The Anniversary (1968) User Reviews

Happy Anniversary, Mrs. Taggart.

[nycritic · 7/10 · 27 June 2004]

Bette Davis has a field day as the manipulative, central character in this macabre domestic black comedy from Hammer. Here she plays Mrs Taggart, a monster mother who every year celebrates her husband's death by throwing a dinner party which all of her sons must attend. There is a vague similarity to The Lion in Winter in which another dysfunctional family convenes and plot against one another (and against their devious mother, played majestically by Katharine Hepburn), but this one has a few aces up its sleeve, one involving a glass eye that makes a shocking appearance midway.

The entire concept is a tad far-fetched. One would ask, can't these grown men with wives stand up to this woman and just not go? It's not like she is holding them hostage with a gun to their heads. But guilt-trips go a long way, and when you add that to a family with unhealthy ties it all makes sense. It's this underlying tone of darker waters that take The Anniversary a step up from a conventional Gothic potboiler and one can see a seminal link to future films such as August: Osage County. Of the movies Bette Davis made towards the twilight of her career, this one is a minor standout.

For pop culture enthusiasts, The Anniversary served as a template for the Mexican telenovela Cuna de Lobos, itself a complete reworking of this film.

"My dear, would you mind sitting somewhere else? Body odor offends me."

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 26 May 2006]

Quite simply, Bette Davis dominates every scene and every aspect of The Anniversary. If you don't like Bette Davis, you'd be wise to skip this one altogether. Davis plays Mrs. Taggart, the overbearing mother to three sons. She controls every aspect of their lives. They cannot make a move without her approval. And if she doesn't approve, she's not above ruining one of her sons if it suits her selfish purposes. The Anniversary covers the events surrounding the annual celebration of Mrs. Taggart's wedding anniversary to the late Mr. Taggart. It's Mrs. Taggart's day and she lets everyone know it. She uses this event to cement her control over her sons by threatening financial ruin, jail, and/or public humiliation and by degrading them and their significant others.

Bette Davis is in fine form in The Anniversary. She's evil, vindictive, manipulative, and a ton of fun. She chews scenery like nobody's business. The rest of the cast is good, but they are no match for Ms. Davis. Some of the comments she makes to her youngest son's new fiancé are unbelievable. One of the best is when she quite casually tells the girl, "My dear, would you mind sitting somewhere else? Body odor offends me." Another priceless example is Mrs. Taggart's reaction to the frightened fiancé when she discovers Mrs. Taggart's glass eye in her bed. I don't know of many actresses who could pull-off being so rude and just plain evil and still have the viewer rooting for them.

Hammer Studios made this incredibly black comedy during the 60s when a lot of aging female stars were taking roles in horror movies. The Anniversary may not be a horror film, but it's certainly not the norm you would expect for someone like Bette Davis. I don't know how The Anniversary did financially upon release, but it's the kind of movie I would have liked to have seen Hammer making more of in the late 60, early 70s. Who knows? It might have saved the company.

The incomparable Bette

[wisewebwoman · 7/10 · 19 October 2007]

plays Mrs. Taggart, the controlling and manipulative mother to three sons. She oversees every aspect of their lives, the family business - which she owns outright - employs them and she works hard at scaring away any woman they bring into the family.

The Anniversary is the annual celebration of Mrs. Taggart's wedding anniversary to the boys' dead father. A macabre event in itself it is made more horrendous by her constant belittling of her sons, their women and her grandchildren. They are all targets of her caustic wit and cruelty.

Bette Davis is her usual glorious self in the starring role. Wonderfully gowned and housed with a matching eye-patch, she steals every scene she is in with flair and drawl, withering all including her grandchildren - all mere fodder for her verbal cannonballs.

And the ending is quite a surprise. Wait for it! 7 out of 10.

Wickedly funny!

[verna55 · 27 November 2000]

This engaging dark comedy stars the incomparable Bette Davis in one of her best latter-day screen roles as a merciless one-eyed mother who uses wedding anniversary(although her husband has been dead for quite some time) as an excuse to lure her spineless sons into her lair and demonstrate her strange hold over them. This year is a particular feast for the mother when the youngest, a somewhat promiscuous chap, announces that he's going to settle down and get married. And better yet, the eldest and most spineless of the brood discloses that he will be moving out of the country so mumsy will leave him alone once and for all. Will things turn out as planned? You"ll just have to find out yourself when you watch this stylish, darkly witty, and perversely entertaining tale that could have been written especially for its star.

