Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend delves into adjacent queer and queer headlines from the past that deserve a watch or re-watch.
The stabbing: who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Director Mike Nichols, one of the best directors in history, made a hell of a debut in 1966 with his film adaptation of Edward Albee’s flagship play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The film will win Oscar nominations in all actor categories (a major achievement so far), taking home two: Best Supporting Actress for Sandy Dennis and Best Actress for Elizabeth Taylor.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? follows two married couples on a night of alcohol-fueled antics. George and Martha (Richard Burton and Taylor), a college professor and his wife, invite another younger couple, Nick and Honey (George Segal and Dennis) over for a nightcap after a college party. A fierce fight between George and Martha ensues, Nick and Honey being first horrified by the couple’s cruelty to each other… then drawn to her. Tensions are further heightened when Martha mentions her and George’s 16-year-old son, and George reacts in horror. Over the course of the evening, alliances change, secrets are revealed and alcohol flows as their tragic double date tragically ends.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? presents marital dysfunction at its cruelest, and alcoholism at its most explosive. Albee’s dialogue is as deep and harsh as any beard in movie history … or pretty much anywhere else. Maybe that’s why the four actors put on some terrific performances, with an actual couple (at the time, anyway) Burton and Taylor burning the screen with every shot. Critics and the public have often speculated that the two couples entangled in Virginia Woolf are meant to be coded same-sex couples. Edward Albee, who has never hidden his own homosexuality, has always castigated this theory and refused requests to direct the play with an all-male cast. For Albee, who based George and Martha on an actual heterosexual couple he knew, the play commented more on self-delusion in the face of disappointment and had nothing to do with homosexuality.
Indeed, we are assuming that the film version of Virginia Woolf lives on thanks to the exceptional performances of its actors, the innovative direction of Nichols, and the underlying text’s statement that the addiction and disappointment of life works like poison. . George and Martha love each other desperately, but a life of regret, misfortune and defeat fueled their addiction, which turned the couple’s affection into toxic rage. Nick and Honey could suffer a similar fate, just like any other couple, gay, straight or not. In this regard, count us among those who are afraid of Virginia Woolf.
We have a feeling you will be too.
Streams on Amazon, iTunes, and VUDU.
