The Amazing True Story of Anastasia
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VOICE OVER: Kirsten Ria Squibb
WRITTEN BY: Catherine Neal
The movie left out quite a bit... We'll be taking a look at the life and death of the Grand Duchess who later became a fairytale figure in film and media, most famously in the 1997 animated movie “Anastasia."
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re discussing the true story of “Anastasia.” We’ll be taking a look at the life and death of the Grand Duchess who later became a fairytale figure in film and media, most famously in the 1997 animated movie “Anastasia.”
Don Bluth’s musical fantasy was inspired by the tale of a real Russian princess, the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the daughter of Nicholas II, Russia’s last Emperor. The Romanovs, her family, were part of an imperial dynasty that had ruled Russia for three centuries. This rule came to a brutal end in 1917, when Anastasia was still a teen.
Anastasia was born in St. Petersburg’s Peterhof Palace. As the youngest girl, she was close to her sisters, Olga, Tatiana and especially Maria. After Anastasia came a brother, Alexei. From accounts of family friends and staff, we can paint a picture of the little princess as a spirited and playful child. She was once said to hold “the record for punishable deeds in her family, for in naughtiness she was a true genius." Despite her tree-climbing, prank playing nature, Anastasia was also described as being incredibly charming.
Anastasia’s childhood may have been happy, but her country was in political turmoil. When her father, Tsar Nicholas, came to the throne, he was viewed as inexperienced. He had inherited an Empire that weighed on his shoulders, but he didn’t want to move the country towards becoming a parliamentary monarchy. Many of his governing choices in the face of conflict were also widely critiqued. The upheaval of World War One was the last straw. While Nicholas was at the front, lack of food and general difficulties caused the Russian people to rebel, leading to the February Revolution. In 1917, the Tsar was forced to abdicate, Lenin’s Bolsheviks took over, and the Romanovs were sentenced to house arrest. In July 1918, the Romanov family and members of their household were killed.
Despite the tragic circumstances of her death, Princess Anastasia was to become a mysterious and romantic figure in popular culture. Long after her murder, rumors continued to surface that she may have survived. The legend persisted throughout the years, and many young women came forward in the time after the revolution saying that they were the lost princess.
In 1991, testing on the Romanov burial site confirmed that the remains of both the Tsar and Tsarina had been laid to rest, alongside three of the Grand Duchesses. It wasn’t until 2007 that a second grave was discovered, containing DNA matches for Alexei and his missing sister. Decades after her death, the mystery of Anastasia could finally be put to rest.
We might have hoped for a happier outcome to the Grand Duchess’s story, but the myth of her escape lives on via stage and screen retellings. Many of these are influenced by the story of Anna Anderson, history’s most famous Anastasia imposter.
In the 1920s, this young Polish factory worker gained notoriety by declaring that she was the lost Romanov heir. After a prolonged court case and investigation, it was decided that there was insufficient evidence to support her assertions. Nevertheless, the legend survived, though post-mortem testing definitively confirmed she was not Anastasia. A successful play based on Anderson’s story was adapted into a movie in 1956. This was “Anastasia,” a romantic period piece featuring Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner. This film would later inspire the 1997 animated musical and its subsequent stage adaptation.
Although there are multiple similarities, one major difference between the animated “Anastasia” and previous adaptations of the story is the inclusion of Rasputin as the primary villain of the piece. Obviously, he wasn’t an undead specter with a bat sidekick. But who was he really and how does he fit into the story?
Grigori Rasputin was controversial in Romanov Russia. The self-styled “holy man” wasn’t born into wealth, and raised himself to become a prominent figure in society. He became close to the Imperial family by becoming Alexei’s “healer,” as the boy was a hemophiliac. When Nicholas left for the front amid the First World War, the mystic’s authority increased, and people’s opposition to him and the Tsarina grew. Russian nobles killed Rasputin in 1916.
Rasputin wasn’t directly responsible for the downfall of the Romanovs, however, the animated movie does have some excuse for turning him into the bad guy. His dark reputation and association with the Empress Alexandra is thought to have damaged the reputation of the Imperial family, which was already in dire straits. The depiction of the character as a mystical man who is difficult to kill also has a basis in fact. While he was not a sorcerer, some did believe him to have powers. It’s also thought that his enemies had a hard time ending his life.
Another historical figure to make an appearance in the animated “Anastasia” movie is the protagonist’s grandmother, the Dowager Empress Marie. This character also plays a similar role in the 1956 film, portrayed by actress Helen Hayes. In real life, the Empress Maria Feodorovna escaped Russia by train, along with a group of Romanov refugees. In the movies, Anastasia’s grandmother takes up residence in Paris, but in reality she ultimately went back to Denmark, where she was born.
Although she was informed of the death of her family, the exiled Empress struggled to believe the truth. She hung onto hope that they had survived for the rest of her life. She’s been quoted as saying "I am sure they all got out of Russia and now the Bolsheviks are trying to hide the truth."
By now, it’s clear that the animated “Anastasia” doesn’t deliver a historical account of what happened to the Grand Duchess. But the movie is somewhat accurate when it comes to costume design and depiction of various settings, as well as including a few Easter eggs. The Russian court gowns, Anastasia’s tiara, and the costumes worn in the opening sequence have been thoughtfully animated with attention to historical detail. Some of the locations, such as the Paris Opera House and St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace are rather faithfully recreated.
There appear to be a few additional nods to the facts within the 1997 movie. For instance, the Romanov family portrait features a character who reportedly survived the Revolution: Alexei’s spaniel, named Joy. However, other tidbits – like the claim that Anastasia really did have a music box – are harder to verify.
