HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN [1952 / 2012] [Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] A Film Presentation by Samuel Goldwyn!
‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ is a 1952 Hollywood musical film directed by Charles Vidor, with lyrics and music by Frank Loesser. The story was by Myles Connolly, screenplay written by Moss Hart and Ben Hecht (uncredited), and Samuel Goldwyn Productions were the producers. It is a fictional, romantic story revolving around the life of the famous Danish poet and story-teller Hans Christian Andersen.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1953 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Cinematography and Color for Harry Stradling Sr. Nominated: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in Color for Antoni Clave, Howard Bristol and Richard Day. Nominated: Best Costume Design in Color for Antoni Clave, Barbara Karinska and Mary Wills. Nominated: Best Sound Recording for Gordon Sawyer (Goldwyn Sound Department). Nominated: Best Music and Original Song for Frank Loesser for the song "Thumbelina." Nominated: Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture for Walter Scharf. 1953 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical. Nominated: Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Danny Kaye. 1953 Directors Guild of America: Nominated: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Charles Vidor. 1953 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Musical for Moss Hart.
FILM FACT No.2: Producer Samuel Goldwyn conceived the idea for the film in 1936 and employed numerous writers to work on early drafts of the screenplay over the years. In 1941 he was reportedly in discussions with Walt Disney Studios to produce the film, but the deal fell through. The film was eventually produced in the spring of 1952. Danish authorities were not consulted on the film and there were complaints from Denmark that the film was a fairy tale rather than the true story of Hans Christian Andersen's life and the Danish Foreign Office considered making a formal protest against the film. The film premiered in New York City on the 25th November, 1952, opening at the Paris Theatre and at the Criterion Theatre, and went on general release in both the United States and United Kingdom on the 19th December, 1952. A studio cast recording of the film's songs was released by Decca, with Danny Kaye, Jane Wyman, and a backup chorus singing the songs. The album also included two Sylvia Fine originals made specifically for the album, "Uncle Pockets" and "There's a Hole at the Bottom of the Sea," and Danny Kaye's narration of two of the “Tubby the Tuba” stories by Paul Tripp. The songs were originally released as a series of four 78 rpm singles, with two songs per record, a 45 rpm album, and a 10" Long Playing Record was released also.
Cast: Danny Kaye, Farley Granger, Zizi Jeanmaire, Joseph Walsh, Philip Tonge, Erik Bruhn, Roland Petit, John Brown, John Qualen, Jeanne Lafayette, Robert Malcolm, George Chandler, Fred Kelsey, Gil Perkins, Peter J. Votrian, Lee Aaker (uncredited), Arthur Berkeley (uncredited), Billy Bevan (uncredited), Chet Brandenburg (uncredited), Lonnie Burr (uncredited), Wheaton Chambers (uncredited), Barrie Chase (uncredited), Jack Claus (uncredited), Noreen Corcoran (uncredited), Michael Cowan (uncredited), George Davis (uncredited), Pepe De Chazza (uncredited), Edith Evanson (uncredited), Franklyn Farnum (uncredited), Jack Gargan (uncredited), Slim Gaut (uncredited), Jack George (uncredited), Karolyn Grimes (uncredited), Frank Hagney (uncredited), Joan Haig (uncredited), Stanley Hall (uncredited), Sam Harris (uncredited), Tommy Ivo (uncredited), Joan Larkin (uncredited), Rudy Lee (uncredited), Sylvia Lewis (uncredited), Ray Linn Jr. (uncredited), Allen D. Sewall (uncredited), Pat Tribble (uncredited), Betty Uitti (uncredited) and Beverly Washburn (uncredited)
Director: Charles Vidor
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn
Screenplay: Moss Hart (screenplay), Ben Hecht (uncredited) and Myles Connolly (based on a story)
Composer: Frank Loesser (Words and Music)
Cinematography: Harry Stradling Sr. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 1.0 DTS-HD Master Mono Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
Running Time: 112 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Home Video
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: In 1952 producer Samuel Goldwyn presented the world with ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN,’ a lavish colourful musical biography of the Danish storyteller which wove together details from the writer's life and his beloved fables through the use of songs and musical interludes. Starring Danny Kaye, the film was a fourteen year old project for Samuel Goldwyn, who described it as "a long labour of love, because if ever I loved anything in my entire career, this has been it."
