"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Remains a Vital Look at Changing Ideals After 50 Years

Left to right: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor

On paper, the concept of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? shouldn't have lead to its huge success with 13 Oscar nominations (5 wins) that also marked it as one of the few films to be nominated in every eligible category. Considering that casting real life couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as the tensest party MC's in film history could make it seem at times autobiographical, it's a miracle that director Mike Nichols' debut works as well as it does. While credit largely should go to the playwright Edward Albee (adapted to film by Ernest Lehman) for making such a captivating story, it's a rich story full of brilliant subtext not only about how relationships and lies can corrupt the psyche, but of the conflicting tides of the post-John F. Kennedy era of America where uncertainty and desperation seemed to run rampant. It's not a masterpiece solely because of its powerhouse dynamic. It's a masterpiece because of its ability to capture something personal about the era that has frankly never gone away after 50 years.

Theory Thursday: "Easy Rider" is Overrated

Scene from Easy Rider

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

R.I.P. Haskell Wexler (1922-2015)

Haskell Wexler

On December 27, 2015, cinematographer Haskell Wexler died in his sleep at his home in Santa Monica, California at the age of 93. Over his long and storied career, he became one of the most influential cinematographers in American film, having revolutionized techniques that were featured in films such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?, In the Heat of the Night, and even as director with Medium Cool. He was a gifted creator who claimed to make time stand still with striking images in films that are still revered to this day. His legacy lives on in his work, and the generation of film makers that he inspired as a result. There isn't likely to be another cinematographer like him, as he changed the world for the better.

R.I.P.Mike Nichols - 1931-2014

Left to right: Leslie Caron and Mike Nichols

There's a lot that can be said about director Mike Nichols' influence on cinema. For starters, his films combined racked up a total of 42 nominations and 7 total wins. Beyond the numbers, his influence is still felt today in a lot of his films, notably The Graduate, which he won Best Director for. That film is important for a lot of reasons, including the Simon & Grafunkel soundtrack which when set to footage of a brooding Dustin Hoffman created the most iconic symbolism of 60's wayward youth. It also helps that the film itself featured bold, risque subject matter that paved the way for 70's New Hollywood movement and redefined the movie soundtrack simultaneously. Even if this is all that he is known for, he would have left an important stamp on film history. However, he was so much more. He was an auteur.