spiderwort
Junior Member
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,544
Likes: 9,340
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Post by spiderwort on Jul 16, 2017 0:31:04 GMT
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
In 1966, most critics and audiences found this groundbreaking film to be superb in every respect. Great, award winning performances, brilliant direction by first time director, Mike Nichols, innovative camera work and lighting, seamless editing, a great Alex North score, etc. The film is hardly an "enjoyable" viewing experience, without a doubt. But nevertheless I found it to be one of the most profoundly wrought examinations of "twisted" love I've ever seen. I believe that part of its brilliance is that at its core, it is a love story. And the ending is haunting to me, still, 51 years after I first saw it (though I've seen it several times since): "I am, George. I am." A subtextual expression of love, this is an exquisite, wrenching resolution to a deeply painful psychological drama in which two people only know how to express their love and the ennui of their lives through intense, combative entanglements and carefully conceived "magical thinking" stories about their "family." The title is a metaphor, the glue that binds, and in the end it allows Martha to surrender to her personal weaknesses and reach out to George for comfort. This delicate moment reveals their honest love for each other despite their inability to express it without a battle. In the end, it's a profoundly moving rendering of two lost souls.
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Post by movielover on Jul 16, 2017 0:31:33 GMT
10/10 - One of my all time favorite movies.
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Post by wmcclain on Jul 16, 2017 0:33:50 GMT
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Post by petrolino on Jul 16, 2017 0:43:46 GMT
Hi spiderwort. I've seen George Segal blowing a trumpet, playing jazz trombone, seated at the piano ... seriously, there's no end to this man's talents. For Roland Emmerich's disaster blockbuster '2012' (2009), he picked up a double bass to jam with Blu Mankuma on 'It Ain't The End Of The World'. My mum used to listen to him when I was a kid, she always loved the quirkiness of Segal and his old pals Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould. Great funny guy ... Love the movie. One of Mike Nichols' finest pictures.
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Post by mikef6 on Jul 16, 2017 19:11:55 GMT
“Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is not only a great movie in itself, it is also known as one of the major change factors in how the film industry policed itself in regard to content. This film was one of a handful of straws that finally broke the back of the Production Code which had been in effect since the 1930s. “Woolf” was released just a month or two after Jack Valenti became President of the Motion Picture Association. Valenti, himself, scraped the former Code, then, working with film makers and Association members, produced the G, M, R, (as they started out with) system we know today. Kudos to the actors, director, and Warner Bros. for taking this bold step. An important film both artistically and historically.
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Post by snsurone on Jul 16, 2017 20:38:41 GMT
All I can think about is that it was a good thing that George and Martha DIDN'T have any kids.
They'd have ended up as the same train wrecks that their parents were--that is, if any of them lived to adulthood!
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Post by petrolino on Jul 16, 2017 21:50:14 GMT
Hi spiderwort. I've seen George Segal blowing a trumpet, playing jazz trombone, seated at the piano ... seriously, there's no end to this man's talents ... Love the movie. One of Mike Nichols' finest pictures. Thanks for the great clip, petrolino. It was a lot of fun. I don't think I'm as familiar with this side of him as you are, but I certainly agree that he's a talented guy who can be very funny. And Segal, Sutherland, and Gould all together sounds like a real hoot. Glad to see another Virginia Woolf fan. So glad you enjoyed them doing 'Under The Bamboo Tree' - always makes me think of Steve Martin & Sissy Spacek singing together in 'The Man With Two Brains' (1983) lol. |
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Jul 16, 2017 21:56:14 GMT
I haven't seen the film (yet) but it has one of the most memorable titles in film history...
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Post by teleadm on Jul 17, 2017 18:24:41 GMT
The star power of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was also a big component in making this movie possible. The story in it self might not on the surface look attractive, or in fact could look very uncommerical. Kudos to the stars for using their star powers to attract big audiences to this important piece of that has become movie history, with acting of the highest order.
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tucotherat
Sophomore
@tucotherat
Posts: 262
Likes: 15
 
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Post by tucotherat on Jul 28, 2017 8:43:04 GMT
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?In 1966, most critics and audiences found this groundbreaking film to be superb in every respect. Great, award winning performances, brilliant direction by first time director, Mike Nichols, innovative camera work and lighting, seamless editing, a great Alex North score, etc. The film is hardly an "enjoyable" viewing experience, without a doubt. But nevertheless I found it to be one of the most profoundly wrought examinations of "twisted" love I've ever seen. I believe that part of its brilliance is that at its core, it is a love story. And the ending is haunting to me, still, 51 years after I first saw it (though I've seen it several times since): "I am, George. I am." A subtextual expression of love, this is an exquisite, wrenching resolution to a deeply painful psychological drama in which two people only know how to express their love and the ennui of their lives through intense, combative entanglements and carefully conceived "magical thinking" stories about their "family." The title is a metaphor, the glue that binds, and in the end it allows Martha to surrender to her personal weaknesses and reach out to George for comfort. This delicate moment reveals their honest love for each other despite their inability to express it without a battle. In the end, it's a profoundly moving rendering of two lost souls. Sean Connery would have slapped that bitch into next week, but then there would have been no movie. |
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jan 11, 2019 23:32:15 GMT
The greatest two hours and eleven minutes of non-stop bickering, arguing and fighting ever committed to film.
I had parents who wound up divorcing later as a kid, so I think I can claim to know this much! 🤣
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