Dark Humor at Best

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 6 October 2008]

On the celebration of the anniversary of Mrs. Taggart (Bette Davis), her three dominated sons come to her house for the dinner party. Terry (Jack Hedley), Henry (James Cossins) and Tom Taggart (Christian Roberts) work in construction, in a business that belonged to their father and is presently managed by their manipulative mother. Tom brings his pregnant fiancée Shirley Blair (Elaine Taylor) to tell his mother that they will marry each other; Terry brings his wife Karen Taggart (Sheila Hancock) and they secretly intend to emigrate to Canada; and Henry is gay and loves to wear women's underwear. During the night, the mean Mrs. Taggart uses the most despicable means and tricks to get rid off Shirley and Terry and keep her sons close to her.

The theatrical "The Anniversary" is certainly among the darkest comedies I have ever seen. This is the first time I see this movie, and I immediately recalled the polemic "Festen" that now I can see was visibly inspired in the idea of "The Anniversary". Bette Davis is awesome, giving another stunning performance in the role of the wicked Mrs. Taggart. Her witty lines are cruel, manipulating her sons as if they were puppets. The rest of the cast is also excellent, giving the necessary support to highlight the presence of Mrs. Davis. If the viewer likes black humor, he or she will certainly love this little gem. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Aniversário" ("The Anniversary")

Happy Anniversary!

[brefane · 7/10 · 31 August 2012]

This 1968 black comedy was the last film in which Davis dominated with her legendary persona. In a sense it is the last "Bette Davis" film. Whales of August, Burnt Offerings, and Death on the Nile followed, but the part of Mrs Taggart, a domineering widow complete with eye-patch, is pure Davis and she has a field day, making this film an absolute must for her fans. Though it's stage origins show, and the film doesn't really begin until Davis makes her entrance, it is an entertaining comedy with an excellent supporting cast, funny, bitchy, dialog, absurdest humor and a tone similar to Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? and The Lion in Winter both of which began as plays. The prolific Roy Ward Baker who directed everything from a Night to Remember(1958) to The Vampire Lovers (1970) is not a visionary; the direction, editing, camera placement and set design are all adequate, but just imagine what Almodovar would do with this material!

Hammer deliver a perfectly pitched black comedy!

[The_Void · 9/10 · 21 June 2006]

Hammer studios are, of course, most famous for their horror productions; but the studio also gave us a number of films from other genres, and The Anniversary is a huge non-horror highlight! This camp and perfectly pitched black comedy is directed by one of the studio's heavyweight directors, Roy Ward Baker and is probably most famous for the fact that it stars the great Bette Davis in the sort of role that made her famous. However, the positive elements don't end there as The Anniversary benefits from a strong script and a varied array of characters that ensure the action is always entertaining and filled with tension. The film is an obvious inspiration for modern hits such as the Danish 'Festen', and works due its claustrophobic setting and well drawn characters. The central plot is brilliantly simple, and follows a family gathering for the anniversary of an overbearing mother and her late husband. She demands the presence of her three sons; a shy cross-dresser, a henpecked father of five and a careless youth who brings a different fiancé to meet his mother every year - and proceeds to rip them to pieces.

Bette Davis is undoubtedly the lead star of this production, and she completely controls every scene she's in; thus giving a huge compliment to the support cast, who all give realistic and interesting performances. Sheila Hancock, Jack Hedley, James Cossins, Christian Roberts and Elaine Taylor provide perfect support for Davis, and the combined cast give credibility to a script that could have ended up giving way to a comical film. The film is based on a stage play by Bill MacIlwraith, and perhaps the best thing about his writing is the way he manages to bring out traits from the vindictive matriarch in all three of her sons. As you'd expect, it's Bette Davis who gets the best lines and seeing the great actress have fun delivering them is brilliantly entertaining and ensures that the black comedy elements always shine through. The central setting - the parental home - makes up the backbone of the story and is an ingenious place for the story to take place, as we're always aware that the support characters are very much in Davis' domain and the fact that most of the action takes place under one roof means that claustrophobia is a big part of the story. This film may be avoided by some Hammer fans who are only interested in the horror - but it really shouldn't be. I don't hesitate to name this as one of the very best films Hammer ever made and it comes highly recommended to all!