The true story of Anastasia may be devastatingly sad, but the more hopeful legend lives on in the animated fairytale. While it takes liberties with the facts, it’s also guaranteed to remind viewers of the real story and keep the memory of this historic figure alive.
Don Bluth’s musical fantasy was inspired by the tale of a real Russian princess, the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the daughter of Nicholas II, Russia’s last Emperor. The Romanovs, her family, were part of an imperial dynasty that had ruled Russia for three centuries. This rule came to a brutal end in 1917, when Anastasia was still a teen.
Anastasia was born in St. Petersburg’s Peterhof Palace. As the youngest girl, she was close to her sisters, Olga, Tatiana and especially Maria. After Anastasia came a brother, Alexei. From accounts of family friends and staff, we can paint a picture of the little princess as a spirited and playful child. She was once said to hold “the record for punishable deeds in her family, for in naughtiness she was a true genius." Despite her tree-climbing, prank playing nature, Anastasia was also described as being incredibly charming.
Anastasia’s childhood may have been happy, but her country was in political turmoil. When her father, Tsar Nicholas, came to the throne, he was viewed as inexperienced. He had inherited an Empire that weighed on his shoulders, but he didn’t want to move the country towards becoming a parliamentary monarchy. Many of his governing choices in the face of conflict were also widely critiqued. The upheaval of World War One was the last straw. While Nicholas was at the front, lack of food and general difficulties caused the Russian people to rebel, leading to the February Revolution. In 1917, the Tsar was forced to abdicate, Lenin’s Bolsheviks took over, and the Romanovs were sentenced to house arrest. In July 1918, the Romanov family and members of their household were killed.
Despite the tragic circumstances of her death, Princess Anastasia was to become a mysterious and romantic figure in popular culture. Long after her murder, rumors continued to surface that she may have survived. The legend persisted throughout the years, and many young women came forward in the time after the revolution saying that they were the lost princess.
In 1991, testing on the Romanov burial site confirmed that the remains of both the Tsar and Tsarina had been laid to rest, alongside three of the Grand Duchesses. It wasn’t until 2007 that a second grave was discovered, containing DNA matches for Alexei and his missing sister. Decades after her death, the mystery of Anastasia could finally be put to rest.
We might have hoped for a happier outcome to the Grand Duchess’s story, but the myth of her escape lives on via stage and screen retellings. Many of these are influenced by the story of Anna Anderson, history’s most famous Anastasia imposter.
In the 1920s, this young Polish factory worker gained notoriety by declaring that she was the lost Romanov heir. After a prolonged court case and investigation, it was decided that there was insufficient evidence to support her assertions. Nevertheless, the legend survived, though post-mortem testing definitively confirmed she was not Anastasia. A successful play based on Anderson’s story was adapted into a movie in 1956. This was “Anastasia,” a romantic period piece featuring Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner. This film would later inspire the 1997 animated musical and its subsequent stage adaptation.
Although there are multiple similarities, one major difference between the animated “Anastasia” and previous adaptations of the story is the inclusion of Rasputin as the primary villain of the piece. Obviously, he wasn’t an undead specter with a bat sidekick. But who was he really and how does he fit into the story?
Grigori Rasputin was controversial in Romanov Russia. The self-styled “holy man” wasn’t born into wealth, and raised himself to become a prominent figure in society. He became close to the Imperial family by becoming Alexei’s “healer,” as the boy was a hemophiliac. When Nicholas left for the front amid the First World War, the mystic’s authority increased, and people’s opposition to him and the Tsarina grew. Russian nobles killed Rasputin in 1916.
Rasputin wasn’t directly responsible for the downfall of the Romanovs, however, the animated movie does have some excuse for turning him into the bad guy. His dark reputation and association with the Empress Alexandra is thought to have damaged the reputation of the Imperial family, which was already in dire straits. The depiction of the character as a mystical man who is difficult to kill also has a basis in fact. While he was not a sorcerer, some did believe him to have powers. It’s also thought that his enemies had a hard time ending his life.
Another historical figure to make an appearance in the animated “Anastasia” movie is the protagonist’s grandmother, the Dowager Empress Marie. This character also plays a similar role in the 1956 film, portrayed by actress Helen Hayes. In real life, the Empress Maria Feodorovna escaped Russia by train, along with a group of Romanov refugees. In the movies, Anastasia’s grandmother takes up residence in Paris, but in reality she ultimately went back to Denmark, where she was born.
Although she was informed of the death of her family, the exiled Empress struggled to believe the truth. She hung onto hope that they had survived for the rest of her life. She’s been quoted as saying "I am sure they all got out of Russia and now the Bolsheviks are trying to hide the truth."
By now, it’s clear that the animated “Anastasia” doesn’t deliver a historical account of what happened to the Grand Duchess. But the movie is somewhat accurate when it comes to costume design and depiction of various settings, as well as including a few Easter eggs. The Russian court gowns, Anastasia’s tiara, and the costumes worn in the opening sequence have been thoughtfully animated with attention to historical detail. Some of the locations, such as the Paris Opera House and St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace are rather faithfully recreated.
There appear to be a few additional nods to the facts within the 1997 movie. For instance, the Romanov family portrait features a character who reportedly survived the Revolution: Alexei’s spaniel, named Joy. However, other tidbits – like the claim that Anastasia really did have a music box – are harder to verify.
The true story of Anastasia may be devastatingly sad, but the more hopeful legend lives on in the animated fairytale. While it takes liberties with the facts, it’s also guaranteed to remind viewers of the real story and keep the memory of this historic figure alive.
