Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Cheeto
Posted on 17 July 2021
Rating -
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1966 American drama film directed by Mike Nichols in his directorial debut. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman’s an adaptation of Edward Albee’s 1962 play of the same name.
Now, I can’t deny it, I’m maybe a little biased towards this film, this is because I love films that are set in a single location, this is the premier film of that sub genre. The reason why I love films set in a single location is because they are a rare commodity, and it is a huge risk to make one. This is because it takes such smart writing and direction to make a film with this premise work. I mean how much can really happen at a single location?
In my opinion, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is the best film that is set in a single location. Right, I know that small parts of the film take place in the grounds of our main characters house, or at a club, but it doesn’t change the film one bit.
First and foremost, the characters are amazing, they had to carry the weight of a film that was completely character driven, they had to carry themselves in a way that was interesting and fascinating due to fact that this film is so character driven, and they totally succeed. Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis put in Oscar winning performances, and Richard Burton and George Segal are on their best acting form.
I think a lot of the credit has to go to Ernest Lehman, he has literally written a masterpiece of a script, and how Mike Nichols turned it into the film we ended up with. I just can’t get my head around how a film which is basically 4 people sat around drinking while exchanging words with each other, is such a fascinating masterpiece. I’m wrong for saying that, it’s much more than 4 people sat around exchanging words, there’s one overriding story on which the film is based on, this film takes that story and executes it to a T.
I’m not going to give away the plot of this film, it’s absolutely fascinating and it’s the prime example of how to write a dialogue heavy, character driven movie.
Overall, this film is an absolute masterpiece, a marvel of writing. What’s even more amazing is that it’s such a simple film, 4 people talking about the overriding story of the film. This truly is an example of how to make a brilliant drama, and it’s no surprise that it swept that years Oscars, watch this one guys.
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