Theatre of Cruelty 101

[benoit-3 · 6/10 · 21 April 2006]

This 1967 film was made to exploit Bette Davis' name and status as an American scary movie hag. The play it's based on, although reportedly successful, cannot have been very original. It looks like a tired retread of British "theatre of cruelty" conventions that were considered daring in the fifties, downgraded and bowdlerized here to a mere comedy of bad manners. The idea of a diabolically and flamboyantly domineering matriarch was also contained in "The Lion in Winter" , which at least had the excuse of being a historical drama. The message, if there is one, is that middle class values are a sham, motherhood can be a prison (for the children) and we should all work for social change. Well, sort of... But it's mostly about making fun of mother, that old b*tch, and plotting revenge. As such, it is pure camp, without justification or background philosophy. Bette Davis does a good impersonation of herself and is surrounded by what appears, at first glance, to be alumni of the "Carry On" series. The R1 DVD shows a clear picture, brilliant colours, good sound and a middling bitrate.

A Flawless Collector's Item!!!!!!!!!!

[RaiderJack · 10/10 · 21 May 2007]

This is probably one of the all-time BEST performances by Bette Davis you will ever see. As I understand it, this is not easy to find and if you are a true Bette Davis fan, you simply MUST have this! The simple plot revolves around Ms Taggert's (Bette Davis) yearly tradition of celebrating her wedding anniversary even though her husband has been dead quite some time. Not only does she insist on commemorating the occasion but DEMANDS that her sons, ALL of whom have their own issues with Mother Dear, attend along with their respective families. Then Bette proceeds to tear into them unmercifully because she knows they will put up with it all for the sake of good ol' moola! Knowing this, Bette pulls no punches and delivers one of the funniest, most brutal, scathing, lowdown, and over-the-top CLASSIC performances in film history.

This is vintage Bette. Trust me. No Bull. You simply MUST see this! It is just a stitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Truly ghastly

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 11 April 2016]

Trust Hammer to make one of their most ghastly movies a black comedy with not a trace of horror in sight. This entire production is centred around a ghoulish performance from a barnstorming Bette Davis as the matriarch of a rich family. The family are brought together to celebrate the wedding anniversary between Davis and her late husband, and as the night goes on everybody's dark secrets are gradually revealed with skeletons dropping out of closets all over the place.

Roy Ward Baker's superior direction keeps what is in essence a single location film moving along nicely. This would have worked well as a stage play as for 90% of the running time we get Davis going around and dominating the screen in being absolutely horrible to everybody. As such, few of the other cast members get much of a look in, but nobody puts a foot wrong here. There are many genuinely funny moments throughout, particularly in Davis's put-downs, and a darkness of touch which is surprising given that this is a family friendly production.

"Clobbered into silence at last!" .. "No, she's up to something."

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 18 June 2016]

Widowed construction czar keeps her three grown sons (one a husband and father, another recently engaged, and the third a cross-dresser) squirming under her thumb--but on the anniversary of her marriage to their father, the daughter-in-law and the fiancée attempt to trump the queen bee. Well-produced and directed adaptation of Bill MacIlwraith's play is predictably stagy but also quite lively, with claws out. Bette Davis (in an eyepatch!) was poised to tear down the scenery in the leading role, yet she's more than just a camp monstrosity here. One would be hard-pressed to say that Davis brings dimension and shading to her domineering tyrant, however she does give us a maniacally clever, tightly-wound woman, and it's a memorable portrait. The supporting cast is equally good, and some of the dialogue has bite, however these selfish, repulsive people eventually wear out their welcome. ** from ****

Davis at her most acidic.

[meathookcinema · 8/10 · 8 July 2021]

Even though her husband popped his clogs some ten years before, Mrs Taggart still makes an occasion of her wedding anniversary to him by making sure that her sons join her at the family home so they can celebrate together.

The build up to the event sees her sons describing her as akin to a force of nature that can't be controlled and as a fierce matriarch. This seems fitting when she finally makes her entrance on screen as she is played by none other than Bette Davis who is on flying form and attacks her role with relish. Not just that but she has a fantastic wardrobe topped off with an eye patch!