Hans Christian Anderson was a beloved author of children's tales. In his life, he had many opportunities and benefactors. Hans Christian Anderson stories were immensely popular, and Hans Christian Anderson was even courted by royalty. The 1952 film ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN,’ starred Danny Kaye. The film opens with a disclaimer that it is not a telling of the man's life, but a fairy tale dedicated to the creator of so many classic fairy tales of his own.
Danny Kaye of the delightful film ‘The Court Jester’ [1956] [which I wish they would release on the Blu-ray format, as it would be a massive big seller] plays the title role as Hans Christian Anderson who lives in a small town Danish cobbler. Hans Christian Anderson tells fanciful tales to the town children, often with a strong moral component. However, Hans Christian Anderson’s story time conflicts with the children’s' schooling. Eventually both the schoolmaster and a group of concerned parents decide that Hans should be kicked out of town. Overhearing the decision, Hans Christian Anderson's apprentice, Peter [Joseph Walsh], convinces Hans Christian Anderson to leave for Copenhagen that night and pursue his dreams in the nation's capital. While there, a prominent ballet company requests Hans Christian Anderson's skills as a cobbler. Going to deliver the ballet shoes, Hans Christian Anderson falls head over heels for the head ballerina, Doro [Zizi Jeanmaire]. In the throes of love, Hans Christian Anderson pens perhaps his most famous tale, "The Little Mermaid" and tells the ballerina Doro how he feels, but instead, Doro and Niels plan on making their next ballet based on the story.
Eventually, Hans Christian Andersen and Peter return to their village, where Hans Christian Andersen helps a young boy named Peter, whom the other children are teasing about his shaved head, with a wonderful musical rendition of “The Ugly Duckling,” which is eventually printed by Peter’s father, the newspaper publisher. Afterwards, Hans Christian Andersen returns to Copenhagen when the touring ballet company does also.
This leads to a sad moment where he tries to break up his friendship with Peter. Because Peter warns Hans Christian Andersen that the ballerina is very happily married after all. Hans Christian Andersen is locked in a prop room while the ballet happens and afterward, Hans Christian Andersen realizes the truth, and returns home, reuniting and reconciling with Peter on the way.
Danny Kaye who is such a brilliant entertainer that when you see him once you never forgot him and of course ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN,’ is the perfect vehicle for Danny Kaye's brilliant talent, especially amongst many things was the snappy delivery of tongue twisting lyrics in ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.’ But it is not just Danny Kaye's brilliant performance of the music it is also his ability to tell stories in such a way that he connects with the audience as well as the children seated around him on screen. Trust me when I say that if ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ had starred anyone other than Danny Kaye it wouldn't have worked.
‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ also is symbolic of the writer's life which unless you are aware of Hans Christian Andersen's life you will not realise. The main storyline which focuses on Hans Christian Andersen's unrequited love for Doro is symbolic of Hans Christian Andersen's own struggles with love often falling for unavailable women. Some people can read further into the stories and relationships in the movie such as his friendship with Peter but all I will say is you don't need to be a Hans Christian Andersen expert to appreciate how good this movie is. And the story of unrequited love gives us two things; Zizi Jeanmaire who as a dancer was also capable of acting and the stunning ballet sequence which is totally enthralling.
The name of the game for ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ is total charm. The Technicolor film is mainly light and cheery, and Danny Kaye appears so effortlessly charming that you can't help but fall instantly in love with the whole production. It's so loveable that when the Danish government filed an official complaint against the film for not being shot in Denmark or featuring Danish actors, producer Samuel Goldwyn invited a representative of the Danish government to view the film. After seeing it once, the complaint was withdrawn.
