Anastasia

Anastasia Photos

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Cast & Crew

Ingrid Bergman
Anastasia

Yul Brynner
Prince Bounine

Helen Hayes
Dowager Empress

Akim Tamiroff
Chernov

Martita Hunt
Baroness von Livenbaum

Felix Aylmer
Chamberlain

Sacha Pitoeff
Piotr Ivanovich Petrovin

Ivan Desny
Prince Paul

Natalie Schafer
Lissemskaia

Anatole Litvak
Director

Guy Bolton
Writer

Arthur Laurents
Writer

Marcelle Maurette
Writer

Buddy Adler
Producer

Alfred Newman
Original Music

Jack Hildyard
Cinematographer

Bert Bates
Film Editing

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Audience Reviews for Anastasia

• Jul 04, 2017

  Is she the long lost princess? A return to those glorious days of a benevolent monarchy? Or only a deluded wannabe? Bergman walks this tightrope with particular aplomb, and that part of the story swirls a mist of mystery that is sweet indeed. But the other half of the story sinks because there is no magnetic energy between Brynner and she. Zip. Nada. Eh. They should remake this. Still a quality production.
  Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
• Apr 14, 2012

  There are a few obstacles to the 1956 version of Anastasia. The first is the opening 20 minutes of the film, which meanders and provides far too much exposition in the most boring means possible. And then there are the heavy accents by every character in the picture. But if you get past those two items-and understand this is heavily speculative historical fiction-Anastasia can be a gripping film. The story itself is solid, moving swiftly and seemingly culminating before it really should. Bergman is mesmerizing, especially in her scenes with Helen Hayes. Yul Brynner takes a back seat for most of the film, though he is a pivitol character throughout. Wheat we don't necessarily get is a well rounded look at Prince Paul, to see what he's about, since he is bad mouthed in the lead up to the finale. But, really, Anastasia makes a perfect double bill with 1971's Nicholas and Alexandra, an episode from history no one should ever forget.
  Jason V Super Reviewer
• Sep 05, 2010

  Since I've already seen the new Disney movie of this, I know the story, so as a live action movie, I wasn't very impressed. Of course Bergman is a great actress, and I'm sure she tried her best with this movie, but her performance didn't help my opinion of the film. It was slow and boring.
  Aj V Super Reviewer
• Aug 08, 2010

  A beautiful period piece with its own eccentricities, Anastasia is fun and even frivolous at times. It holds a quiet dramatic regard at the travesty of the protagonist's fate and her past without reference, but the only moments of clarity come from actress Ingrid Bergman, who steals the show. She portrays a lonely beggar on the streets of a Russian metropolis, and is found by a disgraced general looking for an imposter to take on the supposedly dead Grand Duchess Anastasia, She is trained to meet the duchess' grandmother who lives in Amsterdam. Easy to recognize from that brief synopsis is the fact that it parallels the very flawed and wildly entertaining nineties' cartoon movie of the same name. For that one reason I found this to be a sensational watch. Looking between the two to see where one fails over the other, while the other succeeds was a tiny thrill for this film nerd. Both succeed in holding interest until the very end, both have a happy ending that you know deep down probably didn't happen, and both are basically about the search for an identity of any kind. This pitiless character, though an abject liar and someone who's fate wasn't known at the time of the film, is really only looking for the truth behind herself. The film does a great job of not drawing its own conclusions by saying it believes one way or another whether it was truth. Though there wasn't a seminal villain or musical numbers, it has the same basic concept which kept interest throughout. This was the most realistic way the events themselves could possibly go, and it remained impartial throughout while staying tongue in cheek. The fact that it was a period piece was well reflected in extravagant costuming, elaborate sets, and dialogue that espoused true melodrama and Russian highbrow stubbornness, in part from the general, portrayed by the very cultured Yul Brynner. Though touchy because it was Bergman's second Oscar, and her time in Hollywood was later marred by controversy, it really was a symbol of Bergman's talents as an actress and her pull in America. If you are wondering, in 2009 DNA testing revealed Duchess Anastasia died with her family in 1918. I am not disputing that this film wasn't at least semi-accurate, but I also don't care because it was an amazing film no matter what.
  Spencer S Super Reviewer