Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Name: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Genre: Drama
Released: 1966-06-22
Duration: 2 h 11 min
Rating: 8
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis, Agnes Flanagan

You are cordially invited to George and Martha's for an evening of fun and games

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Timing: 2:11 (131 min)

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Everything about the movie

Video 11

Photo 65

Actors and characters

Video for the film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

2:13

Photo 65

Release date

1966-06-22

Country

United States

Production

Warner Bros. Pictures, Chenault Productions

Genre

Drama

Budget

$7 500 000

Box office

$28 005 040

Website

Director

Mike Nichols

Actors

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis, Agnes Flanagan, Frank Flanagan
All actors and roles (6)

Scenario

Edward Albee

Producer

Ernest Lehman, T.J. Healy II, Hal W. Polaire

Camera operator

Haskell Wexler

Composer

Alex North

Artist

Richard Sylbert

Audition

Editing

Sam O'Steen
Whole Team (24)

Short description

A history professor and his wife entertain a young couple who are new to the university's faculty. As the drinks flow, secrets come to light, and the middle-aged couple unload onto their guests the full force of the bitterness, dysfunction, and animosity that defines their marriage.

What's left behind the scenes

Edward Albee's play, which was a resounding success on Broadway in 1962, was purchased by the company for $500,000 USD.
For her role in this film, Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) gained almost 14 kilograms.
Director Mike Nichols (1931-2014) later realized that insisting on filming on campus was unnecessary. All those scenes could easily have been shot at the studio. It was just one of the lessons he learned from working on his first film. As he later admitted, he was simply a theater director from New York who found himself in Hollywood, and was therefore terribly afraid.
By the time filming began, Richard Burton (1925-1984) and Elizabeth Taylor were already major stars, so working with them was quite a trial. Each of their contracts included a clause stating that they could not appear on set before 10 a.m., while the rest of the crew were practically always there from early morning. Upon arriving on set, the two of them would go to their dressing rooms, where makeup artists and costume designers would work on them for up to two hours each time, and by the time they were ready to film, it was time for a lunch break. Their lunch breaks were long – often with friends and alcohol – so they didn’t return until late in the afternoon, when filming could finally begin. According to editor Sam O’Steen, Burton and Taylor consistently acted as if everything was as it should be, and that nothing had happened. Moreover, sometimes they didn't return from lunch until 5 p.m., while their contracts stipulated that the workday should end at 6 p.m.
In the scene near the bar, Richard Burton's character becomes enraged and pushes Elizabeth Taylor towards a car. Burton genuinely pushed Taylor hard, and she hit her head loudly against the top of the car. The actress's hand instinctively went to the impact site, but she played the scene to the end, and her voice made it clear she was in pain. Mike Nichols decided not to reshoot the scene, but to include this particular take in the film.
By that time, most films in Hollywood were being shot in color, but director Mike Nichols insisted on filming in black and white. Firstly, Elizabeth Taylor was made up to look 15 years older, and the makeup looked more natural that way. Furthermore, both she and Richard Burton looked more worn out on black and white film than they would have in color. Secondly, Nichols believed that color would make the film more literal and realistic, while he wanted it to look more stylized and abstract. Overall – and largely thanks to the fees of screenwriter Edward Albee (1928-2016) and Taylor – “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” became the most expensive black and white film in history, costing $7.5 million to produce.
The film's editing was handled by Mike Nichols and Sam O’Steen. They worked from 5 a.m. until late at night, and Sam O’Steen once even fainted from exhaustion. In general, he – by his own admission – was “like a sleepwalker” and worked on autopilot. This continued for a whole month, and sound mixing was still ahead, but the studio bosses wouldn’t allow Nichols to do it. O’Steen did everything alone, and then every evening he would call Nichols and let him listen to the result through the phone speaker, and listen to Nichols’ requests and advice regarding the sound design.
According to Mike Nichols, the screenwriter and producer of the film, Ernest Lehman (1915-2005), wrote another ending for the film in which the son of George and Martha, played by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor respectively, committed suicide several years before the events depicted. Nichols refused to film that ending.
Edward Albee's play, which was a huge success on Broadway in 1962, was purchased by the company for 500,000 US dollars.
Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) gained nearly 14 kilograms for her role in this film.
Director Mike Nichols (1931-2014) later realized that insisting on filming specifically on the campus grounds had been unnecessary. All these scenes could have easily been shot on a studio set. This was just one of the lessons he learned from working on his first film. As he later admitted, he was simply a New York theater director who found himself in Hollywood and was, therefore, terrified.
By the time work on the film began, Richard Burton (1925-1984) and Elizabeth Taylor were already A-list stars, making working with them a complete nightmare. Each of their contracts included a clause stating they did not have to appear on set before 10 a.m., while everyone else was practically always there from early morning. Upon arriving on set, the two would head to their dressing rooms, where makeup artists and costume designers worked on them for up to two hours each time; by the time they were ready to film, it was already time for the lunch break. Their lunches lasted a long time—often with friends and alcohol—so they didn't return until closer to evening, which is when filming could finally begin. According to editor Sam O'Stein, Burton and Taylor consistently acted as if this was how things should be and as if nothing was wrong. Moreover, they sometimes returned from lunch as late as 5 p.m., even though their contracts stated the workday should end at 6 p.m.
In the scene near the bar, Richard Burton's character flies into a rage and pushes Elizabeth Taylor's character toward a car. Burton actually pushed Taylor quite hard, and she hit her head against the top of the car body with a loud thud. The actress's hand instinctively reached for the site of the impact, but she played the scene through to the end, and it was evident from her voice that she was in pain. Mike Nichols decided not to reshoot the scene and instead used this specific take in the film.
By that time, most Hollywood films were being shot in color, but director Mike Nichols insisted on filming in black and white. Firstly, Elizabeth Taylor wore makeup to look 15 years older, and the makeup looked more natural this way; furthermore, both she and Richard Burton appeared more haggard on black-and-white film than they would have in color. Secondly, Nichols believed that color would make the film too literal and realistic, whereas he wanted it to look more stylized and abstract. Overall—due in no small part to the fees paid to screenwriter Edward Albee (1928-2016) and Taylor—the film 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' became the most expensive black-and-white film in history, costing $7.5 million to produce.
The film was edited by Mike Nichols and Sam Austin. They worked from 5 a.m. until late into the night, and Sam Austin once even fainted from exhaustion. In general, by his own admission, he was 'like a somnambulist' and worked on autopilot. This continued for an entire month, with sound mixing still to come, but studio bosses would not allow Nichols to handle that. Austin did everything alone, and then every evening he would call Nichols and let him listen to the progress through the phone receiver, taking Nichols' requests and advice regarding the sound design.
According to Mike Nichols, the film's screenwriter and producer Ernest Lehman (1915-2005) wrote a different ending for the movie, in which the son of George and Martha (played by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, respectively) had committed suicide several years before the events described. Nichols refused to film such an ending.