The beautiful film is buoyed by a set of original songs by Frank Loesser, composer for ‘Guys and Dolls.’ Unlike most musicals, the songs for ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ are quite enjoyable and memorable, with strong melodies that don't sound like typical Broadway fare. In fact, the musical numbers are some of the most underrated of the period, coming across as more understated than was typical for the time. The film doesn't stop with songs, also including an extended ballet drawing from Hans Christian Anderson's story of "The Little Mermaid," set to music by Franz Liszt. The film was shot in Technicolor, so the whole thing looks totally vibrant and rich, but the production design and colour scheme hit great heights during the ballet.
The script does a brilliant fantastic job of evoking the sense of wonder and merriment that Hans Christian Anderson's stories always possessed. In fact, by framing the story as a fairy tale instead of a literal biopic, the film gets away with a wide-eyed optimism that might seem hopelessly naïve today. Danny Kaye's broad performance similarly works within this context, but might seem terribly dated if the picture had been done straight.
The earnestness extends to the rest of the cast, especially Joseph Walsh as Peter. Acting as Hans Christian Anderson's anchor to reality and loyal confidante, Joseph Walsh does a good job of wearing his heart on his sleeve. Farley Granger, fresh off of the Alfred Hitchcock ‘Strangers On A Train,’ plays the ballet director Niels in a role that is relatively thankless. At the time of its release, ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ was an international box office success, garnering loads of Academy Award® nominations. In time, its star has faded compared to other musicals of the period, but that makes it ripe for rediscovery. The film is a minor gem, but a gem nonetheless, and worth catching if it should cross your path.
Even before its release, Denmark protested against the film, decrying it as an unfair treatment of their national hero. Goldwyn promptly sent Danny Kaye overseas to effectively allay their concerns. The ploy worked according to the A. Scott Berg book, “Goldwyn: A Biography” where Danny Kaye visited Denmark in July 1952. From the airport he went straight to the statue of Hans Christian Anderson n in one of Copenhagen’s central parks, to lay flowers. More than fifty policemen were needed to escort Danny Kaye through the throngs who awaited him at the memorial. He climbed the statue and embraced Hans Christian Anderson, then had to be carried on a policeman's shoulders past the thousands of fans. With the Danish public mollified, the production was cleared for take-off and upon its release, ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ earned $6 million dollars and scored 6 OSCAR® nominations for the score, costumes, art direction, sound, cinematography, and song. Although returning empty-handed from the Academy Awards® and Samuel Goldwyn was nonetheless delighted with his film's box office success, declaring, "It all proves to me that this business of ours is still a great and healthy one. If you make your pictures for the whole family, the whole family will make a bee-line for the theatre." What this all boils down to is that ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ is a pure joy to watch with great music, great singing, exceptional dancing and the always wonderful Danny Kaye who makes this film so brilliant and very entertaining.
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE KING’S NEW CLOTHES (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye and children]
INCHWORM (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye and children]
I’M HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye]
WONDEFUL COPENHAGEN (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye, Joseph Walsh, sailors, and Chorus]
I’M HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (Reprise #1) (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye]
THUMBELINA (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye]
Ice Skating Ballet from the overture to "Rosamunde" (uncredited) (Music by Franz Schubert) [Danced by Zizi Jeanmaire, Erik Bruhn and dancers]
DREAM BALLET (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) [Performed by Zizi Jeanmaire, Danny Kaye and Farley Granger]
THE UGLY DUCKLING (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye]
ANYWHERE I WANDER (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye]
I’M HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (Reprise #2) (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye]
FANTASY WEDDING SEQUENCE (uncredited) (Music by Franz Schubert) [Sung by Danny Kaye, Zizi Jeanmaire and Chorus]
TWO PEOPLE (uncredited) (Music by Franz Schubert) [Sung by Danny Kaye, Zizi Jeanmaire and Chorus]
Sonata in B Minor Piano Sonata "The Little Mermaid Ballet" scene (uncredited) (Music by Franz Liszt) (Arranged by Heinz Roemheld) [Danced by Zizi Jeanmaire and the Roland Petit Ballet]
Les Preludes (uncredited) (Music by Franz Liszt) (Arranged by Heinz Roemheld)
