Anastasia (1956 film)
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| Anastasia | |
|---|---|
| Image:Anastasia 1956 DVD cover.jpg Anastasia DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Anatole Litvak |
| Produced by | Buddy Adler |
| Written by | Marcelle Maurette (play) Guy Bolton (adaptation) Arthur Laurents |
| Starring | Ingrid Bergman Yul Brynner Helen Hayes |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Cinematography | Jack Hildyard |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | December 13, 1956 (US release) |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Country | US |
| Language | English / French |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Anastasia is a 1956 film which tells the story of a young, confused woman in France after the Russian Revolution of 1917 who, backed by the Russian emigre community, attempts to pass herself off as Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the daughter of the murdered Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It stars Ingrid Bergman as the possible Grand Duchess, Yul Brynner as a dashing ex-aristocrat, and Helen Hayes as the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna. Supporting players include Akim Tamiroff, Martita Hunt (who provides comic relief as a fluttering lady-in-waiting), and, in a small role, Natalie Schafer (familiar to television audiences from her later role on Gilligan's Island).
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[edit] Synopsis
The film was based on the true story of a former inmate in a German asylum who became known as 'Anna Anderson' and whose story made headlines for decades. However, the Russian monarchist movement never backed Ms. Anderson, nor did she ever meet with the Dowager Empress Maria (played superbly by Hayes.) The film plays skilfully with the question of Anna/Anastasia's identity, with the "Is she or isn't she?" premise providing Bergman with a tour de force acting opportunity running the gamut from pathos to imperial disdain. The film ends with Anna/Anastasia choosing real life (and romance with Brynner) over the identity of the Grand Duchess.
Hayes summons all her stage experience to deliver the celebrated last line, one that sums up the film's poignant exploration of identity and role-playing. Asked how she will explain the vanishing of her supposed grand-daughter to a ballroom full of expectant guests, she declares, "I will tell them that the play is over, now go home." The film closes with the lonely, regal figure of the Dowager Empress descending a long staircase.
[edit] Film adaptation
The movie was adapted by Guy Bolton and Arthur Laurents from the play by Marcelle Maurette. The structure of the play can still be detected in the static settings and theatrical "scenes" of the cinematic version, which has additional, essentially decorative ball scenes. It was directed by Anatole Litvak.
The film marked Bergman's return to Hollywood after several years in self-imposed exile, following the scandal that resulted from her romance with director Roberto Rossellini. Furthermore, Anastasia won her an Academy Award for Best Actress, the second of three Oscars she would receive. The musical score from the film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Original Music Score and was popular after the film's release.
[edit] Animated feature
- An animated musical version of Anastasia was made in 1997 by Fox Animation Studios. See: Anastasia (1997 film).
