Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were twice married and divorced, with their on and off romance creating enormous publicity for their dozen (or so) films together. But these films were largely a disappointment: Cleopatra (1963) brought Twentieth Century Fox to the edge of bankruptcy, while most of the others have simply (and deservedly) become forgotten.

But one of their films was a great success both at the box office and with critics. Not coincidentally, it was also highly controversial, and a risky project for Warner Bros. The studio paid Burton and Taylor a million dollars salary each, and hired Mike Nichols to make his film debut as director. Nichols was hardly a novice, however, having staged several long-running comedies on Broadway.

The film was Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, based on the notorious Broadway play by Edward Albee. The unpleasant and emotionally draining play was adapted with the dialogue nearly intact by Ernest Lehman, who also served as producer. It was the first film to include the obscenity 'Goddamn', which was shocking in an era that had yet to introduce the 'R' and 'X' ratings.

The story had nothing to do with the celebrated author Virginia Woolf, who had committed suicide by walking into the river Ouse a quarter century earlier. The fictional Virginia Woolf was a boozy, abrasive shrew, played with an almost frightening intensity by Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor, a major star then in her early thirties and still accustomed to playing glamorous beauty queens, was the ultimate casting against type. Taylor seems to relish the role, as a liberation from her previous image.

Troubled marriages had long been a staple of Hollywood films, but never before like this. Taylor herself had played a long-suffering wife in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and rising director Roman Polanski had earlier made marital game-playing waves with with his Knife in the Water (1962). But the discord was raised to new levels of hatred and manipulation in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, with confidences and vulnerabilities relentlessly exploited by the unhappily married couple.

Some people actually see the film as a black comedy, perhaps because both Taylor and Dennis play over-the-top drunkards. To me, the film is about as funny as an episode of "The Jerry Springer Show", with the same resentment, games, accusations and name-calling, although with vastly superior production values. It's also true that George Segal's level of drunkenness changes with every scene, while Burton's character can put the liquor away like there's no tomorrow without ever losing his eloquence.

The film won five Academy Awards out of thirteen nominations, including Best Actress (Taylor), Best Supporting Actress (Sandy Dennis), Best Cinematography (Haskell Wexler), Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

While nominated, Burton lost Best Actor to Paul Scofield from A Man for All Seasons. This must have been frustrating for Burton, since Scofield's ironic performance had been exceedingly Burton-like. Despite not playing the title character, Burton was saddled with delivering the lengthiest and most difficult speeches. Burton had to settle for winning the British Academy Award for best British Actor.

A Man for All Seasons also kept Woolf from winning Best Picture. Mike Nichols would have to wait another year to win Best Director, for The Graduate.

It has been said that Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was the first film whose entire cast received Academy Award nominations. This isn't completely true, since a tavern owner and a waitress make brief, uncredited appearances.

The film's title is a parody of "Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf", a tune sung by Disney's Three Little Pigs in their 1933 short. This short made frequent appearances on Disney's long-running Sunday evening television series, but may not be familiar to recent generations. The opening "What a Dump" dialogue refers to the 1949 Warner Bros. film Beyond the Forest; similarly maddening film trivia references are easily found today using internet searches at imdb.com. (74/100)

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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older