Anastasia (1956 movie)
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Anastasia is a 1956 film which tells the true story of a young, confused woman in France after the Russian Revolution who, backed by the Russian emigre community, attempts to pass herself off as Anastasia Nicolaievna Romanova, the daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It stars Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, Helen Hayes and Akim Tamiroff. The film was supposedly based on the true story of a former inmate in a German asylum who became known as 'Anna Anderson'. 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 ends with Anna/Anastasia choosing real life over the identity of the Grand Duchess. There is some ambiguity in the final exchange between the Dowager Empress and her jilted nephew, Prince Paul, but not much. A central part of the film seems to be that the Dowager Empress is convinced that the young woman is her grand-daughter, and she is not a character who is easily fooled.
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.
Anastasia won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Ingrid Bergman), and was nominated for Academy Award for Original Music Score. The title song theme from the musical score became popular.
The subject of Anastasia was recast in 1997 as an animated musical feature by Fox Animation Studios. See: Anastasia (1997 movie)