It's obvious that Mrs Taggart will keep her boys in place by means necessary whether it be manipulation, knowing secrets that her sons would rather be kept private to be used at any given moment like some kind of trump card that she keeps up her sequinned sleeves and by finding any weaknesses that her sons or their partners possess.

It's fitting that this film was made by Hammer Films as whilst on the surface it's a very black comedy, it also works as a horror film with Davis demolishing all around her like a very stylish and catty version of Godzilla.

The tone here is high camp which is why it works so well. If this was presented as more serious it wouldn't have been half as much fun and Davis would have been wasted.

Davis didn't want to take the role but only changed her mind when her friend Jimmy Sangster rewrote the script for the screen from the stage version. Sangster had penned the excellent screenplay for Davis' earlier film, The Nanny (also highly recommended).

There was also animosity between cast members with 'serious stage actress' Sheila Hancock witnessing the way Davis was pampered over and given the attention deserving of a star of her stature and being utterly alienated by it. C'est la vie.

A decent dose of wicked fun.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 16 January 2012]

Screen legend Bette Davis, working again for Britain's Hammer Studios after 1965's "The Nanny", gets a part here that she can really sink her teeth into, and does, in this often quite amusing dark comedy, scripted and produced by Jimmy Sangster, that is based on the play by Bill MacIlwraith. Davis plays Mrs. Taggart, matriarch of a family in the construction business, whose put-upon sons gather for her 40th anniversary, which is still celebrated even though her husband has passed on. Two of the men, Henry (James Cossins) and Terry (Jack Hedley) are rather meek; Henry has a penchant for stealing ladies' underwear and wearing womens' clothes, and Terry is dominated just as much by his wife Karen (Sheila Hancock) as he is by his mom. The youngest, Tom (Christian Roberts) is substantially more carefree and brings his fiancée Shirley (the stunning Elaine Taylor) along to this anniversary. One can see this movie's roots in the stage with the way it basically revolves around its dialogue and acting. And it takes really good acting and writing to hold one's attention in such circumstances, and fortunately "The Anniversary" does satisfy in that respect. The dialogue is frequently, devastatingly biting and sardonic, and the actors do really seem to delight in it, especially Davis. The biggest key to why the movie works as well as it does is the whole nature of the Mrs. Taggart character - ultimately, we can see that it's impossible to keep this lady down for very long. She's on to the others' secrets more than they realize, and can quickly shift gears or provide a revelation of her own if it looks like someone else has her on the ropes. Even at the end, we see how she can continue to stay in control, and manipulate all of her kin like so many puppets. It's also good fun to see the various revelations play out and characters' reactions to them. It drags a little at times, but always comes up with another delicious exchange of dialogue. Also indicative of the stage origin is how few locations there are; the majority of the scenes take place inside the Taggart home. Davis truly leaps off the screen, especially when she's decked out in red dress and eye patch. But that's not to say that the rest of the cast doesn't do fine work as they all have their good moments and hold their own opposite this iconic actress. "The Anniversary" definitely stands out among Hammer's output and is well worth watching for fans. Seven out of 10.

Totally pointless

[d_m_s · 1/10 · 17 July 2021]

A mean old woman and her three idiotic children gather for the anniversary of the death of the husband/father.

Bette Davis spends the entire film criticising, belittling and playing psychological games with her 3 children, resulting in them hating her and themselves. That really is all it is and at the end you wonder what was the point of all that?

Momma Cyclops is Off & Running

[Boyo-2 · 9 March 2001]

Today this movie would never be made, simply cause there is no star that can handle it. Its a shame, really. Its not that the movie is so magnificent or anything, its just so dominated by the leading lady that you can't imagine how it would be done today, if at all, and with who? Faye Dunaway? She's still living down "Mommie Dearest", twenty years later. Anne Bancroft? She's not hateful and lovable at the same time and not an icon. Davis could play a monster yet keep her fans and probably gain more as a result of playful movies like this.

All the real stars are gone, and watching this makes that painfully obvious.

Bette Davis devours the rest of the cast, and doesn't even bother spitting them out. And all we can do it watch and enjoy. No true fan of hers can do without this.

