthur Hill, he instantly connected with it. And when he heard Taylor was going to do the film version, Nichols let her know he’d like to direct it. Based on his Broadway track record, she said yes. Already hired to direct “The Graduate”, Nichols postponed work on that film because Taylor was available now, and “Virginia Woolf” became his film directing debut. It earned him a Best Director Academy Award nomination. “The Graduate” came the following year and won him a Best Director Oscar, and Nichols became show business’ golden boy of the late 1960s. You can read more about the life and career of Mike Nichols in my post on “The Graduate”. Just click on the film title to open that post.
Nichols insisted “Virginia Woolf" be shot in black and white, which was more dramatic than color and would hide the makeup used to make Taylor look older. It was a daring choice since black and white films were on their way out. At the time, “Virginia Woolf" was the most expensive and one of the last major Hollywood films to be shot in black and white. Legendary Hollywood cinematographer Harry Stradling was originally hired, but was fired at the last minute (there are different theories as to why) and Nichols replaced him with cinematographer Haskell Wexler, who had shot about a dozen features at that point, including "America America" and "The Best Man”.
Wexler was ideal, for his striking work energizes this black and white world with depth and poetry. He partially achieved that by using cranes, inventing wheelchair like devices to get fluid camera movements in small spaces, and by adjusting lights on dimmers as actors moved (which can't be seen in black and white). What would normally be obtrusive camera moves such as zooms (as on “Honey” and “Martha” in the scene with the gun), or a handheld camera (used during fights or dances) feels natural and part of the story, and his framing (often showing partial faces) helps give an edgy, unbalanced feeling. Wexler’s lighting illuminates the psychology of the characters, such as having ethereal light and shadows in the scene with “Nick” and “George” by the swing color “George’s” haunting speech, or having the light in the living room ever so slightly brighten as time passes. Wexler's inventive work won him a Best Cinematography Oscar.
Chicago-born Haskell Wexler went on to become known as one of Hollywood's most innovative cinematographers, and the International Cinematographer Guild named him one of the ten most influential in film history. He photographed over eighty films, documentaries, TV shows, and music videos, winning another Best Cinematography Academy Award for "Bound for Glory", and additional nominations for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Matewan", and "Blaze", along with a bevy of various Life Achievement Awards. His other notable films include "In the Heat of the Night”, "The Thomas Crown Affair", "The Conversation", "Coming Home", and "Other People's Money". He was married three times, including his final marriage to actress Rita Taggart. Haskell Wexler died in 2015 at the age of 93.
One of Wexler’s great accomplishments in “Virginia Woolf” was helping make the classy and ravishing 34 year old Elizabeth Taylor look like a haggard, crass, middle-aged woman. In addition to makeup and a wig with gray streaks, Taylor lowered the sound of her voice, gained somewhere between 20 to 30 pounds, and wore extra padding – all of which Wexler lit in a way that made her look flabby and round, helping Taylor create one of cinema’s greatest characterizations.
Though loud and abrasive, Taylor imbues "Martha" with an underlying vulnerability that makes us feel for her. Taylor's instrument is so free that her voice, body, and emotions effortlessly shift gears from moment to moment as “Martha” reacts to her own thoughts and to other characters. A beautiful example is the scene in the bedroom before the guests arrive. As “Martha” straightens the room, gets ready, has a drink, teases and reacts to “George", Taylor provides insight into “Martha’s” frustrations, sense of humor, anger, glimmers of love, and longing for intimacy. “Martha” becomes so real, she sheds light on the human condition itself.
Taylor expertly delivers several mini monologues, coloring each with subtleties that expose new facets of “Martha", such as introspection and self-loathing while at the kitchen door, or angry despair yelling at “George” in the parking lot. It’s an emotional tour de force that earned Taylor a Best Actress Academy Award, BAFTA, New York Film Critics Circle, and National Board of Review Awards, among many others. It is acting at its finest and is often considered the greatest performance of her illustrious career.
