I don't get it!

I expected to watch this film for 10 minutes at the most. I was certain it wasn't something I'd be interested in. During that 10 minutes the characters were amusingly intriguing and I found the rest of the film to be entertaining, complex and thought-provoking. I found it disturbing, as well, because of certain realistic human traits covered in the film.


Mag, Darling, you're being a bore.

[deleted]

I can totally get why people would not like this film.
The first time I watched WAOVW is obliterated me in a way few films ever have. It is a horrific display. But I think it is a classic and it's one of my favorite films ever. It's a completely astounding debut for Mike Nichols. The camera work and the cinematography in this film are an absolute feast for the eyes.

I can relate to some criticism of Taylor's earlier work. I think the comment I hear most is she was a "professional". What people really mean by that is: she showed up on time, remembered her lines, was nice to the other actors and did what she was told by the studio but she was never anything special.
However she is the only person I can imagine as Maggie The Cat which I think is her second greatest performance behind Martha. But even Maggie is not the complete departure from self that Martha is.
Liz as Martha is one of the greatest things I have ever seen an actor do. She is completely lost in Martha. It is a mind blowing performance. Everyone is just trying to keep up with her in this film IMO. I really liked Dennis and Burton as well. (I thought Segal was good but not quite the powerhouses of the others) but Taylor is out of her mind good in this.

If you have not read it check out a book called Pictures At A Revolution by Mark Harris. It's a fantastic look at the period of transition that was the 60's.
I unfortunately do not share your view of the 70's. I think the 70's is the most self absorbed narcissistic cocaine fueled gratuitous crap fest of a decade of film in all history. But to each his own.
There would never have been the films of the seventies if not for films like WAOVW that helped end the production code. This film and others at the end of the 60s paved the way for the films of the 70's which in my opinion, generally speaking, did not use their new found freedom very wisely.

I'm so happy I'm not the only one who didn't get the hype around this movie. As I motor through the Top 250, I can honestly say that this was one film I disliked immensely.

Maybe back in the 60s it was considered cutting edge? Don't know.

I am not a big fan of this movie either, altho the acting was decent. The main reason this movie got made to begin with, tho, was because of the source material. It was a very popular play, and it was probably inevitable that a movie version was going to be made. I wouldn't call the 60s an 'awkward' decade, so much as kind of 'schizo'. If you read "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls", you will get a sense of why so many of the movies of the early to mid sixties were relatively clean, old-fashioned fare. It's because they were being produced by the 'old guard' studio heads, who were neither young nor paying much attention to what the young folks of the 60s were eager to see. Movies like "The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde" were the first to really reflect products of the sexual and cultural mores of their time.

'but I have never liked Liz Taylor in anything and I think she is the most overrated actress in history.'
--------------------
I know what you mean. It's like Jane Fonda also. The actresses' looks and movie-star status causes the overpraise.

I get it, its a movie about the intolerable cruelty that couples inflict upon each other and others when they stumble into their chaotically dysfunctional lives.

burton and taylor are great but I agree this movie is uncomfortable to watch.after a half hour I quit watching any longer and i would have started drinking.