Davis goes into overdrive in nightmare-family farce

[petrelet · 7/10 · 5 April 2015]

This film adapts one of those "family members at each others' throats" stage plays. One can compare it with "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" - but it doesn't have the tragic depth that "Woolf" has. But it's enjoyable on a sort of cathartic level. Most of us have, I think, had to stifle many unpleasant and devastating (so we imagine they would be) insults, verbal attacks, and nastier pranks and threats that we imagine hurling at our family members in response to their perceived offenses against us, which we cannot launch because we are too decent or too inhibited to do so. Well, none of these characters are; in particular, the matriarch, Mrs. Taggart, played by Bette Davis as sort of a cousin of the Snow Queen in Narnia, but with much more of a sense that she is enjoying herself immensely. Really I think Davis was consciously trying to set a benchmark against which all other narcissistic tyrant moms in the later history of the cinema must be compared.

Mrs. Taggart has not so much raised as trained her three now-adult sons to play the roles she wants them to play in her construction business and in the family. I use the word "trained" in the animal- training sense, or perhaps in the sense one uses to describe the way that ivy is induced to grow on a trellis, or bonsai trees are constrained to grow in a little twisted way. Today they come to the house, per annual ritual, in observance of the anniversary of her marriage to her long-deceased husband. But it is just another way of it being "her day". As if any of the other days of the year belonged anyone else in the family.

One has brought his wife, and another a new fiancée, who may be of help in plans or fantasies of escape or rebellion. The eldest son is unmarried, subject to "perversion" - this 1968 portrayal is far from what we would want written today, and yet the ways he chooses to enact his preferences are so risky and transgressive that they make me wonder if on some level he isn't trying to go to prison to get away from Mother.

The thing that makes this farce rather than tragedy, I think, is that the level of witty verbal bloodshed is so extreme that we are spared the duty of suspension of disbelief. We don't believe that this is a movie about real people with a history. It is more like a Punch and Judy show, or like some "Twilight Zone" episodes you can think of with twisted patriarchs. And that in turn puts us off from wondering how it is that after years of this nobody has actually left. Anyway, I don't think this movie actually leaves us with a lot of new wisdom about dysfunctional families, but not every movie has to be a classic in that sense. It does what it is trying to do very well.

6.9/10. Recommended

[athanasiosze · 7/10 · 28 November 2023]

A friend of mine recommended this. His taste in movies is, let's say, controversial, so my expectations were kinda low. Indeed, this is not amongst the best dark comedy movies i have ever watched. I didn't mind it was far fetched, this is the "nature" of dark comedies, everything is a bit exaggerated. Problem is, it feels forced. Actors' lines don't seem natural, this was too theatrical, it was like the actors screaming their lines waiting applause from the audience.

Having said that, this was still a delight. Davis was magnetic, Elaine Taylor was beautiful and the other actors were good. I enjoyed every second of it, there were some nice twists and turns, nothing mindblowing though. For sure, i have watched far better dark comedies than this, however i am glad i watched it, too. Every fan of this genre should not miss it.

What you see in Bette is what you get

[theowinthrop · 8/10 · 4 September 2006]

It's my favorite Davis performance post-BABY JANE among her horror films. THE ANNIVERSARY, with Bette as the evil but grand Mrs. Taggert. From the moment the film begins she is constantly in control, even in those scenes where she is not physically appearing.

It is her wedding anniversary, and her three sons and the wife of one and the current girlfriend of another are in attendance. And in the course of the ninety minutes of the film, no matter what attempts to put Mrs. Taggart into her place or at least into a more reasonable frame of mind, she comes up trumps in making them feel like garbage. To be fair Mrs. Taggart has some grounds to be so vile - her missing eye is due to the antics of her sons. But even so, she takes bad behavior to a new level.

I have a sneaking suspicion, giving the devilish charm she brought to the role, Davis enjoyed this film. She was (despite her denials) a very difficult woman to get along with, and probably enjoyed how her character totally dominates this film. But it's done with such panache. Look at how she notes her youngest son's girlfriend (a cute looking blonde) has a secret physical defect that she uses her hair to hide. And she does so accidentally reveal it to the entire family.

Nobody escapes her witchery. In the course of the film she is getting some tiresome phone calls from one of her tenants about the work she did in constructing his house. She is as sweet as molasses in calming him down, but once she has hung up she tells her oldest son that they use a third rate repairman to fix the tenant's problem. Indeed, the last sequence in the film, when Bette passes a fountain that is of a male figure who shoots out water in a "unique" manner shows Mrs. Taggert's view of how the world should be treated.