Gnomenreigen (uncredited) (Music by Franz Liszt) (Arranged by Heinz Roemheld)
Tasso (uncredited) (Music by Franz Liszt) (Arranged by Heinz Roemheld)
Mephisto Waltz (uncredited) (Music by Franz Liszt) (Arranged by Heinz Roemheld)
The Little Mermaid Ballet scene (uncredited) [Danced by Zizi Jeanmaire and the Roland Petit Ballet]
THE KING’S NEW CLOTHES (Reprise) (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye, children and Chorus in the Finale]
WONDEFUL COPENHAGEN (Reprise) (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye, children and Chorus in the Finale]
THUMBELINA (Reprise) (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye, children and Chorus in the Finale]
THE UGLY DUCKLING (Reprise) (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye, Children, and Chorus in the Finale]
I’M HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (Reprise) (uncredited) (Music by Frank Loesser) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) [Sung by Danny Kaye, Children, and Chorus in the Finale]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ is presented in this beautiful encoded 1080p transfer and also shown in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The first thing that will impress you about the image is the vibrant Technicolor palette, which is bold and vibrant. In the opening scene, where Hans is talking to children near a bridge, the blue of the river and the greens of the grass pop off the screen. Flesh tones are very warm, sometimes veering toward red. The biggest problem I could see comes from the three-strip process Technicolor employed. When employed perfectly, it looks gorgeous. But here I noticed slight colouring errors around the edges of things, such as the hems of clothing or around the iris of people's eyes. Additionally, these errors contribute to a level of softness that one wouldn't expect for a three-strip Technicolor image. Despite these problems, this is clearly a high-definition image. The extended ballet sequence looks particularly gorgeous. There's a very attractive layer of film grain that gives the transfer a very authentic filmic look and to me this is just first rate.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ only comes with a one standard 1.0 DTS-HD Master Mono Audio track. For films like these, sometimes the original mixes are best, and I found that the film sounded really good. The gorgeous music gets especially a really good treatment. Balance is reasonable, with the music and voices taking centre stage. I didn't detect any hissing or distortion, making for a clean and smooth track. Imaging was necessarily limited and obviously the surrounds got no use at all. It's not a lot, but it's all the film needs. But with the modern technology around today, I am sure they could of given the soundtrack a makeover of a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, like they have been able to turn 2D films into 3D Blu-ray discs and some Mono films into Stereo, especially with a classic Hollywood film like this, still despite this aspect, it is still a good effort.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Theatrical Trailer [1952] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:43] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.’ Curious, when was the last time you heard a producer's name mentioned so many times in a film trailer's voiceover?
BONUS: Limited Edition DigiBook: Warner Home Video has packaged ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ in a very attractive beautiful illustrated Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook with production photos, lobby cards, one sheets and drawings. The text provides an overview of the production's lengthy development, as well as biographies of Samuel Goldwyn, Danny Kaye, Zizi Jeanmaire, Farley Granger, Roland Petit, Frank Loesser, Moss Hart, Charles Vidor and Hans Christian Andersen.
Finally, ‘HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ is a minor gem with a winning performance by Danny Kaye and some very memorable songs by Frank Loesser. The image is vibrant but does have a few flaws. The audio, while only Mono, still sounds excellent, but with today’s modern technology available I would have thought they could have expanded the sound element of this beautiful Blu-ray disc, despite this, it certainly highlights the excellent score. While the film does come in a beautiful DigiBook packaging, it is a shame they could not have expanded the special features, as I sure there must be some hidden behind the scene gems in the vaults of Warner Bros., like interviews with the actors and especially outtakes? Despite this 'Hans Christian Anderson' is well worth seeing, especially the magic touch that the director Charles Vidor brought to the screen, and because I am a massive fan of Danny Kaye, this beautiful Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook and an even more the beautiful film, it has gone pride of place in my ever increasing Limited Edition DigiBook Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
