Anastasia (1997): Fact vs Fiction

One of my favourite films of all time has to be the amazing, musical film depicting the mysterious life of the Princess Anastasia. But how much artistic license did the film makers take while producing this iconic tale?

Was Princess Anastasia a real person?

The simple answer is yes! The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna was born on June 18th 1901 to Czar Nicolas II and his wife Czarina Alexandra, who were the last of the Romanov rulers in Russia. She was the youngest daughter of the Russian monarchs (her older sisters were Olga, Tatiana and Maria) and had a little brother called Alexei. So far, the portrait and family history in the Dreamworks animation is indeed correct. The depiction of her grandmother, another key character in the film, was also accurate as she really was the Dowager Empress Marie, however, she didn't live in Paris, but ultimately lived in Denmark after leaving Russia.

'Together in Denmark' doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

Who was Rasputin? And did he use dark magic?

Grigori Rasputin was born was 21st January 1869 and declared himself to be a holy man, rather than someone who communicated with dark forces. Although he was born into a Siberian peasant family, Rasputin built his reputation high enough that he was able to befriend the ill-fated Czar Nicolas II and his wife, Queen Alexandra in November 1905. Within a year, Rasputin had become the healer for young Prince Alexei as he suffered from hemophilia (inability to form blood clots) however, he wasn't welcomed by all at the Russian court. Although Rasputin tried to charm his way into society, others thought he was a religious charlatan who shouldn't be trusted. The most power Rasputin received was in 1915, when Czar Nicolas II left St. Petersburg to oversee the Russian armies fighting in World War 1, leaving Rasputin and his wife effectively in charge. This did not help the royal family's dwindling popularity.

In the film we see the Romanov family trying to escape, what happened to them?

As Czar Nicolas II was losing control and power in his country, the people started to rebel and revolt. The streets were filled with protestors about how the Czar was running the country; including the food rationing and the dismal progress they were making during World War 1. On March 15th 1917, Czar Nicolas II was forced to abdicate and a new government installed in his place.

The Romanovs were placed under house arrest firstly in the Czarskoye Selo palace and they were then moved to the Yekaterinburg palace. Nearly a year later, forces in support of the Romanovs were advancing and the revolutionaries who had taken power from the Czar worried their family might be rescued.

The right-wing Bolshevik revolutionaries had taken control of the government in November 1917. Nicolas, sensing his family might be in danger, asked both the British and French governments for asylum but they both refused. This meant that the Romanov family were in the hands of the government that had wanted them out of power. The family were moved from house to house, until their final move to Yekaterinaburg palace. The soldiers who were guarding them didn't treat them well at all, and on the night of July 17th 1918, the guards told the Romanov family to get ready for another move.

In the film, we don't see what happened to the family but it's assumed they didn't make it out of the palace alive?

As the family and their trusted familiars made themselves ready for another move, their captors turned violent and assassinated all of the people in their care. Their first attack was with their bullets, then with their bayonets and even with their own fists. What seemed like a random attack, was actually carefully planned and staged to get rid of any threat the Romanov family still posed. Their bodies were taken to the middle of a forest and placed in unmarked graves that weren't discovered until 1979 and weren't recovered until 1991. However, Maria and Alexei, two of the Romanov children, were still missing. Their bodies weren't found until 2007; where scientific evidence proved they were the missing Romanov children.

If the family were all assassinated, how did the story of the Anastasia come to be?

After the deaths of the family, the only death that was announced was that of Czar Nicolas II, but the Bolsheviks wouldn't confirm or deny the killings of the rest of his family. This was because Kaiser Wilhelm was cousins with the Empress Alexandra, and Lenin (leader of the Bolsheviks) didn't want to create any tension with the German leader. As nothing was confirmed, rumours started to fly of some of the children escaping, maybe some of the guards rescued them or turned a blind eye, allowing them to escape their fate.

Many women did claim to be Anastasia, or her sister Tatiana, (which is similar to the Dreamworks film) however one woman in particular became the most famous. In 1920s Berlin, a woman was pulled from a canal and taken to a local hospital. For months she refused to say a word and was eventually transferred to an asylum; where a fellow patient remarked that she looked like the Duchess Anastasia (and apparently the woman did nothing to play down these claims). This lady in question took on the name of Anna Anderson, and proclaimed that she escaped the Bolsheviks as a guard realised she was unconscious not dead as he carried her away from the palace in the woods. Others who knew of the princess, said Anna had the same shaped ears and feet as Anastasia, as well as the same blue eyes. Others said she even had the same mannerisms as the princess.

However, other people poked obvious holes in her story. Apparently, Anna's facial features were very different and the most worrying of all, she couldn't speak Russian.

Similarly to the film, the Dowager Empress Marie refused to meet with Anna. However, she never offered a reward for her granddaughter to be found. Although, the Nicolas' sister Duchess Olga did meet with Anna in hospital and later reported that she had been 'looking at a stranger'.

Anna Anderson's claims were further proved to be false after she passed away and a DNA test was taken; there were no links with the Romanov family to be found and she was actually revealed to be a Polish factory worker.

However wonderful a tale of familial love, loss and reunion Anastasia was made to be. It will forever be just that, a fairytale. Anna Anderson may have been an imposter, but people do still believe the Princess Anastasia could still be out there, believing in once upon a December.