Reviewed by Jason Lockard
Who doesn't love a good mystery? Well, on December 7th and 8th in the year 1986 American-Austrian-Italian made-for-television biographical film directed by Marvin J. Chomsky first took the air. It was filled with an amazing cast and an unforgettable tale.
Mill Creek Entertainment has been releasing great mini-series on DVD. Including, Scarlett, Cleopatra, Lonesome Dove, Sea Wolf, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns, Epic Fantasy Collection and many more. Now it's time for this 80's mini-series mystery to get it's time to shine.
In July of 1918, the Bolsheviks shot Russian Czar Nicholas II, his wife, and their five children during the Russian Revolution. Many years later a woman emerged named Anna Anderson. The interesting thing is that she claimed until that she was Grand Duchess Anastasia, the youngest child of Czar Nicholas II and sole survivor of the family's execution.
This mini-series tells her story with lavish costumes and an amazing cast. The cast is lead by Amy Irving as Anna and she does a tremendous job. Amazing actors and actresses join her in this mini-series event including; Olivia de Havilland, Jack Niklas, Nicolas Surovy, Susan Lucci, Elke Sommer, Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison, and Christian Bale.
I enjoyed every aspect of this mini-series. From the screenplay to the direction to the costumes to the direction. Is it perfect? No very few films are perfect. In places the film drags a little. But all in all it was a very good miniseries.
In an interesting note it this was Rex Harrison's final role and Christian Bale's first film role. This miniseries was masterfully written, acted and directed there is no doubt this film won 2 Emmy Awards and 2 Golden Globe Awards.
As for this DVD release, the 2 part mini-series event is on one DVD in a eco-case. The episodes have been transferred and presented in their original full screen 1.33:1 aspect ratio. They look crystal clear. The colors pop right off the screen. The audio is in Dolby digital 2.0 and sounds very clear. As a special bonus feature there is English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
So if your a fan of mini-series, mysteries, or historical dramas Anastasia is for you! I highly recommend it! You can head over to Amazon.com and pick up your copy today!
Audiences: Families
Objectionable Material: Mild Violence and sexual situation
Length: 3 Hours 15 Minutes
Genre: Drama, Mystery
DVD Value Rating: A-
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