anastasia in movies

[granduchess_leah]

wht do you think of nastka in movies  

[stacey]

I've only seen a few. I think it was Fiona Fullerton who played Anastasia in the movie "Nicholas and Alexandra" back in the late 60's. Of course Ingrid Bergman played Anastasia in the film "Anastasia" before that. And Amy Irving played Anastasia (or Anna Anderson!) in the TV-movie "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna" back in the late 80's.

Really the character played both by Amy Irving and Ingrid Bergman were based more on Anna Anderson than on the "real" Anastasia. Only the Fiona Fullerton character was based on the genuine Grand Duchess Anastasia.

I can't remember much of the "Nicholas and Alexandra" movie, esp. about the Grand Duchesses, since they were only peripheral characters thru most of that movie (much to my regret!). I liked the beginning of the Amy Irving TV-movie a lot better than the second half, which just kind of wimped out, IMHO!! And while I thought Ingrid Bergman did a good job in "Anastasia", it ended with the fantasy of her being recognized and accepted by her grandmother the Dowager Empress Marie, which we all know unfortunately never happened!

Also I'm not sure than any of them bore much of a resemblance to the real Anastasia!!

[Margarita Markovna]

Neither did AA, yet so many believed her...

This thread might be of use.

[Natasha]

I'm ordering Nicholas and Alexandra from my familys blockbuster que! I have to send back 'King Arthur'. So i can get it.

[Nessa_Ancalimon]

Despite its inaccuracies and that it seemed based more on a random clamant,the '97 ANASTASIA, I loved it the music is gorgeous esp. ONCE UPON A DECEMBER. Also the Ingrid Bergman was good although it was based more on AA, still fun to watch Ingrid,she is great actress!

[Margarita Markovna]

I'm ordering Nicholas and Alexandra from my familys blockbuster que! I have to send back 'King Arthur'. So i can get it.

Didn't notice this post until now- you can download clips of Nicholas and Alexandra from Laura's site, http://frozentears.org.

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

Sadly, when it comes to films on the Romanovs, they're not interested in the facts.  Sensation sells, and so sensation is what filmmakers, who aren't interested in whether they're portraying history accurately most of the time, are going to produce.

So, we get films and cartoons about 'Anastasia' based on the Anna Anderson story, and films with the GDs baring their breasts and being raped and so on.  That's what brings the audiences to the cinema, not people sitting around getting bored whilst holed up in a house in Siberia.

I would love for there to be an accurate film about the Romanovs, and Anastasia, made, but I don't think it will happen.  The true story of the Romanovs, bar their execution, lacks entertainment value for the majority of cinema goers.  Only Romanov fans interested in the historical aspects of the story would want to see the boring every day goings on of the family, and unfortunately, I don't think there are enough of us out there to justify the cost of making such a film.

I think the best film version of Anastasia for children is the Fox cartoon, but it's still not great because of the glaringly obvious historical inaccuracies!  I watched it with some kids I used to babysit, and when I told them Anastasia was a real person, they were enthralled.  However, I then had to explain that Rasputin hadn't really come back from the dead in order to carry through his curse on the Romanov family, and that Anastasia had been killed and didn't grow up in an orphanage, meet a boy called Dmitri and live happily ever after either...so I'm not sure what useful knowledge of history they got from it, but they were entertained all the same!

Rachel
xx

[RomanovFan318]

Sadly, when it comes to films on the Romanovs, they're not interested in the facts.  Sensation sells, and so sensation is what filmmakers, who aren't interested in whether they're portraying history accurately most of the time, are going to produce.

Exactly. Although I've always wanted to see a remake of N&A I'm beginning to have second thoughts. I doubt a remake would be more historically accurate than the first and maybe even less so. I'm afraid that in order to appeal to the general public the filmakers would distort the facts even more. (eg: Alix and Rasputin having an affair, the GD's being raped)  If they showed Tatiana baring herself in front of a guard back in the early 1970's who knows what they might show today.

And I do agree that the Anastasia cartoon is the best Romanov movie out there for young children. I don't think you could possibly make an accurate Romanov movie appropriate for very young children. Too many things that would upset a five or six year old.  The only problem is having to later explain to a child what really happened to Anastasia. That she did not go around Paris with the handsome Dmitri but was murdered by the Reds.

As for the actreseses who played Anastasia I think Fiona Fullerton was very good in the N&A movie.  

[Romanov_fan]

That is an issue- how accurate movies are, and if they made a remake today the odds are that it might include more inaccurate things. If people did that back then, today it might be worse, that's very correct. Sensation sells, and most films must be financial succeses above anything else, which is rather sad. That opens the market for lots of sensation. Indeed, there are not enough of us to justify a accurate film, which is a pity.

On the plus side of films, they bring history alive visually. And also, and most important, they might bring people to know history who otherwise might never hear of it, or be interested. They might think it's boring, and then see the film, and realize it is not. And they might be inspired to see the historical truth investigated, so they might know what is real or not in the film.
But the misteps films can make are many in the field of history, although I have always liked both Nicholas and Alexandra and the Anastasia cartoon, and I am not particularly fond of movies.

[Caleb]

I agree that sensation does sell. I think that's why Nicholas & Alexandra wasn't the most accurate. I think it's because they wanted to make it interesting to the viewer.

[Sarushka]

I agree that sensation does sell. I think that's why Nicholas & Alexandra wasn't the most accurate. I think it's because they wanted to make it interesting to the viewer.

Sure sensation sells, but also keep in mind the times in which the movie was made. During the Soviet era, there was very limited access to imperial Russian historical resources, which in turn limited the ability of the filmmakers to present an accurate portrayal.

[Romanov_fan]

Yes, there might be many reasons why Nicholas and Alexandra isn't as impressive as it could be. But it is still impressive to me. I think if they did a remake it might not be all that good, although it is hard to say. Anyway, they did have the book Nicholas and Alexandra to base the film on, and that is accurate.