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Hans Christian Andersen

"The glorious story of the greatest storyteller of them all!"

1952-12-19 Music 1hr 52m

A small-town shoemaker with a knack for spinning yarns, Hans encounters happiness and heartbreak on his road to becoming a full-fledged writer.

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Amazon Prime Video

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Hans Christian Andersen
Amazon Prime Video

Watch on Amazon Prime Video

Storyline

A small-town shoemaker with a knack for spinning yarns, Hans encounters happiness and heartbreak on his road to becoming a full-fledged writer.

  • Released
    1952-12-19
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 52m
  • Genre
    Music, Family, Comedy
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    6.8
  • Production
    Samuel Goldwyn Productions

Crew

Charles Vidor
Director
Moss Hart
Screenplay
Samuel Goldwyn
Producer
Keywords:
copenhagen, denmark musical ballet unrequited love heartbreak storytelling cobbler children's book aspiring writer ballerina thumbelina fictional biography shoemaker ballet performance ballet company ugly duckling fairy tale characters pointe shoes little mermaid series

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Cast

Danny Kaye

Danny Kaye
Hans Christian Andersen
Farley Granger

Farley Granger
Niels
Zizi Jeanmaire

Zizi Jeanmaire
Doro
Joseph Walsh

Joseph Walsh
Peter
Philip Tonge

Philip Tonge
Otto
John Qualen

John Qualen
Burgomaster
Erik Bruhn

Erik Bruhn
The Hussar - Danced by
Roland Petit

Roland Petit
The Prince in 'The Little Mermaid' Ballet
John Brown

John Brown
Schoolmaster
Jeanne Lafayette

Jeanne Lafayette
Celine
Robert Malcolm

Robert Malcolm
Stage Doorman
George Chandler

George Chandler
Farmer
Fred Kelsey

Fred Kelsey
First Gendarme
Lee Aaker

Lee Aaker
Little Boy (uncredited)
Billy Bevan

Billy Bevan
Town Councilman (uncredited)
Barrie Chase

Barrie Chase
Ballerina (uncredited)
Sylvia Lewis

Sylvia Lewis
Danseuse / Corps de Ballet (uncredited)
Noreen Corcoran

Noreen Corcoran
Little Girl (uncredited)
Beverly Washburn

Beverly Washburn
Girl Outside Jail Window

Videos and Photos

Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Hans Christian Andersen
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 8

Written by John Chard on 2019-07-24

It's not a story of his life, just a fairytale about a spinner of fairy tales. So the opening written words say to us the very thing that... read more

It's not a story of his life, just a fairytale about a spinner of fairy tales. So the opening written words say to us the very thing that many across the movie forums have failed to spot, namely that they wasn't going for first tier autobiographical on this! just a celebration of the name and his work is all. Who better to bring the great Dane to the screen than the ebullient Danny Kaye, his exuberant approach to the topic befits the glorious colour that positively sparkles in every frame of Charles Vidor's film. The story tracks the Cobbler Andersen as he leaves his hometown of Odense to seek a new life in the beautiful city of Copenhagen. It is here that he becomes known for his stories that bring about much joy to the children of Denmark - and here that he writes his glorious ballet version of The Little Mermaid. He gets into scrapes, he falls for a pretty girl, and most of all he discovers his vocation in life, this is indeed a delightful fairytale in itself. Sit back and enjoy The Emperor's New Clothes, Wonderful Copenhagen, Thumberlina and The Ugly Duckling, and then fall silenct for the 15 minute showing of The Little Mermaid in all its balletic glory. Hans Christian Andersen is a smashingly buoyant film, one that may come wrapped up in treacle for some folk, but for those of us with a sweet filmic tooth then the pleasures are there to be had. 8/10

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-09-11

It's quite easy to be harsh with this rather fanciful depiction of the life of the eponymous Danish writer. It doesn't bear much resemblance... read more

It's quite easy to be harsh with this rather fanciful depiction of the life of the eponymous Danish writer. It doesn't bear much resemblance to the life of the real man, and it's rather episodic construction really doesn't help the film flow particularly well at all. That said, however, Danny Kaye and Charles Vidor have clearly had a powerful vision of what they were trying to achieve - and that isn't a biopic. It's a colourful and large scale series of fantasies that tug at the heart strings, make you smile, wince and tap your toes - just as the vivid imagination of the author would have had them do. Kaye plays the role in a characterful and engaging manner, depicting well the poverty, optimism and, yes, the chocolate box Denmark too, as the film takes us through synopses of some of the most politically subtle and potent "fairy tales" ever written. More than that, it's a visual feast with beautifully crafted costumes and scenery - though, the production looks at times, a little stage bound. Of course, to ice this cake, we have a beautiful soundtrack from Frank Loesser with a little help from Messrs. Schubert and Liszt delivering us timelsss standards that are maybe not the most lyrically challenging, but are songs of so many of our childhood's that show Kaye for the multi talented star that he was. I was not a massive fan of the choreography - I found it too precise and a little sterile at times, but the individual dancers are world class and when the story drifts into his fantasy world and leaves the fables to do the work, this is a thoroughly enjoyable 2 hours of escapism.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by John Chard

It's not a story of his life, just a fairytale about a spinner of fairy tales. So the opening written words say to us the very thing that many across the movie forums have failed to spot, namely that they wasn't going for first tier auto...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 8

Written by John Chard on 2019-07-24

It's not a story of his life, just a fairytale about a spinner of fairy tales. So the opening written words say to us the very thing that many across the movie forums have failed to spot, namely th...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-09-11

It's quite easy to be harsh with this rather fanciful depiction of the life of the eponymous Danish writer. It doesn't bear much resemblance to the life of the real man, and it's rather episodic const...

read more