Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 60th Anniversary!

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is coming to the Paramount and Stateside Theatres on Saturday, August 15, as part of the Paramount Summer Classic Film Series. It's a 60th anniversary screening of the 1966 black-and-white film, which adapts Edward Albee's stage play. The movie runs 131 minutes, so it's a full afternoon session.

If you haven't seen it, the film is built around the real-life married couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who star as the central pair. They're joined by George Segal and Sandy Dennis in a story that's essentially one long, booze-soaked night of two couples tearing into each other. It was billed as one of the most controversial films ever released, and that reputation comes from the dialogue—sharp, cruel, and barely held together by the social graces of the characters. The cinematography is starkly beautiful in black and white, and the script left the censors out fishing.

It's a heavy lift of a movie, but seeing it on a big screen is a different experience than watching it at home. The whole thing is a study in how two people can use words as weapons, and having Taylor and Burton—who were married in real life—at the center of it adds a layer that's hard to shake. It's a long one, so come prepared for a few hours of high-tension conversation.

Doors open at 2 PM and the show starts at 3 PM at the Paramount and Stateside Theatres, with the screening taking place at The State Theatre. It's a Saturday afternoon matinee, so you'll be out well before dinner.