Anastasia
Seen it?1956 | 105 min | Drama, Romance
Saturday Specialearly ratingWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it won an Oscar, despite soft box office. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics. If you loved Great Expectations or A Room with a View, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Warm and romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 45 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1956: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Russian exiles in Paris plot to collect ten million pounds from the Bank of England by grooming a destitute, suicidal girl to pose as heir to the Russian throne. While Bounin is coaching her, he comes to believe that she is really Anastasia. In the end, the Empress must decide her claim.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 61 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.8 out of 10
- AwardsStrong
Won 1 Oscar: Academy Awards: Best Actress. Won 1 Golden Globe: Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Also nominated for 1 more Oscar and 1 BAFTA. Plus 3 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$4 million worldwide on a $4 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 98K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Great Expectations
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Cast & crew
Directed by Anatole Litvak
- Ingrid BergmanAnna Koreff / Anastasia
- Yul BrynnerGeneral Sergei Pavlovich Bounine
- Helen HayesDowager Empress Maria Feodorovna
- Akim TamiroffBoris Adreivich Chernov
- Martita HuntBaroness Elena von Livenbaum
- Felix AylmerChamberlain
- Sacha PitoëffPiotr Ivanovich Petrovin
- Ivan DesnyPrince Paul von Haraldberg
- Natalie SchaferIrina Lissemskaia / Nini
- Grégoire GromoffStepan