Customer Reviews

Anastasia [VHS]

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The film has never looked so exquisite - bright restored colors and the full widescreen. Beware though that original negative sound elements were damaged in reels 1,4 and 5. The dialogue is recorded at very low levels compared to the loud, bright musical track - and the dialogue levels vary from left side of screen to right side of screen. This is something technicians could easily have corrected, but chose not to. Shoddy work from Fox technicians mars what would otherwise have been a great DVD film release.

I have waited forever for the release of this magnificent movie. Amazing performances by Bergman, Brynner, Hayes (incredible) and Hunt. Unfortunately, there was a glitch in the brand new, out of the box DVD AND, the sound in the middle of the film was out of synch. How Fox could have let this go is a total mystery to me. I am very upset about it considering the amount of money that must have gone into the restoration. DVDs' are becoming worse all the time with quality slipping down the drain. Worth seeing and seeing again if Fox could fix their problems. Unfortunately I must return it.

Great Movie - Horrible DVD! I'm rating this one star because the DVD quality is so bad. For the first time, I'm in the process of returning an item to Amazon. This makes me sad because I love this film and wanted to add this to my growing collection of classic films in my DVD Library. The sound is not always in synch and the volume goes up and down. The sound is absolutely terrible!

I purchased this great film and am very disappointed with this DVD. The transfer of the film looks great and Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner and Helen Hayes are standouts! The sound on this DVD is the absolute worst, uneven, and in many parts of the film, completely obliterated by the music. Fox Studios really should furnish all customers who bought this DVD with a corrected one.
Do not buy this!

I have to agree with the other reviewers. The sound transfer to DVD is below par. That is the only reason for three stars. Sad, because the movie was digitally restored and looks beautiful, otherwise. In the beginning of the film, the background noise is loud and the dialogue is almost inaudible. This persists for about the first 35 minutes of the film after which the two tracks seem to balance out more . . . althought I still had to keep the volumn up louder than normal, the rest of the film. When I saw this film on VHS a few years ago, this was not the case so I know it had to do with the "burning" onto DVD. Anyway, that is the only reason for three stars. The movie, itself, is a masterpiece. Restored to beautiful color and clarity, and in wide-screen, you almost feel as if you are seeing it on the silver screen for the first time in all its artistic grandeur. Helen Hayes and Ingrid Bergman give stellar performances worthy of the oscars received. Since the price is only about 8 bucks, I would so go ahead and get it, but keep the subtitles on for the first 30 minutes so you don't miss any of the dialogue.

I've been fascinated with the story of the Romanovs since grade nine, when I did a project on Anastasia. Having read almost all the books on the subject of Anna Anderson (who passed herself off -- or rather, was passed off -- as the princess Anastasia from the late 1920s till her death in the early 1980s), I'm still of two minds as to whether she really was who she claimed. That being said, it's always nice to believe in fairy tales, and Fox's 1956 version of the story definitely leans toward to romantic rather than the cynical version of events.

Ingrid Bergman, one of my favorite actresses of all time, won a much-deserved Oscar for her portrayal of the mystery woman whom con artist Yul Brynner picks up off the streets and trains to pass as Anastasia before her grandmother, the Grand Duchess (Helen Hayes). It's a tour-de-force performance that is as subtle as ever won an Oscar. Watch her face during the scene in which she realizes she's being used by Brynner to get money. It's a mixture of betrayal, hurt, anger, and relief (she's falling for him too, and scared of it).

Fox's presentation of ANASTASIA, the 9th in its hopefully long-running series of Studio Classics, is a grand presentation in the original 2.35:1 CinemaScope aspect ratio. The colors jump off the screen at you, and I finally understood how it was meant to be seen, after years of knowing only the cropped home video version. There's an audio commentary by Alfred Newman biographer John Burlingame, screewriter Arthur Laurents, and actor James MacArthur (the son of Helen Hayes), who relate trivia about the score, the film, and Hayes' experiences making the movie, respectively. Joining them on the commentary is historian Sylvia Stoddard who gives us some background on the film, but focuses mainly on the reality of the Anastasia/Anna Anderson saga. Stoddard also contributes an audio essay about the Romanovs.

