Factual error: In the beginning of the film, the Dowager Empress Marie states that the year is 1916 and that they are celebrating the 300th anniversary of their family's rule. The 300th anniversary actually took place in 1913. (00:01:05)
Anastasia (1997)
Directed by: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman
Starring: John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd, Meg Ryan, Hank Azaria, Kelsey Grammer, Angela Lansbury
Genres: Adventure, Animated, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Continuity mistake: In the scene on the boat, when Dimitri gives Anya the blue dress, the piping along the sleeves and the bottom changes from white, to nothing and back to white.
Factual error: At the beginning of the film, we are told it is 1916, and the Russian Revolutionaries attack. However, the Russian Revolution didn't start until 1917 - on both the English and Russian calendars.
Trivia: Inspired by the story of Anna Anderson (died 1984) who claimed to be Archduchess Anastasia, which would have made her the only surviving daughter of the Czar and Czarina of Russia. Only DNA tests years after her death proved she was not Anastasia, but an imposter which European nobility had long suspected.
Bartok: Just wishing I could do the job for you, sir. I'd give her a HA! And a HI-YA! And then a OOH-WAH! And I'd kick her, sir.
More quotes from Anastasia
Question: Why did Anastasia's grandmother wait an entire decade to offer a reward to anyone who could find her granddaughter? This doesn't seem logical since it's clear Empress Marie loves Anastasia very much and is devastated when she gets separated from her by the train. You would think at some point when she got off that train she could've made some effort to get her granddaughter back and not wait so much time to do it.
Answer: She may have tried to find her, but thought she was lost forever. Later in the movie she was getting old and was afraid that her family's legacy would die with her. It was then that she offered a large reward to find her.
Question: Why doesn't Rasputin kill Anastasia's grandmother since she's part of the Romanov family?
Answer: Because she is an old lady, the last of the Romanov line. She was no threat to him, when she died, it would be over.
Answer: As I recall it, Anastasia and her grandmother escaped through a secret passageway when revolutionaries invaded the palace. After the two got separated, the grandmother lived in exile in Paris, where she and Anastasia are eventually reunited. If the grandmother had not escaped, she likely would have been executed. Rasputin probably realised her being a prominent Romanov, as well as a grieving mother/grandmother, could garner public sympathy and outrage over the royal family's brutal deaths.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: Amnesia exists, but it is a temporary condition. It does not last for the long-term and people usually regain their memory in a day or two, sometimes up to a week. Extreme cases can last longer, but not in the way it is depicted in movies. Some people may lose memories due to severe brain damage from a traumatic injury, but that is permanent.
raywest ★