Search - Hans Christian Andersen on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Excellent For Children Movie Release: 1952 DVD Release: 03/06/2001 Format: DVD - Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 52 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 2 Genres: Musical, Musical Drama, Musical Fantasy, Biopic [feature] See Also: Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was Sam Goldwyn's final production for RKO Radio release, and also the producer's last Danny Kaye vehicle. The Moss Hart-Myles Connolly screenplay largely disregards the facts concerning Denmark's great storyteller, opting for a fanciful blend of comedy, fantasy, romance and music. As played by Kaye, Hans Christian Andersen starts out as a small-town cobbler whose gift for spinning fairy tales is keeping the local kids from attending school. Asked to leave town, Hans heads to Copenhagen to seek his fortune as a writer. After having his heart broken by the beautiful ballerina Doro (Jeanmaire), Hans finds solace--and happiness--in the knowledge that hundreds of thousands of children the world over are devoted to his enchanting fantasy stories. The lilting Frank Loesser score includes such tunes as "No Two People," "The King's New Clothes," "Wonderful Copenhagen," "Inchworm," "The Ugly Duckling," "Thumbelina," and the title song. Though Hans Christian Andersen was a smashing box-office success, and as a bonus earned five Oscar nominations. Originally released at 112 minutes, the film is generally available in its 104-minute TV-release form. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Danny Kaye - Hans Christian Andersen
Farley Granger - Niels
Zizi Jeanmaire - Doro
Philip Tonge - Otto

Charles Vidor's whimsical Hans Christian Anderson comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital Stereo and Dolby Digital Mono, while French and Spanish soundtracks have been recorded in Dolby Digital Mono. Spanish and French subtitles are accessible, and the English soundtracks are closed-captioned. Supplemental materials are limited to the original theatrical trailer. Considering the reasonable list price, this is a very good family-friendly title from MGM/UA. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide