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United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), WIDESCREEN (1.66:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Mrs Taggart (Bette Davis), a wealthy, tyrannical and manipulative matriarch, holds a social gathering to celebrate her wedding anniversary, even though her husband has been dead for years. She demands the presence of her three sons: a timid cross-dresser, a stressed father of five and a secretly engaged youngster. But the party is just an excuse for Mrs. Taggart to maintain her mercilessly firm grip over her offspring's lives. Made by Britain's Hammer Studios, this deliciously nasty comedy is a claustrophobic modern classic that's packed with twists, turns and revelations. With a razor sharp script and fizzing with sparkling dialogue, The Anniversary is both hilarious and disturbing in equal measures. In the iconic central role, Bette Davis delivers an astonishing power-house performance as the one-eyed monster Mrs Taggart - possibly the cruellest characters ever to grace the screen. A stylish, darkly witty and diabolically entertaining tale, The Anniversary is an unforgettable 60s gem. ...The Anniversary
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A side-stitching story about a family gathering to celebrate an anniversary where the leader of the household misses no opportunity to humiliate, corral undermine and then divide the loyalties and instincts of her sons and their associated wives and partners at what should be a solemn remembrance of her husband.
The character played so deliciously by Bette is so grotesquely humorous that one can almost be blinded to the truly evil nature of Mrs Taggart. You can watch this film either as outrageously biting camp humour- and it works very well at this. Or you can see the psychological control and connivance that a beastly adult has on her "chicks". This film showcases Ms Davis's talents to best effect and reminds us that thirty years after her oscar winning performances she could still turn in a belter of a performance. The performances of the excellent supporting cast compliment the film superbly- a superb performance by Sheila Hancock as the semi rebellious daughter in law overshadowed by the new girl Shirley who stands up to Mrs Taggart. Revel in the performances of the weakling sons as they fruitlessly seek to placate the machinations of their maniacal mother. A true underrated gem. And ask yourself- how many families like it do you know?
The character played so deliciously by Bette is so grotesquely humorous that one can almost be blinded to the truly evil nature of Mrs Taggart. You can watch this film either as outrageously biting camp humour- and it works very well at this. Or you can see the psychological control and connivance that a beastly adult has on her "chicks". This film showcases Ms Davis's talents to best effect and reminds us that thirty years after her oscar winning performances she could still turn in a belter of a performance. The performances of the excellent supporting cast compliment the film superbly- a superb performance by Sheila Hancock as the semi rebellious daughter in law overshadowed by the new girl Shirley who stands up to Mrs Taggart. Revel in the performances of the weakling sons as they fruitlessly seek to placate the machinations of their maniacal mother. A true underrated gem. And ask yourself- how many families like it do you know?
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
The Anniversary is a splendid film. It's witty, wicked, morbid and strangely fascinating. Bette Davis excels as the one-eyed widow of the owner of a construction company owner who refuses to let go of her three grown up sons and interferes in their lives.The 'anniversary,'party referred to is a wedding anniversary party held in honour of the widow's late husband who died many years ago. The party in the film is certainly one full of surprises as the one-eyed widow finds out.
I really liked this film. Bette Davis shines all the way through the film with her portrayal of the evil widow and she is frightening with that eye-patch. The Anniversary is one of her Bette Davis' best films from her older years and like a bottle of fine wine she gets better with age. With a good supporting cast of British actors such as James Cossins, Sheila Hancock and Jack Hedley I would highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a good Bette Davis film and an entertaining film drama.
I really liked this film. Bette Davis shines all the way through the film with her portrayal of the evil widow and she is frightening with that eye-patch. The Anniversary is one of her Bette Davis' best films from her older years and like a bottle of fine wine she gets better with age. With a good supporting cast of British actors such as James Cossins, Sheila Hancock and Jack Hedley I would highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a good Bette Davis film and an entertaining film drama.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Bette Davis is one of the greatest film actresses of all time. I really liked a lot of the later films she made through the sixties such as 'The Nanny,'and in particular 'The Anniversary,' which added an extra dimension to her extraordinary acting abilities. Through her older years she certainly cornered the film market by skilfully playing bitter, twisted and manipulative old women as seen in other films such as 'Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte,'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane,'The Nanny,' and especially this gem 'The Anniversary.'
She is definitely not the 'kind old lady next door,'in this film as she portrays the one -eyed wealthy widow of the long deceased owner of a construction company. She is brilliant as she dominates the screen throughout the entire film as a matriarchal figure who has an unyielding hold over her three wimpish sons. The so-called 'Anniversary,'is a wedding anniversary party to celebrate her union with her husband who died ages ago. She is evil, scheming, devious, malicious and sadistic particularly at the pleasure she gains from taunting people about their weaknesses e.g. when she teases her son's girlfriend about her ears.
This is a great film because Bette Davis complete with an eye -patch made my skin crawl and even that image of her today still frightens me somewhat. The dramatic climax can be seen at the intense 'anniversary,' party where tension can be felt by everyone as Ms Davis gets more than she bargained for from her sons and those present. Will the evil mother get her come-uppance? One should wait and find out by seeing this film. With an excellent supporting cast of British actors such as Sheila Hancock, James Cossins and Jack Hedley 'The Anniversary,'is witty, wicked, dark and deliciously horrid at times. This is a good film and Ms Davis proves that age is no barrier in being a 'true character,'
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Crosspatch
When Tom Taggart(Christian Roberts) takes his fiancé Shirley(Elaine Taylor) to meet his mother on a very special anniversary, little does Shirley know what she's let herself... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. Jonathon T. Beckett
BETTE AT HER BEST
The Anniversary [DVD]A RARE FILM OF HER LATER YEARS WHERE SHE SHOWS THAT SHE WAS A RARE ACTRESS AT HER BEST WHEN SHE PLAYED THE DEVIOUS,SLY,COMMICAL AND DOWN RIGHT NASTY WIDOW MUM... Read more
Published 9 months ago by James Toner
Delicious black comedy from Hammer
With this 1968 film, Hammer proved there was more to their name than the infamous horror film series. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Buzzword
BEST OF BETTE
This film has to be among the catalogue of the best of Bette Davis films. She is absolutely at her funniest playing the eccentric character superbly. Read more
Published 19 months ago by FOOD GURU
An overview of humanity
A splendid, concentrated compendium of the iniquities that family can inflict on itself. A warning to all.
Published on 14 May 2010 by Alan Buckle
Bette Davis excels in role tailor-made for her acting talents
This very dark comedy from Hammer Studios is definitely not for all tastes but is worth watching for the wonderful central performance by the legendary Bette Davis as Mrs. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2010 by Jeremy W. Newbould
classic davis.
The previous reviewer was not reviewing the disc shown in the above graphics,namely the region 1(us import)dvd,as this does have a very enjoyable commentary by director Roy Ward... Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2009 by ciaran moore
Excellent
Absolutely brilliant seller. Very fast delivery. DVD in a mint condition. I would recommend this seller anytime!
Published on 20 Aug 2009 by Mr. A. Zhitenev
"body odour offends me"
I was thrilled to see this classic film available on DVD. It features a brilliantly over-the-top performance from Miss Davis who puts all the other characters in the shade as the... Read more
Published on 19 April 2009 by A. Bear
Exceptional performance
I first saw this film about 6 years ago, and I was very, very surprized at how wonderful it is. The story, the writing, and performances are all brilliant. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2008 by Tim from Surrey
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