Customer Reviews

Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Amy Irving stars as Anna, a woman claiming to be the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, a claim which would mean that she had survived the execution of the Royal Family. She seems to know things about the Royal Family that only Anastasia could know, yet she has huge gaps in her memory and is unable/unwilling to speak Russian. Things are complicated by the fact that other women have claimed to be Anastasia in the past, and the Royal Family has grown tired of the pretenders to the throne. However, Anna has her supporters, although she knows the must win the support of her grandmother, the empress, if she is to have any hope of being officially recognized. Irving has a few good moments as Anna/Anastasia, but she doesn't project the strength that so many of the characters tell her character that she has. The supporting cast is competent, although few are given much in the way of characters to flesh out. The real bright spot in the film is Olivia de Havilland as the Empress. She infuses her character with humour and wisdom, and steals her far too few scenes. There is a narrator that appears irregularly throughout the film, and that device should have been eliminated. The direction lacks pacing, the script could be stronger, and the ending is rather flat. Despite the fictious romance and other weaknesses, I did find the film interesting, since the mystery surrounding Anna Anderson was one of the great puzzles of the Twentieth Century. People argued for and against her with equal passion. Since the film was completed, scientists appear to have proven that Anna Anderson was not Anastasia, but it would be interesting to think that maybe someone could have survived that brutal moment in history. I do wish they had made a more fact based, tighter film about it.

ANASTASIA: THE MYSTERY OF ANNA features a tour-de-force performance by Amy Irving in the lead role, plus an excellent, star-studded supporting cast.

The miniseries is based on Peter Kurth's lengthy "Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson", still the most authoritive book on the woman who tried to claim the title of the murdered Duchess Anastasia.

We follow the young woman, Anna Anderson, as she tries to kill herself by falling into a Berlin canal, then through the various madhouses as she slowly but surely reveals her true identity as Empress Anastasia, daughter of the Czar, thought killed along with the rest of the imperial family.

Anna's plight to claim the title of Empress is marred by the efforts of the surviving Romanoffs, who all have their own motives in trying to keep the vast Romanoff fortune for themselves. Anna's best hope of gaining acceptance is visting the Dowager Empress (Olivia de Havilland). Anna also gains a valuable ally in Prince Erich (Jan Niklas) whom she later falls in love with.

This adaptation swaps a lot of the truth in favour of fairytale romance. There was no sweeping love story between Anna and Erich, and the film covers up a lot of the activities Anna got involved in which did nothing to help her plight (such as running around naked on the top of a New York hotel). Ultimately, despite the fact that Duchess Anastasia's death could never be fully-determined, Anna was proven to be a fraud when DNA samples of Romanoff ancestors were compared with tissue samples of Anderson.

However, this miniseries is highly-entertaining, especially the performance of Amy Irving, who invests a lot of feisty attitude and drama to the proceedings. Olivia de Havilland is likewise very memorable as the wry and whimsical Dowager Empress.

The amazing supporting cast includes Rex Harrison, Claire Bloom, Omar Sharif, Elke Sommer, Edward Fox, Susan Lucci, and Nicolas Surovy.

From the beginning, this story compells the viewer in the tale of Anna Anderson, a woman who believes and claims that she is the last remaining member of the last Tzar of Russias immediate Royal Family. She believes she is the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna. The story beginns with the introduction to the Royal Family. Omar Sheriff is very good as Tsar Nicholas II and Clare Bloom shines as Tsarina Alexandra. Christian Blae makes his screen dabute as Alexis. The story then unfolds into the Russian Revolution, and eventualy to the Royal Familys Execution.

We are then taken to Berlin, where a lady is attempting suicide. She has bad amnisia, but slowly begins to believe she is Anastasia. In meeting Prince Eric, they battle to gain her Title as the Hier to the Russian throne.

The story is filled with trouble and Turmoil, as well as heeps of Romance. Amy Irving is Outstanding as Anastasia, her red eyed-teary performance is outstanding. Other good parts are taken By Olivia De Havvilland as The Grand Duchess Maria, and Rex Harrison puts in a regal performance as Grand Duke Cyril.

