Anastasia
August 2003 Reviewed by: Wes Phillips Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Anastasia is based on the tale of a European mystery woman who convinced numerous people she was the daughter the last Russian Czar, the sole survivor of the Romanov family. It first appeared as a French play by Marcelle Maurette, then was adapted by Guy Bolton for Broadway, and was finally made into a film by Arthur Laurents. The movie served as Ingrid Bergman's triumphant return to moving pictures after her "scandalous" affair with Roberto Rossellini.

Set in 1928, it is the tale of a white Russian general-cum-restaurateur (Yul Brynner) who is looking for someone to impersonate Princess Anastasia in order to collect her inheritance. He discovers a despondent refugee (Bergman) just as she is about to hurl herself into the river, and trains her to convince the authorities and the Dowager Empress (Helen Hayes) that she is the martyred royal. Complications, of course, ensue -- not the least of which is the possibility that the fake princess might actually be the woman she is impersonating.

It's Pygmalion with a twist -- and thanks to some marvelous performances and a fabulous screenplay by Arthur Laurents and Guy Bolton. Bergman delivers one of her most finely nuanced realizations as the innocent girl who blossoms into the role she is playing -- or is that merely her memories returning? The film plays coy on this point, but we are obviously supposed to believe in such a noble character.

Hayes also shines. Despite limited screen time, she nearly swipes the show; she certainly gives it a huge portion of its soul. Brynner is best when he is in his stern schoolmaster mode -- he simply looks moonish as a smitten swain later in the film. No surprise there; Brynner's best expression always was animated irritation.

Good as the individual parts are, however, the whole enterprise has a charm that elevates it above any list of its components. Yes, it is melodramatic; yes, it has predictable elements; yes, it has a slightly stagy contrivance about it -- but it is also a huge amount of fun. And, if you're lucky, the analytic part of your brain won't even kick in until the day after you've seen it. Mine sure didn't.

The film looks good, too. The source print was near impeccable, exhibiting a rich, almost lush palette, as well as exemplary sharpness with no digital artifacts indicating any form of artificial enhancement.

The soundtrack is a mixed bag. The Lionel Newman score sounds marvelous -- it has good stereo width and a generous dollop of low end (although understand we're not talking about taut bass here). Speech, however, tended toward the shrill end of the spectrum, except where it was muffled. It wasn't bad enough to be irritating, just enough to remind me that the film is nearly 50 years old.

The feature set, like that of nearly all of Fox's Studio Classics series, is packed with goodies. There's an excellent audio track featuring commentary by writer Laurents, film historian Sylvia Stoddard, John Burlingame (author of a biography of Lionel Newman), and James MacArthur (Helen Hayes's son).

There's also an episode from A&E Biography called "Anastasia: Her True Story," which examines the Anastasia mythos, including the tale of Anna Anderson, the mystery woman who served as the inspiration for Anastasia. In addition, there are six Movietone Newsreels: "Anastasia Proves Dramatic Triumph in Twin Premieres," "Anastasia Star Ingrid Bergman Best Actress," "Redbook Awards to The King And I and Anastasia," "World Felicitates Ingrid Bergman on Second Oscar," "1907 Czar of Russia Footage," and "Romanov Footage." None of these is earth shattering, but they feel like extremely satisfying additions to the film.

Rounding out the package are a text-based restoration comparison that includes a split-screen comparison of various versions of the film, and a package of trailers for films in the Studio Classics series: All About Eve, An Affair to Remember, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Gentleman’s Agreement, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Grapes of Wrath, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, and How Green Was My Valley.

Any way you slice it, Anastasia is royalty.

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