This entire presentation is copyright © 1968 and © 1999 by William Allin Storrer. Phd. For permission to quote, contact Dr. Storrer at mindalive@storrer.com
To discuss a particular moment or passage in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? it is only necessary to refer to the page number in the Athenaeum, or Pocket Books edition, for purposes of reference. Since there is no published version of Ernest Lehman's screenplay that is readily available to the general public, reference to the full play script is necessary, but does not solve all problems, for Cinewoolf contains sections that have no direct equivalent in Stagwoolf, such as the opening sequence in which credits are presented, and the two sequences that bridge the intermissions of Stagwoolf. Though a dialogue script for Cinewoolf may be constructed from the material of Appendix A, such a script would I account for the three scenes suggested. Thus, the listing that follows, which is used throughout this dissertation, describes the film by sequences, for purposes both of identification and discussion.
This writer has divided Cinewoolf into twenty-one sequences. The-choice Of points of division involved both filmic and dramatic considerations. Wherever the continuity, be it dramatic or filmic, seemed to be sufficiently broken or altered, a new sequence was begun.
The listing gives the sequence number, location, beginning and ending time of sequence, characters in sequence, relevant pages in Stagwoolf for dialogue reference, running time of sequence, average shot length within the sequence as a whole or in parts, and titles of any background music however audible or non-audible it may be.
Sequence One: College campus with Warner Bros. credits superimposed.
0:00-3:42.
(Martha and George)
New film material plus dialogue from page 3. 3:42.
0:37.
"Moon Music and Prelude."
Sequence Two: Hallways kitchen, living room, and lastly, bedroom.
3:42-15:42.
Martha and George.
pp. 3-19.
12:00.
0:20.
Sequence Three: Interior, mostly living room.
15:42-20:48.
All four principals.
pp. 19-30.
5:06.
first 0:09, 0:02, remainder 0:18.
Sequence Four: The same living room.
20:48-28:00.
George and Nick.
pp. 31-42. 7:12.
0:14.4.
Sequence Five: Hall and living room. 28:00-33:42.
George and Nick joined by Honey, then Martha.
pp. 42-54.
5:42.
O:09.
Sequence Six: Living room, hallway and store room.
33:42-35:48.
George alone, and with others.
pp. 54-59.
2:06.
first 1:00, 0::20; remainder 0:03
Sequence Seven: Living room.
35:48-44:12.
All four principals. pp. 59-86.
8:24.
first 7:12, 0:13; remainder 0:08.
Sequence Eight: Living room, hall, porch, yard.
44:12-46:12
Nick, then George.
Intermission between Acts One and Two.
2:00.
0:15.5
"Colloquy."
Sequence Nine: The yard.
46:12-63:42
George and Nick, later Martha in the distance.
pp. 89-117.
17:30.
first 14:15, 0:39; remainder 0:06.
"Bergin."
Sequence Ten: Interior; hallway and environs.
63:42-64:57.
All four principals.
p. 117 plus added dialogue.
1:15.
0:07.5.
Sequence Eleven: Interior and exterior of station wagon, in motion.
64:57-67:12.
All four principals.
pp. 118-126
2:15.
0:07.5.
Sequence Twelve: Interior of roadhouse.
67:12-78:54.
All four principals plus two roadhouse attendants.
pp 126-151, plus added dialogue.
11:42.
first 5:12, 0:09.7; next 0:18, 0:01.7; final 6:12, 0:18.
Sequence Thirteen: Parking lot.
78:54-84:15
Martha and George.
pp. 151-159.
5:21.
0.08.4
Sequence Fourteen: Exteriors of car, roadhouse, and
Martha and George's
84:15-88:27.
George and Honey.
(replaces pp. 159-174)
4 12.
first 0:51, 0.08; remainder 0:33.
"SNAP"
Sequence Fifteen: House exterior, then hallway.
88:27-91:30.
George and Honey.
pp. 174-181.
3:03.
(no detailed 1nformation available).
Sequence Sixteen: The yard.
91:30-97:15.
George, then Martha, then Nick.
page 181 plus intermission between Acts Two and Three plus pp. 185-188.
5:45.
1:55 (final shot is 3:24).
"Martha" and "Prologue- Act II."
Sequence Seventeen: House interior: kitchen.
97:15-102:06.
Martha and Nick.
pp. 188-195.
3:51.
O:14.
"Sad, sad, sad."
Sequence Eighteen: House interior; living room.
102:06-107:00.
Martha, Nick and George.
pp. 195-206.
5:54.
0:10.
Sequence Nineteen: Living room.
107:00-108:42.
Martha and George, then joined by Nick and Honey.
pp. 206-21O.
1:42.
0:15.
Sequence Twenty: Living room.
108:42-122:30.
All four principals.
pp. 210-238.
12:48.
0:09.6.
"Fleece" and "The Party is Over."
Sequence Twenty-one: Living room.
122:30-126:45.
George and Martha.
pp. 239-242.
4:15.
1:25 (final shot is 3:03).
"Sunday, Tomorrow, All Day," (including its extension in variation: "Epilogue").
Timings are based upon a viewing of Cinewoolf 1in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky, January 6, 1968, the Warner Bros. Seven Arts recordings of the complete film play2 and music.3 All timings, except for those of average shot length, rounded off to nearest multiple of three seconds.
Page references identify the relevant section from the play script.4
1. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a Chenault Production produced by Ernest Lehman, screenplay by Ernest Lehman based on the play by Edward Albee, directed by Mike Nichols, with original music by Alex North. (Burbank, California: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts film, 1966). Available in original wide-screen format with the original Theatrical Trailer on Laser Disc 12414 from Warner Home Video.
2. Edward Albee, and Ernest Lehman, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Complete film play. (Burbank, California: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts album B 1657, 1966).
3. Alex North, Original Music from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Burbank, California: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts album BS 1656, 1966).
4. Edward Albee, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (New York: Athenaeum, 1962).