In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Sunday, 25 March 2018

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Woolf was Dir. Nichols' first feature film, which is a hell of a thing to have on your CV. Adapted from Edward Albee's stage play it's an intimate portrait of a middle aged husband and wife, George and Martha (Burton and Taylor), who've been married too long and wilfully consume too much alcohol, a combination that results in a frequent battle of wills, savage one-upmanship, hurtful sarcasm, insults and straightforward spiteful comments, much of which is blackly humorous. The duo are visited late one night by a younger couple and so begins an airing of dirty laundry that's as compelling as it is shocking. The big names are predictably great, but Sandy Dennis is equally fantastic.

4 exercised wits out of 5

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