Review of Hans Christian Andersen (1952) by Phil H — 08 Aug 2014

No, it's not a biopic of the famous Denmark storyteller, but, as the opening credits declare, "a fairy tale of this great spinner of fairy tales." And that's exactly what this film is.

Danny Kaye does an outstanding job in the title role, portraying Hans as a sweet-natured, gentle soul with boundless imagination and a tender, childlike innocence. Further complimenting the storybook quality set backdrops and Kaye's turn is the unforgettable score by Frank Loesser, which naturally, turns several of Andersen's best known fairy tales, such as "The Emperor's New Clothes", "Thumbelina," and "The Ugly Duckling.

" In fact, the best sequences of the film are the ones in which Hans spins his yarns before a group of wide-eyed children who, naturally, adore the man. But HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN is also a love story, and a rather tragic one at that.

Forced to leave the village since his stories distract the children from school, Hans gets involved with the Royal Ballet Company of Copenhagen where he falls madly in love with the prima ballerina, Doro.

Unfortunately, she's married to the company's temperamental director, Niels. When Hans witnesses a quarrel between the spouses, his response is to draft a story which leads to the longest scene in the film: a spectacular ballet that retells the melancholy tale of "The Little Mermaid" set to the music of Liszt.

(Fans of the Disney film take note: Andersen's original version, as portrayed here, is darker and sadder.) It's in this subplot that the film loses some of its momentum, but at the same time it lends an air of complexity to this "simplified" and fabricated telling.

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN earns my highest rating regardless, but also out of a personal bias: it was one of my favorite films growing up as a kid, and today it holds up quite well, even with the occasional slow spot.