One of the most beautiful, talented, and biggest stars in cinema history, Elizabeth Taylor spent the bulk of her life in movies, literally growing up in front of cameras and the world since becoming a star at the age of twelve. As a result, she gained an immense and instinctual knowledge of moviemaking and film acting. There are many stories of people who acted opposite Taylor who say she’d barely emote while filming, but when they saw it on the screen, were amazed how the camera captured so many nuances not visible to the eye. Nichols spoke of it in a 1966 NBC TV interview: “Elizabeth has a very strange thing, which is that when you see her do something, you’re standing next to the camera, and you say, ‘Well, that’s good’. And then the next day you see it on the film and it’s ten times better. Like, something happened. She really knows something about movies that most people don’t know”. Because Nichols and Taylor's three “Virginia Woolf” costars came from the stage, they all watched, studied, and learned from her while shooting the film, which Nichols said "was a great help”.
“Martha” was a courageous role for Taylor, whose world renown beauty had been a cornerstone of her career and iconic fame, and the public's reaction to her being cast was that it was far beyond her reach as an actress and she'd fall flat on her pretty face. Taylor too had her own doubts, as she says in the book “Elizabeth Taylor: A shining Legacy on Film”: “I was absolutely terrified… I thought I was too young, and I hope and trust I’m unlike ‘Martha’ as a person. It meant I’d have to create a totally different being. I didn’t know whether I could and I was scared”. Burton convinced her this was the role of a lifetime and that she had to play it, so she did. The role left such an imprint, that for the remainder of her career, Taylor often played variations of a bitchy “Martha-ish” type woman. You can read more about the luminous Elizabeth Taylor, one filmdom’s few truly larger-than-life movie stars and great actresses, in my previous posts on “A Place in the Sun”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, and “Giant”. Be sure to check them out.
Richard Burton gives a breathtaking performance as “George”, “Martha’s” henpecked husband. Wounded by dashed hopes, good intentions, and a low self-image, "George" seems almost numb, expressing his feelings through snippy jokes and scathing verbal attacks. He seems to be constantly calculating how to stay afloat, and we often see him silently listening and reacting to what’s going on around him. All the while, Burton shows a sensitivity and hurt below the anger, informing us his maliciousness is a result of overwhelming despair.
Burton was famous for his mellifluous voice, and indeed, his dialogue often flows like poetry. It’s clearly seen (and heard) in the masterfully touching scene when “George” recounts "the grandest day of my youth". In that nearly six-minute monologue, Burton’s tender recitation goes beyond the spoken words, capturing a man overwrought with feelings he can’t express. Because Burton had mostly played strong and historical figures, people weren’t sure he could play a weak man. He definitely proved them wrong, and his intricate portrait earned Burton a Best Actor Academy Award nomination.
Richard Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr., in Wales, to a coal miner and a bar maid. The twelfth of thirteen children in a poor family, his mother died when he was two, and Burton was raised by his eldest sister and her husband. Immensely bright, he was the first in his family to go to secondary school, excelled at speech and singing, and developed a love for poetry. He began mentoring with Philip Burton, a schoolmaster who helped him with voice projection, acting, and literature, and helped get him a scholarship to the University of Oxford. Phillip’s impact was so great that Jenkins became Phillip's legal ward and changed his last name to Burton. Richard Burton made his professional acting debut in the 1944 play "The Druid's Rest", and continued on stage before serving in the Royal Air Force. While in the service, he managed to make his first TV appearance in 1946's "The Corn is Green”. After completing his service, he moved to London where he took to the stage.