Bette Davis is delightful as a cruel and sadistic character... again

[vampire_hounddog · 7/10 · 9 October 2020]

A family gather for the anniversary of their father's death and is led by their cruel and domineering one eyed mother (Bette Davis) who constantly gets pleasure in emotionally blackmailing her children.

Written and produced by Jimmy Sangster from a play by Bill McIlwraith, this film is part thriller drama and part black comedy in yet another post-WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1963) thriller that Davis seemed to be mostly be landing through the 1960s. Indeed, Davis is fantastic and once again seems to be relishing her role in her second film for Hammer (the first being THE NANNY, 1965) while everyone else other than the excellent Sheila Hancock seem to play second fiddle to Davis. James Cossins is also funny as the cross dressing perverted son.

A Collector's Item!!!!

[jack-115-853599 · 10/10 · 22 August 2013]

This is probably one of the all-time BEST performances by Bette Davis you will ever see. As I understand it, this is not easy to find and if you are a true Bette Davis fan, you simply MUST have this! The simple plot revolves around Ms Taggert's (Bette Davis) yearly tradition of celebrating her wedding anniversary even though her husband has been dead quite some time. Not only does she insist on commemorating the occasion but DEMANDS that her sons, ALL of whom have their own issues with Mother Dear, attend along with their respective families. Then Bette proceeds to tear into them unmercifully because she knows they will put up with it all for the sake of good ol' moola! Knowing this, Bette pulls no punches and delivers one of the funniest, most brutal, scathing, lowdown, and over-the-top CLASSIC performances in film history.

This is vintage Bette. Trust me. No Bull. You simply MUST see this! It is just a stitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Taggart tag along...

[dbdumonteil · 5/10 · 3 March 2007]

"Whatever happened to baby Jane" was a turning point in Bette Davis's career."Hush hush sweet Charlotte "was almost as good ,and she got first-class support from De Havilland,Cotten and Moorehead.With "the nanny" ,and without a Robert Aldrich to direct,the formula began to wear thin."The nanny" is an interesting work for fantasy and horror buffs though.

I expected much of "the anniversary" probably too much.This movie comes one or two decades too late.All we see on the screen ,Tennessee Williams had invented it long before ,with his classy plays such as "the cat on the hot tin roof" and "suddenly last Summer" .Is there only a director here?It's so talky that it looks like a bad filmed stage production.One-eyed Davis overacts (why do you suppose she's like that?don't worry,you will find out) and as she has no Crawford or De Havilland to counterbalance ,she becomes a caricature of herself.

There are so many films where Davis is brilliant! Why would you chose this one among all her awesome filmography?

Not a USA location.

[plan99 · 8/10 · 11 February 2021]

I have been aware of this film for many years, an image Bette Davis wearing an eye patch being burned into my memory. As she was the star I was surprised that the film was not set in the USA but in the UK, I try to avoid reading about a film before I have seen it. I'm glad that I finally got around to watching it, although it's very much of its time most should enjoy it even now.

Run for the hills

[Davalon-Davalon · 1/10 · 6 October 2017]

I have been a huge Bette Davis fan for as long as I can remember. I had seen almost all of her films, but when this one popped up on a choice of possible rentals, I thought, "Oh, I must add this one to the list."

Wrong.

It is incomprehensible to me why Bette agreed to do this POS. It is beyond awful. Yes, there are funny lines throughout; it's what one might call a "black comedy." But from the beginning to end, the production values are so incredibly cheap that my main thought was "Bette must have been desperate."

From the quality of the film, to the lighting, to the ghastly, hideous "locations," to the "story," everything was wrong. My husband and I decided that a baboon could have shot a better movie than this.

Since this was originally a play, apparently the powers that be felt it should also be a play on screen. People stand in one place for a long time. The "shocking moments" (the older brother playing "dress up" and the young fiancée finding Bette's glass eye in bed) are not seen, only screamed at.

For inexplicable reasons, there is a stuffed cockatoo in the garden... because...?

Then... watch Bette as she sets off firecrackers!

Watch people scream and shout at each other and walk from room to room!

