This masterpiece, directed by Mike Nichols and written by Ernst Lehman, transports us into the lives of a married couple and the detailed, intricate mind games which they play with one another. The tension and violence is palpable, a persistent tone that consumes the viewer with exquisite dialogue and brilliant dramatic interpretations by both Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The movie develops almost entirely in the same set in one single shot following the couple and their unsuspecting guests throughout one very long night.
Elizabeth Taylor performs as Martha, daughter of the head of the university in which her husband George (Richard Burton) works. Together they get home after a party hosted by Martha's father and immediately the implicit tension between the two begins to unravel. There is a power play between them as Martha verbally abuses George in a passive aggressive manner and ridicules him when he becomes irritated. She tells George she's invited a young new professor and his wife for a night cap and George, previously oblivious to Martha's invitation, is furious.
Both are fairly inebriated when their unsuspecting guests arrive. They are a recently married young couple named Nick and Honey played by George Segal and Sandy Dennis. The moment they arrive at Martha and George's home they become pawns in their sick and twisted game. The story develops itself deeper into the psychological war between both Martha and George and we are slowly revealed the reason behind their ire. Martha is ultimately disappointed in George and his lack of "ambition" as well as his impotence which has made it impossible for them to have children. None of these "problems" are exclusive to our protagonists, in fact, one could argue their presence at the heart of most marriages since in a word both can be summed up as disappointment.
I saw this movie for the first time when I was 16 years old and felt deeply disturbed. It framed and materialized a truth which I might have been too afraid to admit to myself at that age; life is a game. Not a game of checkers but a game of chess, a never ending, never escaping, exhausting and all encompassing game which ends in death. Interpersonal relationships, which inevitably extend unto everything that is life, are a playing field and your success in life and love depends on how well you move your pieces. We are the generals of our lives and the moment we encounter another person there is an implicit war between the two. Granted this is a very pessimistic way of looking at life but like B.F. Skinner said in Beyond Freedom and Dignity "war is created in the minds of men, there is something suicidal in man, a death instinct". The love that exists between Martha and George could not exist without the hate they feel as well. It is that "death instinct" which moves us to play, to create, to live and to love.
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