7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An opportunistic Russian businessman tries to pass a mysterious impostor as the Grand Duchess Anastasia. But she is so convincing in her performance that even the biggest skeptics believe her.
Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, Helen Hayes, Akim Tamiroff, Martita HuntDrama | Insignificant |
History | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.55:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
DNA has solved any number of crimes, even providing the basis for freeing some folks who have been wrongly convicted of various bad acts. DNA analysis also finally solved one of the most intriguing mysteries of the 20th century, namely what happened to not just Nicholas and Alexandra, but perhaps more importantly at least one of their children, the Grand Duchess Anastasia. With the fall of the Soviet Union and better access to data that had evidently been there all along (if sequestered away), the remains of the Romanovs were finally found and it was definitively determined that all seven members of the erstwhile royal family were accounted for. DNA testing also finally debunked the claims of the most prominent of several pretenders to the throne (as it were), a fascinating character who went by the name Anna Anderson, though her birth name was Franziska Schanzkowska. Anna’s “story” (and it indeed turned out to be largely a work of fiction) started circulating as early as the 1920s, and parts of it at least provided fodder for a play originally written by Marcelle Maurette which was then adapted by Guy Bolton and which debuted on Broadway in late 1954, running for 272 performances. By that time, elements of Anna’s story were already rather well known, but Anastasia fictionalized many aspects of her already dubious story, making Anna’s quest to establish herself as the lost Tsarina part of a convoluted scheme to raid an extant Romanov treasury. When Anastasia made it to the screen a couple of years later, it was notable for reintroducing American audiences to Ingrid Bergman, a woman who herself had experienced a kind of ignoble exile after her supposedly scandalous affair with Roberto Rossellini led to the collapse of her (American) film career. Bergman went on to win that year’s Academy Award for Best Actress and Anastasia has continued to delight audiences who probably couldn’t care less what the “real” story turned out to be.
Anastasia is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. This presentation certainly improves on the DVD in terms of overall saturation and clarity, but I still found the palette slightly ruddy looking at times, something probably not helped by the DeLuxe color, which was never as bold and vivid as Technicolor. Reds can be slightly brown looking, something that also tends to affect flesh tones. Blues still resonate strongly, and part of this lack of "pop" can be ascribed to a somewhat tamped down production design, one which initially at least tends to indulge in grays and browns and other nondescript tones before Anna is "reborn" as a royal and things start to look more colorful. Detail is generally very good to excellent, though Jack Hildyard's cinematography sometimes exploits pomp over intimacy in some of his widescreen framings that were probably interpolated into the story to give it a bit more of an epic feel (see screenshot 12), with detail levels understandably falling. When close-ups are employed, fine detail is excellent in revealing some of the textures of the often stunning costumes and sets. Grain looks natural if a bit chunky at times and encounters no resolution issues. There are occasional slight stability problems, with one example at circa 32:30 where the image shifts horizontally back and forth rapidly.
One of Anastasia's crowning glories (sorry) is its Oscar nominated score by Alfred Newman, presented here as an isolated track (see the supplemental features listing) as well as in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 as part of the actual soundtrack. The old DVD of Anastasia had some sound issues which have been ameliorated here, and both soundtrack options offer Newman's sumptuous music in full bodied sound. Dialogue is also presented very cleanly and clearly and is well prioritized. The surround track nicely splays the score as well as delivering discrete channelization for various sound effects. Fidelity is top notch and there are no issues of any kind to warrant concern.
- Screenwriter Arthur Laurents, Actor James MacArthur, Film Historians Jon Burlingame and Sylvia Stoddard
- David Del Valle with Twilight Time's Julie Kirgo
As history, Anastasia is fanciful at best, but when contrasting it with what might be considered its nearest cinematic counterpart, Nicholas and Alexandra, it has emotion to spare. That is due almost entirely to the wonderful performances, especially from Bergman, Brynner and Hayes, though no one in the rather large supporting cast is anything less than wonderful. The film is probably a bit too glitzy to come off as anything other than a lush romance, but it offers a nicely romantic "version" of events which should appeal to those with a wistful bent. Technical merits are very good to excellent, and the two commentaries on the Blu-ray are each fun to listen to. Recommended.
Choice Collection
2006
2019
1953
2008
1978
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1954
1935
1981-1989
2013
Lady Hamilton
1941
2014
Limited Edition to 3000
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1949
1939
1999
Special Edition
1968
Warner Archive Collection
1958
2012
2009
1995