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.
Review of The Anniversary
