Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Directed by Mike Nichols

Screenplay by Ernest Lehman

Based on the play by Edward Albee 

Stars: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, George Segal, and Sandy Dennis

For the longest time, I didn't understand the title of this movie. The characters are afraid of an English writer that drowned herself? Nope. This is not that.

In the middle of the night, older married couple, George and Martha (Burton, Taylor) come back from a house party. They want to party to continue. A younger married couple, Nick and Honey (Segal, Dennis) arrives and the get together descends into madness.

There is a thing that I have with play being turned into movies. The structure of the movie doesn't feel cinematic. It feels like a pro shot of a play. Sometimes this felt like a play. That will probably be the only ding that I will have against it.

The performances were fantastic across the board. Burton and Taylor were the powerhouses here. I give them all the props to taking Albee's material and encompass it.

Rating: 9/10

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Directed by Richard Brooks

Screenplay by Richard Brooks and James Poe

Based on the play by Tennessee Williams

Stars: Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Burl Ives, Judith Iverson, Jack Carson, Madeleine Sherwood, Larry Gates and Vaughn Taylor

Everyone knows that the movie is a watered down version of the stage play. The story is gay. The movie is very undercover gay.

Brick (Newman) is an ex-football player who spends his days and nights drinking. His wife, Maggie (Taylor) is frustrated with Brick being cold to her. Brick's family gathers together to celebrate Big Daddy's (Ives) birthday.

In the opening moments of the film, I was thinking, "Is this it? Brick's gonna take multiple sips of whiskey. Maggie opining about not getting any affection from Brick. Big Daddy being a curmudgeon. The kids are going to be annoying the hell of me." I did not like the beginning of the movie.

The movie picks up when nature of Brick's drinking and Big Daddy's plight is revealed. Newman, Taylor and Ives gave great performances here. I could not stand Mae (Sherwood). It felt as the women were shrilling harpies, the men telling them to shut up, the children being annoying, but I guess the annoyances build up the tension.

Rating: 8/10