The 1966 classic dark comedy “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” will play at 7 p.m. Friday at the IU Cinema.
This movie, an adaptation of a play by Edward Albee, depicts a dinner scene in which a professor and his wife argue in front of, and eventually with, their dinner guests. The professor is played by Richard Burton and the wife by legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor.
The screening of this film is a part of the Dastardly Dinners film series currently conducted by the IU Cinema. In this series, the cinema is showing movies that center around uncomfortable, terrifying or disgruntling dinner scenes.
Previous films shown in this series are “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover,” “The House on Haunted Hill” and “Rope.”
Brittany Friesner, associate director for IU Cinema, said she wanted to include “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” in the series because is it a dark comedy centered around a dinner party, and she personally appreciates the way the film makes people think.
“I like programming films that push audiences, films that can make you laugh while contemplating serious issues, especially regarding how humans relate to one another emotionally,” she said.
This film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won five. These wins include Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography: Black-and-White, Best Costume Design: Black-and-White and Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration: Black-and-White.
Friesner said people should attend the screening because of the impressive performances and intriguing story in the film.
“I appreciate the film for its brutality, biting wit and brashness,” she said. “The entire film is an exercise is not being afraid to go there.”
Tickets for this screening are $4 and are available online or at the door.
