Greetings,
I realized something as I was sifting through my previous posts. I totally have not reviewed enough classic movies. I've done a few, but nowhere near enough. So, I decided to pick one of my favorites from my childhood that I still enjoy to this day. And not just because it's about a writer. Let's talk about Hans Christian Andersen.
Hans Christian Andersen is a 1952 musical about Hans Christian Andersen. I know, right? What are the odds? If you don't already know, he was a poet and also the author of several famous fairy tales, such as The Emperor's New Clothes, Thumbelina, and The Snow Queen, just to name a few. Yeah, The Snow Queen. So you can blame this guy for Frozen. Anyway, this film is not one I would consider a biopic, necessarily. It's not some kind of birth to death scenario, and it's not as rooted in the real world. More on that later. Although, that might be a good idea for someone to do someday. I recall, in the credits of the film, it is referred to as "a fairy tale about the spinner of fairy tales". That is quite accurate.
The film stars one of my favorite actors, Danny Kaye, as the titular character, and I think we can all agree that he is the best thing about this movie. His charm, not to mention, his beautiful, timeless singing voice, always take productions to another level. Anyway, he begins as Hans the Cobbler in a small Danish town assisted by Peter, played by Joseph Walsh, who is his apprentice/foster son/Dick Grayson. Yeah, I really don't what the deal is with those two. I think he just took in an orphan kid to teach him how to, I guess, cobble. And besides being the shoe man in town, Hans is also the story man. He spends a lot of time telling tales to the children and they love it. Who does not love it is the schoolmaster who is more interested in the math than any creative endeavors. He is everyone who we, as artists, are supposed to hate! Okay, to be fair, he is not completely wrong. Hans is keeping the kids out of school. Now it would be nice to find a balance between learning and storytelling, but the schoolmaster goes to the town's Burgomaster, which is like a mayor of sorts, and gets Hans kicked out of town. I guess that's legal? Fine, people. Fix you own shoes. This is what really gets the plot going as Hans and Peter head off to Copenhagan, which is apparently the awesomest place ever! At least, according to the song they sing about it.
Okay, they actually do show Copenhagen as being quite a beautiful place, which it is. But as soon as he gets there, Hans gets arrested for a crime involving a statue. No, really. This all leads to Peter landing them a job making shoes for the local ballet. It is there that Hans meets Doro, played by Zizi JeanMarie, (credited as just JeanMarie, because of...reasons) a beautiful yet feisty ballerina who is in need of the perfect shoe. It is clear that Hans falls in love with her at first sight. Of course, he does. Problem, though. Doro is married to the choreographer named Niels, played by Farley Granger. In public, they appear to have quite a tumultuous relationship, but in private, they seem to really love each other. So what if he slaps her around a bit? This movie was made in 1952 and takes place in the 1830's. Somehow, I think it could have been worse. Oh, Movies. You have a past that requires much explaining.
The rest of the film somewhat chronicles the origin of The Little Mermaid. How the story came to be and how it is turned into a ballet, with the sad ending intact, mind you. Yeah, if you show this to your kids who only know the Disney version, give them a heads up. We see how the goings on of Hans' life have an effect on his writing, as we had been seeing on a smaller scale throughout the film. It also shows how he begins to become appreciated by many more people than he ever expected and ends up becoming a legend.
Again, I love this movie, It was one of the first films about a writer that I ever saw, and it left quite an impression on me. I loved seeing how Andersen got struck with inspiration out of nowhere for his stories. Although, somehow I think he may have had to try a bit harder. It's portrayed kind of like that scene in Jersey Boys where Bob Gaudio comes up with "Big Girls Don't Cry". In other words, "Yep, it's that easy!" Yeah, no. Still, considering the way this film is made, I can let it slide. As many musicals are, Hans Christian Andersen lives on the edge of reality, in a more dreamy world where anything is possible. Even music coming out of nowhere. But it is very beautiful, to listen to, because the music is lovely, and to look at, because it is amazingly colorful, as so many movies from this time are. Boy, did they ever grab onto that Technicolor thing and run like mad.
So, if you enjoy movies that are musical and colorful and classic and just plain good, I say give this one a whirl. But, remember! Warn the children about the fate of The Little Mermaid!
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