There's an A&E biography special on Anastasia, a few newsreels (some from 1956, others from 1917!), and the requisite trailer and restoration featurette. All in all, a wonderful presentation of an exceptional movie.

The Film: 4 1/2 stars.
The Extras: 5 stars.

In 1917, the Romanoff dynasty - rulers of Imperial Russia - were overthrown by revolution... Some of the nobility and their followers fled to safety but the Czar, his wife Alexandra and his five children were imprisoned and then slaughtered in a cellar in 1918 by the Bolsheviks...

Shortly after, rumors started that the youngest daughter of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolayevna had not been murdered with the rest of her family but had escaped and was still alive...

In the years that followed, the whisper grew louder and louder... Several women outside Russia claimed her identity... All were aware that l0 millions pounds were at stake left by the Czar in the Bank of England...

The film opens in Paris 1928 - Russian Easter...

An amnesic woman, using the name of Anna Corev (Ingrid Bergman), is about to commit suicide on the bank of the Seine... She is saved by a White Russian General, called Bounine (Yul Brynner).

With a face hint by fatigue and stress, lost and broken, frustrated and unhappy, and tired to argue, she accepts modestly to be taken under care and to be trained by the General and his business associates Boris Chernov (Akim Tamiroff) and Petrovin (Sasha Pitoeff) in order to be passed off as Princess Anastasia, the daughter of the Czar of Russia...

Bearing a strong resemblance to the Grand Duchess, the plan of the Russian group can succeed... There is an opportunity for them to share the inheritance, the fortune left by the Emperor...

After days of training, the unknown lady becomes another woman... Elegant, radiant and healthy, arousing profound solemnity, dignity and even royalty...

The Grand Duchess wins her first victory when 18 of the 25 individuals recognized her as 'Anastasia,' but the most significant victory is yet to come... She must be recognized by her grand mother, the Dowager Empress of Russia, who lives in Copenhagen, Denmark...

Helen Hayes is simply superb as the melancholic old Empress with a wistful desire to accept the vague truth...

Yul Brynner plays his role with enormous task...

The motion picture marks Ingrid Bergman's comeback to the Hollywood cinema after the European exile... She gives a gracious, confused, eloquent, moving performance, following back the progress of a woman, from the deepness of hopelessness and confusion, through strenuous efforts with uncertainty and disillusion, to a successful display of bravery, self-respect and love...

Directed with elegance by Anatole Litvak, and with a fascinating music score by Alfred Newman, "Anastasia" is a combination of mystery and romance, a compelling drama with quite considerable charm which persuade without projecting any flame on history...

A former Russian general(Yul Brynner) is looking for a young woman to impersonate the late Czar's daughter, Anastasia, hoping to convince the Grand Duchess that she is the true hieress, and collect a large reward. He chooses Anna (Ingrid Bergman) who was recently released from a mental asylum. He trains her in the royal ways, and they prepare for the important meeting with the Grand Duchess (Helen Hayes). Anna becomes fond of a Prince whom Anatasia once knew, but she is even more powerfully drawn to the General.

Ingrid Bergman plays Anna as a helpless waif who is fragile and confused, and only wants to be loved. Helen Hayes is marvelous as the majestic and vulnerable Grand Duchess and the scene where she meets "Anastasia" is quite touching. Yul Brynner's macho presence dominates the film, even when he's off-screen: The scene where we hear, but do not see, a drunken Annastasia flirting with a smoldering General is hot, hot, hot. The theme music is haunting and bittersweet. Truth or fiction, it doesn't really matter. It's simply a wonderful movie.

