StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

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

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

mjlyl1982 If you are looking to see Bette Davis at her diabolical best later on in her career, look no further. Davis plays the satanic matriarch of a less than perfect family - gathered together for the anniversary of her deceased husband. Davis does a marvellous job of portraying a bitter mother that take pleasure in toying with the lives of her sons, and by proxy, their wives. Watching Davis poke and swipe at her sons and daughter in-laws is akin to watching a cat stalk a bird. This movie is mean, punchy, hilarious and even cloying at times, but definitely worth the watch. You will laugh, you will be angered, you will be shocked. Another Hammer classic. Hope to see this released on Blu-ray soon.

mark.waltz From the moment she makes her entrance, twirling at the top of the stairs to a really bad recording of "The Anniversary Waltz", you know you're in for a campy treat. Complete with eye patch matching her wardrobe (with that uplift at the end of the patch to make it even more noticeable), Bette is the matriarch of a really troubled family who runs a construction business. "Make sure the floor squeaks", she tells her son in regards to an annoying client, then admitting that with the quality of her son's work, it probably would anyway. "Dear, would you mind sitting somewhere else? Body odor offends me!", she tells her youngest son's fiancée shortly before making sure that the girl comes upon her glass eye planted in her bed.Yes, this is a really whacked-out variation of the old play "The Silver Cord", a 1930's tearjerker where the mother kept her sons tied to her with honey for the offspring and vinegar for the women in their life. This is perhaps one of the most obvious "drag performances" of Bette's career, because when imitated, it is the voice you hear in this movie that mimics use. Davis is truly funny in her viciousness, laughing in delight at the little cupid who proceeds to squirt water out of a precarious place when she pulls a string, and warning her transvestite son to get out of his future sister-in-law's clothes because "nylon brings him out in a rash". She manages one compliment to the impending in-law by telling her that she should be flattered that he chose her wardrobe, because he only likes pretty things. When this transvestite son gets into trouble (using his brother's car), it becomes a ploy to dominate that son and keep him from moving out of her control.I could recite the entire script here and you would still laugh hysterically at the obvious hideousness of the script. I guess since Davis didn't get to play the lesbian character of "Sister George", she decided to go for something equally as wacky, and boy, did she get it. Her second Hammer film (following "The Nanny"), it is less known than all of her other camp classics, but worthy of a midnight showing for cinemaphiles to scream out the lines with her a la "Rocky Horror Picture Show". I wouldn't want her as a mother-in-law (what she does to her already long-suffering daughter-in-law as the result of a supposed phone call is one of the cruelest things I've ever seen on screen), but boy, would she be fun at a party. Auntie Mame she's not, and certainly even bitchier than Margo Channing was at her big party, but if you manage to stay out of the way of her verbal daggers, you can certainly enjoy the show!

Michael_Elliott Anniversary, The (1968) ** (out of 4) Bette Davis made her second and final appearance in a Hammer film with this dark comedy that certainly gives the actress a memorable role. In the film she plays a mother from hell who invites her sons and their families back to her mansion to celebrate her wedding anniversary. Once the sons get there, mommy goes to work by ruining their relationships with their women and really sets her eyes on her youngest son's fiancé (Elaine Taylor). This black comedy has a lot going for it except the laughs. I really found most of the humor to be too dry to really work and in the end I can't help but be disappointed in this film even though we get Davis eating as much scenery as anytime in her career. Whether she's wearing her red or black eye-patch, she gives it her all in creating a woman you can't help but hate not only because of how mean she is but because of how cocky, arrogant and just downright vicious she is. Davis chews up one scene after another and really controls and punishes the rest of the actors in her way. The only one of the supporting cast that really stands a chance is Taylor who is quite easy on the eyes and comes off pretty good. Her character is the one who fights back at Davis and the young actress makes you believe her toughness. The screenplay is fairly straight in terms of it trying to get humor. There's really no slapstick or any physical laughs but instead it's mostly dialogue driven. The dialogue itself isn't the greatest and a lot of it focuses on meanness rather than anything else. One of the sons enjoys dressing in women's clothing, which is another easy gag that never really provides any laughs.

MartinHafer Owch. This film manages to portray a family even LESS likable than the Bickersons or Mama's Family. Heck, even the Mansons seem downright cuddly compared to these freaks in THE ANNIVERSARY. So, if you see this film, be prepared to see some truly dreadful people--with Bette Davis playing one of the most awful women in film history! The only one worse that I can think of, off the top of my head, is Divine in PINK FLAMINGOS! THE ANNIVERSARY is about an evening where three grown sons come to a party for their mother. It seems that their parents anniversary has arrived, but the father is the lucky one--he died years earlier! Each of the three sons has a secret. The oldest loves to steal women's undergarments and is most likely gay. The second is planning on emigrating to Canada with his family to get away from his mother's domineering ways. The third is planning on marrying his pregnant girlfriend--who up until this point has never met his screwy family. As for Bette Davis, as the matriarch she seems (based on her real-life daughter's book) to be playing herself! Manipulative, blunt, cruel and vicious--this old lady has all the maternal instincts of a rabid hamster! Now some of this is so horrible behavior is so bad that the film is a great black comedy. Others might just find it all a bit tedious. And others might just leave the room screaming--as it reminds them of their own dysfunctional families!! As for me, it was a lot like watching MOMMY DEAREST without the physical abuse. At times I did laugh, as some of the cutting comments were pretty clever. However, I must say that after a while, Bette's evil ways did get a little tough to take simply because I was longing for one of the sons to strangle her or at least show some guts--though I guess if they had, then they wouldn't have made such an "interesting" family.By the way, although Davis played a truly awful and manipulative person, it was also amazing that for all the horrible things she said to the fiancée in particular, that no one stood up for her--not even the boyfriend. And, when each gets in some sort of trouble, the others simply stand back and do nothing to help. These show that the entire family was a mess--not just the matriarch. This makes for a very fascinating portrait and giving the film more depth than if she'd just been a horrible person herself. This is especially true because, in some ways, the two younger sons seemed to be attracted to women who were domineering--and had SOME similarity to Mum.By the way....if you dare and do watch this film, get a load of the kiss that occurs 78 minutes into the film. You certainly WON'T miss it. And also, shortly after this, get a load of Davis' comment about "Christian values"--it's simply unbelievable.This has "cult film" and "guilty pleasure" written all over it. What a kooky film!