Hans Christian Andersen et la danseuse

Original title: Hans Christian Andersen

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

4.4K

YOUR RATING

Hans Christian Andersen et la danseuse (1952)

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Biography Family Musical Romance

The opening scene of the movie describes it best: "Once upon a time there lived in Denmark a great storyteller named Hans Christian Andersen. This is not the story of his life, but a fairy t... Read allThe opening scene of the movie describes it best: "Once upon a time there lived in Denmark a great storyteller named Hans Christian Andersen. This is not the story of his life, but a fairy tale about the great spinner of fairy tales."The opening scene of the movie describes it best: "Once upon a time there lived in Denmark a great storyteller named Hans Christian Andersen. This is not the story of his life, but a fairy tale about the great spinner of fairy tales."

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

4.4K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 6 Oscars
- 10 nominations total

Doro
(as Jeanmaire The Famous French Ballerina)

Joseph Walsh

Peter
(as Joey Walsh)

Philip Tonge

Otto

Erik Bruhn

The Hussar - Danced by

Roland Petit

The Prince in 'The Little Mermaid' Ballet

John Brown

Schoolmaster

John Qualen

Burgomaster

Jeanne Lafayette

Celine

Robert Malcolm

Stage Doorman

George Chandler

Farmer

Fred Kelsey

First Gendarme

Gil Perkins

Second Gendarme

Peter J. Votrian

Lars
(as Peter Votrian)

Lee Aaker

Little Boy
(uncredited)

Patsy Bangs

Dancer
(uncredited)

Arthur Berkeley

Townsman
(uncredited)

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9:57

Storyline

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Trivia
In order to cover the necessary camera tricks, and to add "magic" to the Little Mermaid ballet, it was decided that, rather than presenting it as an actual ballet, they would have Hans imagine how it would look. This allowed them to do things on the screen which would be impossible on the stage.

Goofs
During the "Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen" song the concertina player directly behind the singer never moves his fingers on the keys.

Quotes
Hans: Did you ever hear the story of the old woman who shook her head at the family so much that one night it fell off? Right on the dinner table.

Crazy credits
Opening credits: "Once upon a time there lived in Denmark a great storyteller named Hans Christian Andersen. This is not the story of his life, but a fairy tale about this great spinner of fairy tales."

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Movies We Loved as Kids (1991)

Soundtracks
The King's New Clothes
(uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Sung by Danny Kaye and children
Reprised by Kaye, children, and Chorus in the Finale

User reviews35

Featured review

8/10

A delight for the whole family.

A fictional account of the life of storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. First, if you haven't read his stories, then you probably won't appreciate this movie as much as you should. It's a perfect excuse to read them with your family, then watch the movie. Second, if you're expecting a sophisticated, adult-oriented story, you will be disappointed; however, the morals to Hans' stories, as well as the movie's lessons, are very worthy. That said, the musical numbers are an absolute delight -- Danny Kaye never fails to deliver a wonderful performance, and where else can you learn to sing stories, instead of tell them, for your children? -- and the ballets are great for this venue. We even get to see the movie's choreographer dance in one of the numbers. This movie was nominated for several Oscars. It deserved those nominations. Don't skip this one, especially if you have small children.