The 1966 film adaptation of Edward Albee’s stunning play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, ends with George and Martha clutching each other, while George sings “who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?” As Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) looks off in the general direction of the camera, she answers slowly, “I am, George. I am.” The camera then zooms, until the frame becomes a close-up of Martha’s face. But the zoom doesn’t stop there—it continues, until George’s and Martha’s intertwining hands become the close-up, and then continues to zoom until the nature outside is in focus. Then, roll credits. This ending to the film is one way director Mike Nichols’ film adaptation stays mostly true to the original play, while still finding a way to be cinematic. There’s little doubt that the film version is a successful adaptation, but there were many points in the production process where everything could have fallen apart. The final product was only successful because Nichols (and screenwriter-producer Ernest Lehman) were willing to take risks.
On March 5th, 1964, Warner Brothers purchased the rights to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for $500,000 at the time ($3.8 million now). This was a highly controversial move on the part of Warner Brothers executive, Jack L. Warner, as Who’s Afraid of …show more content…
With its coarse language, limited settings, and general ambiguity, it was not appealing (on the surface) to a mass audience. This, though, made it quite a successful adaptation of the play. To tried to rework the play too much would have been a foolhardy quest. Instead, Nichols and Lehman figured out a way to make it more filmic, adding visual flourishes to moments of rest and allowing the audience to connect closely with characters through close-ups. The result is a terrific adaptation of an already terrific play, bringing the story of Martha and George to more people than Edward Albee could have
On March 5th, 1964, Warner Brothers purchased the rights to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for $500,000 at the time ($3.8 million now). This was a highly controversial move on the part of Warner Brothers executive, Jack L. Warner, as Who’s Afraid of …show more content…
With its coarse language, limited settings, and general ambiguity, it was not appealing (on the surface) to a mass audience. This, though, made it quite a successful adaptation of the play. To tried to rework the play too much would have been a foolhardy quest. Instead, Nichols and Lehman figured out a way to make it more filmic, adding visual flourishes to moments of rest and allowing the audience to connect closely with characters through close-ups. The result is a terrific adaptation of an already terrific play, bringing the story of Martha and George to more people than Edward Albee could have