Good start, but then it gets ruined

Fantastic!

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

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.

I'm a big Bette Davis fan but for the life of me I can't understand how anyone can see this as a triumph or one of her best.Saying this film is great is like saying the nazi's were just kidding around. How anyone can like a film where this character she plays is this nasty and miserable is beyond my comprehension. I mean I know this is simply for entertainment value but god almighty, where is this a good film? Ms. Davis plays a matriarchal character who has a son who has a transvestite fetish and proceeds to get caught stealing some womans undies. He tries to get away but he's leaves his brothers car behind cause he cant find the keys. The mother proceeds to tell the other son, who owns the car, that she will turn him into the police because she doesn't want him to go to Canada. What a Mother.The son with the car is so scared of his mother that it's just pathetic. She finally proceeds to tell him in the end that she never loved/liked him so he goes off with is wife, who hates the mother more than anyone, to Canada. The mother proceeds to call her lawyer to tell her she's filing a $5,000 suit against them and to also call immigration on them before they go to Canada. What a mother.The last son brings home a future bride who the mother doesn't take too kindly too much the girl stands her ground. Then the mother proceeds to see the future brides ears and endlessly harps on those viciously. To get back at his mother the last son convinces his future bride to have sex in his mothers bed. The mother leaves her glass eye(dear ole mom has one eye BTW) under her pillow and the future bride finds it, and almost has a miscarriage where the response by dear ole mom is...oh well, didn't want her to have it any way.How can anyone like this? I mean this film is decently made and casting isn't too bad but geez, how could anyone root for someone this cruel?

It's highly unlikely that anyone nowadays would remember seeing the original London stage play with Mona Washbourne in the Bette Davis part. However, those who did so will tell you that Mona was far more effective in the main role than Bette, who just flew over to the UK to do her Big Hollywood Movie Star thing. Most of the rest of the cast were in the original stage production so just give their theatre performances. Indeed, the play's origins are emphasised throughout by the lack of any background music. This, plus the lack of any kind of filmic "style", makes for a disappointing movie, though Bette's fans will doubtless relish her occasional bravura moments.

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")