Sadly Over-hyped

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Most of us know little about Russian history with much of it happening prior to the Communist takeover given little attention. We hear about Rasputin and Nicholas and Alexandria but not much, at least not as much as with other royal families. The only other story to receive much attention was that of Anastasia, the supposed lost daughter of the royal family who escaped execution and survived. Or did she? Many came forward to claim they were Anastasia but none as famous as Anna Anderson. Here story was the basis for this film and several others. Her claim to be the long lost daughter lasted for decades and it wasn't until DNA results confirmed or denied her claim that the results were determined. But what we have here is a story that revolves around that possibility.Yul Brynner, fresh from his successes with THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and THE KING AND I, stars as General Sergei Pavlovich Bounine, a Russian exile in Paris of nefarious character who will do anything to possess power and money. Displaced as he is we get the impression he is not above criminal activity and has been searching for just the right person to pass off as the long lost Anastasia.It seems he has found the perfect foil for his plan, a woman who had a past involving a stay in an asylum, Anna Koureff (Ingrid Bergman). Something in her background makes it seem that she could potentially actually be the woman sought, but the odds are against it. With a bit of training and assistance Bounine intends to pass Anna off as the real thing and as a result lay partial claim to £10 million laying in an English bank, leftover funds from the royal family.The only way to accomplish this is to pass Anna off as Anastasia to the Dowager Empress Marie Fedorovona (Helen Hayes) in Copenhagen. Hers is the determining factor that will decide if Anna is in fact Anastasia or not. With so many having tried to lay claim to the title it will not be an easy task.But we have more going on here underneath the surface as Hollywood is want to do. As Bounine trains Anna the pair become close to one another. Beneath his brusque manner and treatment of Anna and her confusion as to whether or not she is who he has told her, an affection begins to grow. It's subtle, nearly not on display, but there all the more time they spend together. Whether or not the end result will involve them as a couple is in doubt but the chance is there.The movie is not quite a romance but evolves into one coupled equally with the historical retelling of the search for Anastasia. This blending of fact and fiction makes for a slow moving film but an entertaining one at the same time. The film marked a comeback of sorts for actress Bergman who had fallen out of favor due to the strict moral at the time. Having had an open affair with director Roberto Rossellini in 1950 she had been denounced and looked down upon in American society. But her talent shown through and she worked her way back into the public eye with films like this one.Once more Twilight Time has done an excellent job with the transfer on display here. I've yet to see anything delivered from them that has fallen short. And like all of their titles this one is limited to so many copies so if you're interested get one before they're gone.

I have never got around in seeing this classic until a few days ago. I have been interested in researching Anastasia since I've seen the 1997 version years ago, and I have finally got around seeing this! I thought Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman was absolutely wonderful at playing Anna Anderson! She really fit the role and just had done it so well! She looked absolutely beautiful with the dresses she had on, especially the dress she had at the end I quite liked how Yul Brynner playing a mysterious and an odd character who never existed. He was outstanding also for a Russian actor I never came across before!I was a little bit disappointed with the ending, I thought we would see Anna Anderson and the General being shown that they ran off together. Even if they got married instead, I would've liked if they both appeared at the near end! I thought it was pointless to film the ball if they weren't there!

"Anastasia" is based on the Broadway play that starred Viveca Lindfors, Hurd Hatfield, and Eugenie Leontovich, and it was this film that brought Ingrid Bergman back to the United States after the big sin that drove her out of the country. Besides Bergman, the film stars Yul Brynner and Helen Hayes.We know today that Anna Anderson was a Polish actress and not Princess Anastasia, but before DNA, this was one of the world's great mysteries. In the real story, Prince Phillip's DNA was used, since he is related to the Russian royal family, and proved that Anna Anderson was a fake, answering a question that had vexed people for decades.In this version, a Russian businessman, Bounine (Brynner) and some other Russian expatriates living in Paris plot to collect millions of Romanov money by grooming an unhappy, depressed young woman who has recently been institutionalized to be the Princess Anastasia due to her resemblance to the Tsar's youngest daughter. Bounine begins to believe that she might be the real Anastasia. But the big test will be before the Dowager Empress (Hayes) who has no interest in meeting another pretender.The acting is wonderful, with the beautiful Bergman giving a fully fleshed out performance, beginning as a confused woman and developing through the film into a real royal presence. Brynner is very strong in his role, with moments of grace and gentleness.Bergman won her second Academy Award for her performance, but she is matched by Helen Hayes' powerful performance as the Dowager Empress, externally a hard woman but one whose heart has been broken by the tragic loss of her family. Though she can't let herself believe at first that this is Anastasia, she is longing for her to be.Very good movie with an interesting ending.

Bergman bagged her second Oscar as a disturbed woman who may or may not be the only member of the family of Tsar Nicholas II to have survived execution. She's good, not great. The Oscar may have been a reward for her return to Hollywood after seven years of exile. As a brash Russian figure (it's not clear why he has title of General) who goes around barking commands at others, Brynner seems to be doing a variation on his Oscar-winning role in "The King and I" from earlier the same year. Although this film boasts the Best Actor and Best Actress Oscar winners for 1956, the best performance is given by Hayes as a Danish empress. In fact, the film drags until she shows up.