In 1949, Richard Burton made his film debut in "The Last Days of Dolwyn” and had his first big stage success in "The Lady's Not for Burning” (which also ran on Broadway). Gaining quite a reputation for his stage work (particularly in Shakespearean productions), Burton was being touted as the possible heir to the crown held by Sir Laurence Olivier (considered the greatest Shakespearean actor of the time). Hollywood beckoned, and Burton made his Hollywood debut in 1952’s "My Cousin Rachel", garnering a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and winning a New Star of the Year Golden Globe. While appearing on stage (which he did his entire career), his film career continued with hits and misses, highlights being "The Robe" (earning a Best Actor Academy Award nomination), "Alexander the Great", "Look Back in Anger", and "The Longest Day". Meanwhile, his stage career was soaring with London productions of Shakespeare's "Hamlet", "Othello", and a 1956 run in "Henry V", which earned him a Best Actor Theater Award. On Broadway he earned Best Actor Tony Award nominations for "Time Remembered" and "Hamlet", and won a Best Actor Tony for "Camelot".
Then came the role of “Marc Antony” in the 1963 film “Cleopatra” opposite Taylor. While filming in Italy, the two fell so passionately in love they couldn’t hide it. Married to other people, their love affair made international headlines. The press nicknamed them “Liz” and “Dick”, they were talked about, hounded by paparazzi where ever they went, denounced by the Pope as an immoral couple, and there was even a suggestion made in US Congress to not allow Taylor back into the US. Laurence Olivier sent Burton a telegram reading “Make up your mind—do you want to be a great actor or a household word?”, to which Burton replied “Both”. Taylor and Burton divorced their spouses and married each other in 1964, becoming the most famous couple in the world. There's no equivalent today for how famous they were, for it was before cable TV, internet, and smart phones, when everyone shared the same news and headlines. They lived a very public life of extravagance, luxury, and excess, mingled with the jet-set, spent millions on planes, cars, paintings, properties, and Burton famously bought Taylor a 68 carat diamond that set a record price ($1.1M) for a publicly sold jewel, and was named the Taylor Burton Diamond. Their relationship was notoriously tumultuous, with screaming matches, trashed hotel rooms, and lots of alcohol. Burton was an infamous womanizer, and their drinking and jealousies led to divorce in 1974. They married again in 1975, but this second marriage lasted less than a year.
Everyone thought their scandalous affair would end their respective careers (especially Taylor’s), but it had the opposite effect – both became superstars, and “Cleopatra” was one of the highest grossing films of the year (but due to its astronomical production cost it lost money and sent Fox Studios into bankruptcy). To capitalize on their torrid relationship, they were quickly paired in 1963’s “The V.I.P.s”, in which Taylor played a model leaving her husband (Burton) for a lover. It was another success. After taking two years off from making movies, they came back to the screen with 1965’s “The Sandpiper”, which got bad reviews but was a hit.
"Virginia Woolf” came next, which reminded everyone that this powercouple were not just celebrities, but talented actors. With their star power and undeniable onscreen chemistry, Taylor and Burton costarred in eleven films together between 1963 and 1973 (including a TV movie "Divorce His, Divorce Her”), most of which were mediocre. “Virginia Woolf” was by far their best film together (arguably the best film in both their careers), and other than “Cleopatra”, their highest-grossing film pairing. Part of the draw was that audiences felt they were seeing Taylor and Burton’s tempestuous real-life love/hate relationship onscreen (and according to Nichols, playing these characters put some strain on their relationship). Their second best film together is Franco Zeffirelli’s 1967 version of “The Taming of the Shrew”. The two teamed one final time on Broadway in 1983 for a revival of “Private Lives” (which I was lucky enough to see - what a thrill!).
Burton appeared in many films without Taylor, and earned a total of six Best Actor Oscar nominations and one Best Supporting Actor nomination (others were for "Becket", "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", "Anne of the Thousand Days", and “Equus”). His other notable films include "The Night of the Iguana”, "Where Eagles Dare", and his final, "1984". Over time, his alcoholism began taking its toll and he often made movies just for money. He was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, and in 1976 was awarded a Special Tony Award for his outstanding work in the theater.
Though he had some great successes, Burton's career was hit-or-miss and there’s a prevalent feeling he never lived up to his potential, for his work was overshadowed by his stormy personal life and drinking. As it says in the book “The Chronicle of the Movies”, Burton became "the man who married Elizabeth Taylor twice and attracted more publicity for the size of the diamonds he gave her than for the quality of his ‘Hamlet’”. Including his two marriages to Taylor (which were his second and third), he was married five times and had three children, including actress Kate Burton (whose mother was Sybil Williams). Richard Burton died suddenly from an intracerebral hemorrhage in 1984 at the age of 58.
