An open letter to Warner Brothers:

HEY! Where the hell is the DVD version of “THE ANNIVERSARY”
What the hell is the matter with you people? There is no other film that depicts the American family structure as well as this.

Get off your asses and release it!
I’ll buy it!
That’s more people then the entire box office receipts from THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and look… that’s on DVD.

'The Anniversary' is not a great movie by a long shot, but a hidden gem from the late sixties when Bette Davis was in her horror movie period, much like her nemesis Joan Crawford. Thing is, Davis' movies carry a little more weight in essence and quality and it shows here in this campy black comedy -- an overbearing mother celebrates a family gathering every year which is only her way of pushing the buttons on her sons and keeping her unhealthy hold on them by threatening to expose their sexual escapades. Davis, by now into full scenery-chewing mode, dominates every second she is on film and one actually roots for her to win at the end, since her character elicits a perverse sympathy throughout.

For those who are familiar with Latin American culture, this movie was masterfully remade in Mexico as the ultimate soap opera: "Cuna de Lobos", in 1986, with a brilliant cast headed by Maria Rubio (virtually channeling Davis' essence down to details and mannerisms her version of Mrs. Taggart required). For those who can speak Spanish and have Spanish television I recommend "Cuna de Lobos" highly as a reference for "The Anniversary" in a miniseries mode.

So you see Mr. Warner and Mr. Bros. Hurry up and release it or I’ll be tempted to remake it and GIVE my far superior version to another studio that cares about its library.