This film may alter History slightly, but it is something you will fall in love with again and again. Well worth the price for such a gem. Fantastic.

Also available on DVD in the uk, but u have to hunt high and low! Good luck!

While the love story is completely fictional, and personally, I think we could have done without it, it is a very moving film. Amy Irving plays Anna extremely well. I have read a great deal about the Romanovs, particularly Anastasia, and I find that this particular version of the tragic story is one of the best that I have seen.

Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna was a two-part star studded historical T.V. movie based on the Peter Kurth book, Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson. It keeps up historically pretty much, names are changed etc. But sticks to the real story quite well. Omar Sharif and Claire Bloom do quite well as the Russian royals, Czar Nicholas and Czarina Alexandra. What stuck out in my mind was the all too short portrayals by Rex Harrison and Olivia De Havilland. All in all it was a pretty classy production with some fine acting. I was quite awestruck by the production values when it first aired on NBC in late 1986. Also starring was the fine German actor Jan Niklas who had previously starred in NBC's other Russian epic "Peter the Great".

I felt that Part 2 skipped over some important details of Anna Anderson's trip to America. It's important to know too, that in 1986 less was known about the Anna Anderson story. Back then it was still not known whether her claim to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia was genuine. By the late 1990's more was known and Anna Anderson is now reputed to have been a fraud.

Too bad the networks aren't making fine made-for-television movies like this anymore.

This movie is excellent! But I would still give it a 4 star rating. The music is distracting at times, and you have to mess with the volume quite a bit, the voices often get softer. It is a very emotional film, and I wouldn't reccomend it for children younger than 10. It portrays the view of Anna (Anderson) who believes she is Anastasia. Although in the beginning, it starts out with the Romanov family, leading to their execution. I think this is a great movie, and I hope this review was at least a tiny bit helpful to you. (sorry, I know I was a bit vague)

Anastasia is the Compelling drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat from begining to end. Starting with a Grand opening in the court of Tzar Nicolas II, the drama then continues through a whole range of emotions, from the Mass Murder of the Imperial family, the tearful attemped Suicide by 'Anna', the thrilling memorys produced by 'Anna' and the much asked question 'Is she or isn't she!', the drama concludes as it began, without knowing exactly what happend to the much publicised 'Anastasia'. But this does not matter in the slightest, if anything it inspires you to look into the case further. The red eyed performance by Amy Irving has you in tears on many occasions, and grand performances by the great Olivia De Havilland, Rex Harrison, Omar Sharif and Claire Bloom compleet this wonderful story spanning the time of Imperial Russia, 1918, to the Flapping American 20's, this Drama will keep you entertained for years to come. A Classic!

Although we can now be almost certain, due to DNA tests, that Anna Anderson was not the real Anastasia, the story is still fascinating. And there is more to it than whether she was Anastasia or not. It's the story about a person looking for her identity (and I'm sure she believed she was Anastasia) and the story of how people react to her claims.

30 years before this TV movie was made, Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar playing the same character. It's beyond me how Amy Irving didn't win an Emmy for her performance. It is acting at its best. She was nominated for a Golden Globe but didn't win. Jan Niklas, in my opinion giving one of the weaker performances, won a Golden Globe. Irving also gets great help from several legendary actors. Rex Harrison, in his last performance, is the best of the supporting actors.

I can be impatient sometimes and don't usually watch movies this long, but "Anastasia" kept my interest non-stop for over three hours. Don't miss it.

This mini series has an impressive cast and top production. If you are a Romanoff buff, you will love this production.

the only reason that I rated this movie with 4 stars is that I have not read any books that are totally non-fictional on the subject. If I can take the movie for a fictional rendition that has truth in its core, then I could not have been more fascinated! Amy Irving is, as always, an exceptional actress and I aplaud her. A long but riviting movie!