George Segal gives yet another of the ensemble’s fabulous performance as the handsome biology teacher "Nick" (though his name is never mentioned). Segal does a first-class job making this ambitious man try to be polite while trapped witnessing the merciless battles between “George” and “Martha”. Nichols knew Segal from theater and thought his self-effacing humor would serve the character well. He was right. With a slight comedic lightness, Segal makes “Nick” appropriately cautious, bewildered, exasperated, angry, standing his ground as best he can with “George”, flirting with “Martha”, and showing very real concern for his wife’s drunkenness. He really shines in bringing personality to the character, particularly in his scene with “George” by the tree. “Nick” is so well rendered, we know exactly who this guy is, and Segal’s performance earned him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination.
With an initial love of music, New York City-born George Segal became interested in acting when he saw Alan Ladd in the 1942 film noir, "This Gun for Hire". Segal studied drama at Columbia University while playing the banjo in jazz bands before heading off to serve in the Army during the Korean War. On his return, he studied acting with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio and with Uta Hagen. While appearing on and off-Broadway, he was part of an improvisational group called "The Premise" (along with Buck Henry), and began on television in 1957. Segal's film debut came in 1961's "The Young Doctors", followed by small and supporting movie roles while working in TV and theater. He made a splash in the 1964 film "The New Interns" (earning a New Promising Newcomer Golden Globe Award), and starring in 1965's "King Rat". "Virginia Woolf" was his next film, and along with his only Oscar nomination, he earned a Best Supporting Golden Globe nomination.
Segal eventually found his niche playing average Joes in seriocomedic roles, and became one of the big male stars of the 1970s, starring in such films as "A Touch of Class" (winning a Best Actor Golden Globe), "Where's Poppa?", "Blume in Love", and "The Owl and the Pussycat". His film career was a bit less bright come the 1980s, and from the 1990s until the end of his life, TV became his golden medium, with recurring roles on "Murphy's Law” and "Just Shoot Me!" (earning two Golden Globe nominations), and his final role as "Albert 'Pops' Solomon" in "The Goldbergs”. His other notable films include "California Split", "Flirting with Disaster", "The Hot Rock", "Fun with Dick and Jane”, "No Way to Treat a Lady”, and “The Quiller Memorandum”. He was married three times. George Segal died in 2021 at the age of 87.
The fourth and final star of “Virginia Woolf” is the inimitable Sandy Dennis as "Honey", "Nick's" young wife who can't quite hold her bourbon. Adding much of the film’s comedy in a very real way, Dennis makes us laugh with uneasiness from the moment she arrives, as “Martha” yells, "I said come on in, now come on!”, to which “Honey” says aloud to herself, "Oh dear” with a nervous giggle that "George" quickly imitates. “Honey” tries to keep herself out of the psychological hell around her, putting on a front and drinking to avoid the pain, but gets sucked in along with “Nick”, and Dennis sublimely makes us feel for this kooky, fragile, and neurotic woman. She hints at “Honey’s” pain in fleeting moments, such as the quick look on her face as “Martha” grabs “Nick’s” leg, or overhearing “Nick” and “George” talk about kids. It’s a stunning performance that earned Dennis a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award win and a Golden Globe nomination, among other accolades. An instinctual actress, one can see Dennis being led by her impulses throughout the entire film.
