What it’s about
College history professor George (Burton) and his insufferable wife, Martha (Taylor), have invited over a young couple, new faculty member Nick (Segal) and his childlike spouse, Honey (Dennis). Making a contact sport out of trading hurtful barbs, George and Martha snap at each other constantly. As the night wears on, the bitter contretemps between the squabbling pair gets progressively uglier-especially when the blowsy, gin-soaked Martha mentions the couple's “son.”
Why we love it
An often agonizing, hilariously warped study of marital dysfunction, “Woolf” was the brainchild of first-time director Mike Nichols (who went on to make “The Graduate”) and Ernest Lehman, who adapted Edward Albee's scabrous play. Nasty, vicious, and drenched in venomous wit, this is the ultimate Taylor-Burton collaboration, with plenty of ugly, soul-baring accusations to go around. Segal and Oscar winner Dennis make perfect counterpoints as the naïve young couple sucked into a nightmarish evening of “fun and games.”