Instant Favorite.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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.

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?

When I think of the great Bette Davis films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and then this piece of junk comes along, I shutter.I know that the late Bette always said that work keeps her going, but to subject herself to a dull, poorly written film is beyond the realm of human understanding.Davis is the matriarch of the family. She parades around with a patch in one eye, the result of her child shooting it out years before.Davis completely dominates 3 sons. One is a pervert, the second she pays off to keep his wife forever pregnant and the youngest brings home women who are promptly gotten rid of by the evil Mrs. Taggert (Davis)Of course, Davis gives a good performance. She's Bette Davis! Why do the British always make the most boring films. I know, "Brief Encounter" is the exception. If this had been an American film, it would have been far better.With it all, there is a very good performance by Sheila Hancock as the repressed daughter-in-law who loathes her mother-in-law. Who wouldn't?

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.