Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) ***½

A biting examination into the dark side of human behavior, Mike Nichols' directorial debut features Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (who won as Academy Award) as a long-time married couple who constantly engage in a battle of wits over who can be more hateful to the other. Both Burton and Taylor throw themselves whole-heartedly into the roles, so much so that it's hard to imagine how social they could be off the set, the sting of the barbed insults of the characters heavy on their minds. Based on the play of the same name, it's an unflinching exploration of a marriage sunk to its lowest levels and a grim reminder of the uglier side of human nature. At first glance, the film is very uncomfortable with its unappealing subject matter. Martha and George spend most of their time insulting and yelling hateful things to one another in an effort to see who cab cause the most pain. Through the film, we peek in on one single night of their marriage but to imagine the oppressive atmosphere of this couple day after day, year after year is almost impossible. On this particularly bad night, they play host to a new professor and his young wife, where lines are crossed and a chain of events is set in motion that could almost doom them for good.

When alone they are practically lovebirds compared to how they act once company arrives to get a full glimpse of their marriage. It's entirely possible that this is a side that no one ever gets to see and the audience, much like the young couple, are getting a front row seat to the first time Martha and George have ever acted like this around other people. Is there a reason for why this evening happened? Too much booze, a very late night and exhausted patience? It's never stated for sure but one thing is for certain: for all the yelling, barrages of insults and pouring salt into old wounds, Martha and George are made for each other and are very much in love. Who can question what is normal for a couple when they find a pattern that they have settled into and that works for them? Martha is an emotional powder keg that is always ready to explode and she needs someone that can go toe to toe with her without backing down. George seems an unlikely candidate, an aging professor who never reached his full potential, but underneath that seemingly innocent exterior is a man driven by failed dreams and an unyielding wife who can easily dish out his own brand of mind games and emotional torture. In fact the two of them are so alike it's hard to imagine they could make it work with anyone else and therefore makes perfect sense they are still together after all this time.

There are the few quiet moments where you can tell the marriage is not simply filled with bitterness and spite. Before Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis) arrive, George and Martha are almost normal. Any uneasiness could be explained away by the late hour or just by the fact that they are two people who have been married for awhile. It's not until it's public that it takes a nastier edge and both George and Martha appear driven to see who can embarrass and belittle the other the most in front of their guests. It's almost as if the catalyst was simply bringing two outsiders into their home, for the most part younger versions of the two of them, although it's unlikely Martha was ever that quiet and submissive like Honey. The two engage in a battle to see who can continue to gain the upper hand that begins shortly after George discovers that Martha has mentioned their son to Honey. Something seems to click in George and he doesn't play the passive-aggressive anymore, but takes a proactive role in the proceedings.

To be George and Martha, they must have pretty thick skin. The person you are married to should be the person you trust most in the world. Someone you can divulge all your deepest, darkest secrets to with no fear of judgment or recrimination. In George and Martha's case they use these old wounds as cannon fodder and the sting of that betrayal must hurt the most and leave a lasting resentment. Again, it's only because these secrets are being aired in front of others is what brings the pain and anger. It's plausible they bring up these hurtful memories from the past all the time, but only now when their dirty laundry is being aired out in the open does it cause a problem. George even says as much outside the Roadhouse, he doesn't mind so much that Martha takes jabs at him, but when she does it to amuse others is when it cause the most pain.

Everything is a game to George and Martha, it's how they relate to one another and it has become so ingrained in their personalities they cannot relate to each other or anyone else for the matter in any other way. It's assumed they put up some kind of façade for outside appearances, but in their home their true selves come to the forefront. Combined with Martha crossing the line of mentioning their son to this new couple, it makes for a particularly brutal night of games. George uses double talk to confuse and misdirect Nick because it amuses him and it also gives him insight into his secrets since Martha has already started to expose his own. He's at his most manipulative when they are out in the yard after a brutal revelation regarding George and how he was supposed to take over the university. Nick, in an attempt to sympathize and relate to George opens up about some of his past. Once he's obtained what he wants, George's mood changes immediately and Nick realizes he has been duped. George later uses this information to embarrass Nick and Honey at the Roadhouse during "Get the Guests". It's proof of how better off George and Martha are actually since they know everything there is to know about each other, even if they use it against each other, and can live with it, while Nick and Honey are hiding secrets from each other that could potentially doom their marriage if the other discovers it, and they are supposed to be the "normal" couple.

Martha and George do love and care for each other, even if they tend to get too wrapped up into their games. Martha doesn't sleep with Nick because she desires him or even has a burning need to cheat on her husband. She does it because George sees Nick as a threat and it's another point for her column in their game. It devastates George because he doesn't believe Martha would sink to this low, and even Martha shows immediate regret after they have sex and laments about how George is the only one who could ever master her games just as quickly as she could make them up. Nick cannot stand on her level as is evidenced by how he reacts when she treats him as she would George after their romp in the hay. She's even hesitant about what George may do in retaliation, as he has to according to their rules. She doesn't know what is coming but she's worried because she knows what George is capable of and she knows he will enact the same pain, if not more, on her as she has on him. George's act brings her world crumbling down upon her and in the end we are left with a shot of George cradling her, just the two of them together, with the hope for a better future.

Favorite moment: It would have to be George "shooting" his wife while she tells a story about a boxing match the two of them once had. Martha's voice can be heard, slightly muffled, as if we are hearing what George is hearing, as he reaches for a gun on the top shelf in the closet. Up to this point, we are not accustomed to George and Martha's particular brand of communication and it's entirely believable that he is being driven to kill his wife. Her shock and fright are immediately replaced by laughter upon realizing the gun is fake. She even begs George for a kiss, which he obliges, highlighting the last sweet moment between the two before the end.