If you had any remaining doubts about the direction that cinema was taking in the '60s, you need only watch Mike Nichols's first two movies. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Graduate" both belie the image of the wholesome family. The former, however, is actually a little more extreme. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor make your blood freeze as couple George and Martha, who use their guests (George Segal and Sandy Dennis) as conduits to vent their hostility towards each other. Seriously, this is one REALLY intense movie.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a masterpiece. There's something a little jarring about people who spend all day drinking and verbally attacking each other. Even so, you really have to admire the acting and the content (which was basically R-rated in that era). Therefore, I recommend the movie, just as long as you understand that this is NOT a film for the fainthearted.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a masterpiece. There's something a little jarring about people who spend all day drinking and verbally attacking each other. Even so, you really have to admire the acting and the content (which was basically R-rated in that era). Therefore, I recommend the movie, just as long as you understand that this is NOT a film for the fainthearted.