This film is really rather a classical love story will stay in my heart forever. In my opinion, no one can see this film remaining indifferent or apathetic without feeling the incomparable charm of Ingrid Bergman¡¯s and Yul Brynner¡¯s throughout the story. As I remember, the first time I saw the film, it had already been on for about 1 hour on TV. Even if I didn¡¯t see it completely, I was still fascinated by both the complicated plot of the story and the wonderful performances of the actors/actresses. Some scenes in the film were very humorous. And the music which showed the characteristic of Russia in it also leave a deep impression on me. Now I have seen this film for several times, but every time I saw it, it always moved me a lot. Having seen many other films acted by Bergman or Brynner, I still think ¡®Anastasia¡¯ is the one I like the most. Without kisses, embraces or sweet conversations, it would still be a romantic love classic forever. As a woman who roamed the streets, Anna might be the Grand Duchess of Russia or even only a poor, bewildered person. And what she only wanted was love. Since no one accepted her, no one cared about her, she even had a feeling suicidal. Then a Russian general found her and saved her. He wanted to train her to be Anastasia---the youngest daughter of Russia¡¯s last czar. What only attracted him was the ten million pounds. Bergman was weak, tender and gentle, on the opposite, Brynner was stern, hard and sharp. Is there any possibility that she would be able to change him? In the film, there were many very excellent details that showed the subtle relation between Anna and Bounine. On the one hand, Anna hated him for his only wish for money, hated his using her for his own purpose, hated his not understanding what she really longed for was. On the other hand, she had fallen in love with him. Therefore, she tried flirting with Prince Paul (her former fiance), trying to make Bounine feel jealous. Bergman¡¯s performance was so subtle, ingenious that make the story much more lively. Even if general Bounine was in love with her, too, he didn¡¯t show any concern on the surface. He wanted the money of the legacy, but he loved her more. He seemed rather fierce, but is kind at heart. How many ¡®contradictions¡¯! At the end of the story, Anna succeeded in changing him. The scene which left the deepest impression on me was their last conversation just before the ball. They tried to convey their real feelings to each other. But there were so many problems existing between them. Money or Love? The ending of he story was to be expected but unexpected as well. When Anastasia left from her grandmother again, who was so kind, was so approachable, was the person she had wanted to see for so many years. How sad she was at that moment! I was greatly touched by this scene. In the end, Anna and Bounine ran away to seek for their own happiness renouncing their claim to the money, in spite of the public. I supposed that Yul Brynner might be a most suitable actor to act the white Russian general. His looks, his expression, his posture, his performance, even his bald head were very great. The performances of the other actors/actresses (especially Helen Hayes and Martita Hunt) were also wonderful ones. Everyone must be deeply moved by Anastasia¡¯s close relation with her grandma particularly. The film was also memorable for the acting of the two main characters. The story told us that money or position doesn¡¯t mean love, happiness and freedom. In the film or in the real life, no matter what Anna was, whether she was real or just a imposter, it doesn¡¯t really matter. The most important thing is that the film showed us a history, a mystery, or even a legend. This film was written, directed, acted very well. When it was made in the 1950s, even my parents had not been born. But time doesn¡¯t mean discrepancy, either. I¡¯ll love the romantic splendid love story forever and I¡¯m quite sure that it would always be a classic in the film history forever.

Has Ingrid Bergman actually topped her performance in Casablanca or is she so great that every role she portrays is classic? Perhaps it's the excellent digital color re-mastering that illuminates Anastasia among prior theatrical presentations. Or it could be the moments of humor and romantic chemistry evident in the perfect pairing with Yul Brynner as a financially motivated con artist who plucks "Anastasia" from the brink of despair and trains her how to assume the royal throne. Maybe it is due to the fact that the story is based on non-fictional events and throughout the film, the viewer nor characters are quite certain of whether there is actually any deception taking place.

Everyone will certainly be drawn to Bergman as she once again delivers a profusion of drama through unrivaled facial expressions. Brynner would make an eloquent King and Berman is a true princess, regardless of the picture's outcome (but that's another movie). DVD extras include a detailed documentary about the real Anastasia.

Movie quote: "The poor have only one advantage; they know when they are loved for themselves."