Nebraska-born Sandy Dennis worked in community theater before moving to New York City at 19 to study acting at HB Studios with Uta Hagen. She landed a TV role on a 1956 episode of "Guiding Light", and made her stage debut that same year. Her Broadway debut came as an understudy and then replacement in 1957's "Dark at the Top of the Stairs” directed by Eliza Kazan. She hit the big-time starring on Broadway and winning her first Tony Award for 1962's "A Thousand Clowns", followed by a second Tony Award the following year for "Any Wednesday”. More Broadway productions followed, and Kazan gave her a small role in his 1961 film "Splendor in the Grass", which was her film debut (though many site "Virginia Woolf” as her debut, which came next). Now a hot Hollywood actress, Dennis made eight more films by 1970, including a standout performance starring in 1967's "Up the Down Staircase” (which helped land her on the cover of Time magazine), and a starring role as a lesbian in the controversial "The Fox”, that same year.
Dennis appeared in fewer films during the 1970s and 80s while continuing to work in theater and TV. With health issues, and unhappy with the roles being offered, she began to work less, and appeared in a total of thirty-six films and TV shows, others of which include "Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean", "The Four Seasons", "The Out-of-Towners” (earning a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination), and her final film "The Indian Runner". As you will see in “Virginia Woolf”, along with delivering genuine emotion and evoking sympathy, Dennis had an unforgettably quirky style, an unusual speech pattern, nervous tics, a distinct physicality, and visible vulnerability. She was one of a kind. Dennis never married and there's been much debate over her love life and sexuality, with decades-long rumors she was a lesbian. The press at one point reported she was married to jazz musician Gerry Mulligan, which she fervently denied, and no official marriage certificate ever surfaced. She was reportedly engaged to actor Eric Roberts, who after her death, stated she was bisexual. Sandy Dennis died from ovarian cancer in 1992 at the age of 54. According to Boze Hadleigh's book "Hollywood Lesbians: From Garbo to Foster", Dennis was survived by three dogs and twenty-nine cats.
While the play has only four characters, with the addition of the roadhouse scene, two other people very briefly appear in the film – a roadhouse manager and a waitress, played by real-life husband and wife Frank and Agnes Flanagan. Frank was a very experienced gaffer on the film (helping with the lighting), and Agnes was Taylor’s hairdresser.
As mentioned, “Virginia Woolf” earned a near-record thirteen Academy Award nominations, one in every category for which it was eligible (only three films to date have garnered more, with 14 nominations each – 1950's "All About Eve", 1997's "Titanic", and 2016's "La La Land”). In addition to wins for Best Actress, Supporting Actress, and Cinematography, "Virginia Woolf" also won Academy Awards for its fantastic set design by Richard Sylbert and George James Hopkins, and Costume Design by Irene Sharaff (who you can read about in my post on "Meet Me in St. Louis”). Along with nominations for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, and Screenplay, the film also earned Academy Award nominations for Best Sound (George Groves), Best Film Editing (Sam O’Steen), and Best Music Score (Alex North).
Sure to be one of the most intensely dramatic films you’ll ever see, this week’s classic contains a rollercoaster of emotions and some of cinema’s finest performances. Captivating and profoundly entertaining, enjoy the unforgettable, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”!
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TO READ AFTER VIEWING (contains spoilers):
Things are not what they seem, and it's the outwardly happy and secure "Nick" and "Honey" who walk away on shaky ground as their hidden secrets and betrayals come to light (it's even implied "Honey" may have secretly had an abortion and not a hysterical pregnancy), while "George" and "Martha" find difficult but solid ground, finally able to depend on one another.
Because the play received some criticism about a couple being so devastated by the death of an imaginary child, in Lehman’s first screenplay draft, he changed the imagined child to a real one who died. But understanding that the play is about being afraid of living life without false illusions, Nichols had him stay true to the play. Thank goodness, for the moment when they both painfully shed their fantasies, accept the death, and fearfully decide to face reality together is overwhelmingly, emotionally powerful. As the sun peeks through the window, it really does offer hope for a new beginning.
What a masterpiece! This movie leaves you speechless! It is very strong and raw! The performance of the actors is outstanding, specially Elisabeth! I did not know Burton was her husband! I love learning so much from your blog!! Thank you Jay!
I had forgotten about Sandy Dennis and George Segal being the other pair in this movie. I definitely need to watch it again. Another great review!