anastasia56

I find it very interesting that often times the films actors and actresses win Academy Awards for are
in themselves not always the most interesting movies. Even today, actors and actresses win
awards for films that aren’t that great, the only difference being that today when a film isn’t great it
likely stinks. In the case of “Anastasia,” the film is simply mediocre, and Bergman’s performance,
while energized, is hardly the stuff of her better works like “Notorious” and “The Inn of the Sixth
Happiness.”

We all know the story. In the years following the Russian revolution and the horrible impromptu
murder of the Romanov family, the people believe the Czar and his kin are dead but rumors spread
that their youngest daughter Anastasia survived and the hunt is on to find her and present her to
the surviving members of the extended royal family in exile in Paris. Yul Brynner, as a former
denizen of the Russian royal court, has made it his mission to find a woman who will fit the bill. He
finds it in the face of Ingrid Bergman, who knows herself only as Anna and has a past she dares not
reveal. He makes it his mission to convince the world she is Anastasia Romanov.

The film is beautifully shot and a wonder on the eyes. Where the movie stumbles is in pacing and
some storytelling problems. How many times in how many different ways can we watch Anna suffer
an internal conflict about her past? Is she the real Anastasia or isn’t she? Sadly, the film never
really answers that question and does an infuriating story shuffle the entire time.

Bergman and Brynner keep our eyes on the screen because of their combined dramatic presence.
A romance between them creeps in out of left field in the final minutes of the film, without warning
and the audience is supposed to buy that too. Despite convincing performances in the bulk of the
film, including all of the training and coaching that Bergman receives at Brynner’s hands, not even
these seasoned thespians can overcome the narrative shortcomings of the movie’s final moments.

With great relief, the film that comes before the lackluster ending is rife with interesting details and
a good dramatic build. One of the best scenes in the movie is Anna’s first introduction into society
at a party in which everyone is to take an assessment of her and decide if she is the real princess.
This moment in the film has some great exchanges and powerful dialogue.

The tension between Brynner and Bergman is equally compelling and their efforts to discover the
truth keep you watching. Anna’s constant weakness and whining gets tiring quickly however and
often I found myself wanting to slap her through the screen. When presented as a whole though,
“Anastasia” is a very mature and sophisticated film with loads of dignity and intelligence. Did I
mention the amazing cinematography?