As others have pointed out, this film was surely a must-see for any budding female impersonator who wanted to hone his "Bette" skills. It's all there: the big eyes! (or in this case, "eye"), the grand, sweeping, over-the-top sashaying , the scenery chewing, the hard, staccato delivery, the hideous tight wigs!

There is not one redeemable moment in this whole film. Not a single person is likable nor could you relate to any of them -- unless you are deficient in character.

Watching this was like having an awful meal; you've paid for it, you suffer through it, you ask yourself why you did it, you are haunted by it, and for the rest of your life it will float to the top of your memory banks, jeering at you, reminding you of how stupid you were to participate in it.

I am fairly certain this is the worst "film" I have ever seen.

If you love Bette Davis, like I used to, do yourself a favor and do not ever, ever, ever watch this pathetic, horrible, insulting POS. You are missing nothing , unless you like watching garbage for two hours.

Do you laugh or cry?

[sadie_thompson · 22 October 2003]

My mother thought this film was hilarious, while my father thought it was a gruesome depiction of how awful people can be. I think it's both. I laughed so hard, but I felt bad about it later.

This movie is warped. The characters are warped. It's a weird trip that makes me think Tennessee Williams meets "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." We have a set number of people, in the same place, and they just rage at each other for the entire duration of the film. (Speaking of "Virginia Woolf"--Elizabeth Taylor could play Mrs. Taggart in a remake...a diamond studded eyepatch. It would be fabulous.)

It's fortunate that this meeting of the monsters was filmed, as you'll never see so many relentlessly horrible people in one place ever again. Front, center, left, right, and diagonal is the massive one-eyed Mrs. Taggart, who lost her eye in an accident involving one of her children. She's a card, you can tell right off. She has different eye patches to match her outfits--I think that's probably a sign of mental illness. She celebrates her anniversary every year so her delightful children can continue to be stuck in her clutches. When the youngest (who gives Mum the "Pissing Boy") tries to alter tradition, Mrs. Taggart crashes into action. She knows everything about everybody, and it's darned hard to outsmart her. Not that she's all that smart, but she's wicked and quite cunning. She has her blackmail schemes planned to the nth degree.

Additionally, there are several moments designed to disturb. They sort of interrupt the story, but who cares? Leaving your glass eye in strategic places is fun! Mrs. Taggart thinks it is, but she'd probably eat babies if given the chance. And while we're at it, let's not forget the girlfriend with the ears! She's a barrel of laughs.

Best moment--Mrs. Taggart makes her big entrance, as a record plays her song, only to trip on the steps. That describes the movie perfectly. It's like falling down stairs. Funny to some people, but not so entertaining to the people involved.

Bette Davis' tour de force performance after ALL ABOUT EVE

[Casey-52 · 9/10 · 15 August 2000]

The blackest of comedies, this really can't be classified under any specific category because of its stepping into every genre now and then. It's a drama one minute, a comedy the next, with some pieces of horror and mystery thrown in. Usually it's found in the classics section or the horror section, but it can't be put in any specific genre.

Bette Davis is Mrs. Taggart, a one-eyed society matron who keeps a firm grip on her three sons and their lives. Henry (James Cossins), the oldest, has a strong fixation with his mother and does whatever she asks him to do. Terry (Jack Hedley), the middle son, is the one who managed to marry Karen (Sheila Hancock) and have 5 children. Tom (Christian Roberts), the youngest, is secretly engaged to Shirley (Elaine Taylor), a blonde beauty. On each wedding anniversary of her and her late husband, Mrs. Taggart commands that her three sons and their families attend. On every wedding anniversary, it is an endurance test to see who can stand the wraith of the woman This anniversary, Shirley is subjected to what could be the oddest family in all of England.

All of the actors are amazing in their roles. Bette Davis gives what could be her best role after Margot Channing in ALL ABOUT EVE! Jack Hedley, familiar as the police inspector in Lucio Fulci's gory NEW YORK RIPPER, is younger and has his original British voice (dubbed in RIPPER). THE ANNIVERSARY is a wonder to watch. Intelligently written, with enough twists and turns in the plot to give one whiplash, Davis delivers so much venomous dialogue it's a wonder that her co-stars didn't die from poisoning! Every character has secrets that are used as blackmail by Mrs. Taggart, who wouldn't think much of putting her sons in jail.

THE ANNIVERSARY is too much fun to explain in a simple review, so find a copy of this gem and find out for yourself!