Release Date: 12/5/2006 Original Release: 1966 Format: DVD Length: 131 minutes Rating:Not Rated Rating Reason: (Reason unavailable) UPC: 012569821095 Studio: Warner Home Video
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.
DVD Features
2-Disc Set Region 1 Keep Case Special Edition Widescreen - 1.85 Audio: Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono - English, French Subtitles - English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish Additional Release Material: Trailers: Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton Movie Trailer Gallery Featurette: 1. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: A Daring Work of Raw Excellence" 2. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: Too Shocking for its Time" 3. "Elizabeth Taylor - An Intimate Portrait" Audio Commentary: 1. Mike Nichols - Director 2. Steven Soderbergh - Director 3. Haskell Wexler - Cinematographer
Related Items
People who purchased Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Special Edition DVD also purchased:
A maddeningly great film about marriages collapsing and the substances that help with some of the best work ever done by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The script is from the Edward Albee play,... Read the whole review at MatchFlick
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Special Edition DVD
