IMDb > Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 71 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? -- Trailer for this classic film based on the play

Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   34,401 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Ernest Lehman (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
22 June 1966 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Tagline:
You are cordially invited to George and Martha's for an evening of fun and games. See more »
Plot:
A bitter aging couple with the help of alcohol, use a young couple to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 18 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
Elizabeth Taylor: 1932-2011
 (From IMDb News. 23 March 2011, 7:51 AM, PDT)

Elizabeth Taylor Passes Away
 (From Huffington Post. 23 March 2011, 7:12 AM, PDT)

Elizabeth Taylor Dies At Age 79
 (From Cinema Blend. 23 March 2011, 6:16 AM, PDT)

User Reviews:
That's what comes from too much alcohol and too few mutual respect See more (206 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Elizabeth Taylor ... Martha

Richard Burton ... George

George Segal ... Nick

Sandy Dennis ... Honey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Agnes Flanagan ... Roadhouse Waitress (uncredited)
Frank Flanagan ... Roadhouse Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Mike Nichols 
 
Writing credits
Ernest Lehman (screenplay)

Edward Albee (play) uncredited

Produced by
Ernest Lehman .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Alex North (music composed by)
 
Cinematography by
Haskell Wexler (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Sam O'Steen (film editor)
 
Production Design by
Richard Sylbert 
 
Set Decoration by
George James Hopkins 
 
Costume Design by
Irene Sharaff (costumes designed by)
 
Makeup Department
Gordon Bau .... makeup: Miss Taylor's
Ron Berkeley .... makeup: Mr. Burton's (as Ronnie Berkeley)
Sydney Guilaroff .... hair styles creator: Miss Taylor
Jean Burt Reilly .... supervising hair stylist
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bud Grace .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Craig Binkley .... set dresser (uncredited)
Harold Michelson .... storyboard artist (uncredited)
Joseph Musso .... production illustrator (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
M.A. Merrick .... sound
George Groves .... sound recordist (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Flanagan .... gaffer (uncredited)
Ralph Gerling .... camera operator (uncredited)
Robert Jason .... electrician (uncredited)
Michael A. Jones .... rigging gaffer (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby .... special still photographer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Joseff .... costume jeweller (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Alex North .... music conductor
Bob Bain .... musician: guitar (uncredited)
Henry Brant .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Dan Wallin .... music scoring mixer (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Frank Khoury .... driver: cast (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Richard Barr .... produced on the stage by
Doane Harrison .... production advisor
Hal W. Polaire .... assistant to the producer (as Hal Polaire)
Meta Rebner .... script supervisor
Clinton Wilder .... produced on the stage by
Wayne Fitzgerald .... title designer (uncredited)
T.J. Healy II .... production assistant (uncredited)
Herbert Ross .... choreographer (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors

Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - USA (complete title)
See more »
Runtime:
131 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (1988) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Portugal:17 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | West Germany:16 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:18 (f) (original rating) | USA:Approved (cut) (Suggested for Mature Audiences) (certificate #21074) | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:12 (2007) | UK:12 (video rating) (2009) | Argentina:16 | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | USA:Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Edward Albee said he came up with the title when he saw the phrase written on a men's room wall in a New York tavern.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: When Nick is talking to George by the swing, his necktie changes positions between shots (when he's on his back).See more »
Quotes:
Martha:I looked at you tonight and you weren't there... And I'm gonna howl it out, and I'm not gonna give a damn what I do and I'm gonna make the biggest god-damn explosion you've ever heard.
George:Try and I'll beat you at your own game.
Martha:Is that a threat George, huh?
George:It's a threat, Martha.
Martha:You're gonna get it, baby.
George:Be careful Martha. I'll rip you to pieces.
Martha:You're not man enough. You haven't the guts.
George:Total war.
Martha:Total.
See more »

FAQ

In the script, Martha references Davis and quotes her famous "What a dump!" Which film actually contains the line?
What is the the significance of the title, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
See more »
61 out of 87 people found the following review useful.
That's what comes from too much alcohol and too few mutual respect, 9 July 2003
Author: RWiggum from Erlangen, Germany

'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' tells the story of two couples that are quite different at first sight - one used to each other for years, the other one rather freshly wed in comparison. Actually it doesn't tell their story, but it displays their relationships.

The film begins on a Sunday morning at 2 o'clock, right after a party, and ends just after the sun rises. In these few hours we get to know these four people better then we might possibly want.

George and Martha are the older couple. He is a history professor, she is the daughter of the head of the university. Their relationship seems to be from hell, full of mutual disgust and humiliation. Their guests are Nick and Honey. He is the new, ambitious biology professor, she is his naive young wive. As all these four characters are more or less drunk throughout the entire film, alcohol works as a catalyst, and we quickly see the different kind of character traits they have: George is a cynic, Martha loves to torment her husband, Nick is an opportunist and Honey is very much a stupid blonde.

The two relationships deserve closer examination: We wonder why Martha and George married in the first place. They keep swearing at each other. Martha can't stop humiliating George, when they are alone as well as when Nick and Honey are there. Maybe there is still a rest of love in them, but there mutual respect has vanished completely. And then there is the strange story of their son, who is supposed to visit on his birthday. They way George and Martha talk about him make us feel that there is something peculiar about him. At the end we get to know more about him, and we can only guess how important the son is for their relationship.

Nick and Honey, on the other hand, seem to be quite the opposite. But, being used as weapons by the older couple, we see that their relationship isn't as perfect as it seems to be, either. Nick didn't marry Honey because he loved her, but because he thought she was pregnant and because of her money. And when Martha tries to seduce him to tease George, he plays the game with her, always in mind that this woman's father is the head of the university. Honey, on the other hand, is much more emotional than her husband, but she also is the most passive character, and the one most affected by the alcohol.

Mike Nichols assembled an outstanding cast for his film. Casting Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as Martha and George is a stroke of genius - not only are they terrific actors, but it also heats the imagination of the viewer how much their real-life-marriage resembled the relationship they had in this film. Elizabeth Taylor outshines her co-stars a little. Never was she any better than in this one; although her character is the meanest in the film, she manages that we still feel compassion for her at the end. But Richard Burton, George Segal and especially Sandy Dennis deliver memorable performances, too.

'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' succeeds at something rather difficult: It makes us care for characters we wouldn't want to have anything to do with in real life. And although it actually consist of nothing but four people talking for two hours, it never bored us for a second.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (206 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The perfect remake cast? douginphilly
Bette Davis and James Mason! lovesick80
Differences Between the Play and the Film FinnsMovies
I don't get it! edunn91
First entrance superstu86
Still Confused By Ending (possible spoiler) libertino85
See more »

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Drama section
IMDb USA section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.