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The Anniversary (film)
Encyclopedia
The Anniversary is a 1968 British black comedy
film
directed by Roy Ward Baker
. The screenplay
by Jimmy Sangster
is based on the 1966 play of the same title by Bill MacIlwraith.
; middle son Terry is planning to emigrate
to Canada
with his shrewish wife Karen and their five children; and youngest Tom, a promiscuous philanderer whose many past relationships have ended at his mother's insistence, arrives with his pregnant girlfriend Shirley in tow. Throughout the day and evening, the domineering, evil, vindictive, manipulative matriarch does everything in her power to remind her children who controls the family finances and ultimately their futures.
with Mona Washbourne
as Mrs. Taggart. Bette Davis
initially turned down the role in the screen adaptation, but after Jimmy Sangster, who had scripted her 1965 film The Nanny, rewrote the screenplay, she agreed to join the project. Sheila Hancock
, Jack Hedley
, and James Cossins
were signed to reprise the roles they had played on stage. Original director Alvin Rakoff was replaced a week into filming after he clashed with Davis, who felt he "didn't have the first fundamental knowledge of making a motion picture, let alone what an actor was all about." .
Davis was required to wear self-adhesive eye patches for her role, which not only proved to be a constant irritant, but affected her equilibrium as well.
Sheila Hancock knew Davis had wanted Jill Bennett to replace her, but Bennett wasn't available. The concept of the Hollywood star system
was foreign to Hancock, a veteran of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre
, and she resented the fawning attention paid to Davis based on her notable career. When everyone on the lot arrived to watch the star film her first scene, Hancock was "dumbfounded . . . It took me a while to realize this was the way Bette Davis was used to operating. She was a queen, after all."
The film was shot at the Elstree Studios
in Hertfordshire
. Its estimated budget was $1,450,000. It grossed $1,352,000 in the US.
said the film "is not a distinguished example of the Terrifying Older Actress Filicidal
Mummy genre, but it isn't too heavy. And the genre isn't that distinguished after all."
TV Guide
rates it three out of a possible four stars and comments, "Davis is great, but the film suffers from the staginess of the play on which it was based."
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Roy Ward Baker
Roy Ward Baker
Roy Ward Baker , born Roy Horace Baker, was an English film director, credited as Roy Baker for much of his career. His best known film is A Night to Remember which won a Golden Globe for Best English-Language Foreign Film in 1959...
. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Jimmy Sangster
Jimmy Sangster
James Henry Kinmel Sangster was an English screenwriter and director, known for his work for horror film producers Hammer Film Productions, including scripts for The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula .Sangster originally worked as a production assistant at...
is based on the 1966 play of the same title by Bill MacIlwraith.
Plot
One-eyed Mrs. Taggart is an emasculating woman whose husband, a successful building contractor, has been dead for ten years. Joining her for the traditional annual celebration of her wedding anniversary are her three sons: eldest Henry is a transvestiteTransvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
; middle son Terry is planning to emigrate
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with his shrewish wife Karen and their five children; and youngest Tom, a promiscuous philanderer whose many past relationships have ended at his mother's insistence, arrives with his pregnant girlfriend Shirley in tow. Throughout the day and evening, the domineering, evil, vindictive, manipulative matriarch does everything in her power to remind her children who controls the family finances and ultimately their futures.
Production
The play originally was produced in the West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
with Mona Washbourne
Mona Washbourne
Mona Washbourne was an English actress of stage, film and television.Mona Washbourne began her entertaining career training as a concert pianist. While performing on stage in the early 1920s, she found that she liked acting and became an actress...
as Mrs. Taggart. Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
initially turned down the role in the screen adaptation, but after Jimmy Sangster, who had scripted her 1965 film The Nanny, rewrote the screenplay, she agreed to join the project. Sheila Hancock
Sheila Hancock
Sheila Cameron Hancock, CBE is an English actress and author.-Early life:Sheila Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican. Her sister Billie is seven years older...
, Jack Hedley
Jack Hedley
Jack Hedley is an English actor, best known for his performances on television....
, and James Cossins
James Cossins
James Cossins was an English character actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he became widely recognised as the abrupt, bewildered Mr. Walt in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Hotel Inspectors"...
were signed to reprise the roles they had played on stage. Original director Alvin Rakoff was replaced a week into filming after he clashed with Davis, who felt he "didn't have the first fundamental knowledge of making a motion picture, let alone what an actor was all about." .
Davis was required to wear self-adhesive eye patches for her role, which not only proved to be a constant irritant, but affected her equilibrium as well.
Sheila Hancock knew Davis had wanted Jill Bennett to replace her, but Bennett wasn't available. The concept of the Hollywood star system
Star system (film)
The star system was the method of creating, promoting and exploiting movie stars in Classical Hollywood cinema. Studios would select promising young actors and glamorise and create personas for them, often inventing new names and even new backgrounds...
was foreign to Hancock, a veteran of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, and she resented the fawning attention paid to Davis based on her notable career. When everyone on the lot arrived to watch the star film her first scene, Hancock was "dumbfounded . . . It took me a while to realize this was the way Bette Davis was used to operating. She was a queen, after all."
The film was shot at the Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. Its estimated budget was $1,450,000. It grossed $1,352,000 in the US.
Cast
- Bette Davis as Mrs. Taggart
- James Cossins as Henry Taggart
- Jack Hedley as Terry Taggart
- Christian RobertsChristian Roberts (actor)Christian Charles Roberts is an English actor. He was educated at Cranleigh School, Surrey and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art....
as Tom Taggart - Sheila Hancock as Karen Taggart
- Elaine TaylorElaine Taylor (actress)Elaine Regina Taylor is an English-born actress, best known as a leading lady in comedy films of the late 1960s and early 70s. She is married to the Canadian actor Christopher Plummer.-Early life:...
as Shirley Blair (Tom's fiancée)
Critical reception
In her review in the New York Times, Renata AdlerRenata Adler
Renata Adler is an American author, journalist and film critic.-Background and education:Adler was born in Milan, Italy, and grew up in Danbury, Connecticut. After gaining a B.A. in philosophy and German from Bryn Mawr, Adler studied for an M.A. in Comparative Literature at Harvard under I. A...
said the film "is not a distinguished example of the Terrifying Older Actress Filicidal
Filicide
Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing his or her own son or daughter. The word filicide derives from the Latin words filius meaning "son" or filia meaning daughter and the suffix -cide meaning to kill, murder, or cause death...
Mummy genre, but it isn't too heavy. And the genre isn't that distinguished after all."
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
rates it three out of a possible four stars and comments, "Davis is great, but the film suffers from the staginess of the play on which it was based."