| Hans Christian Andersen | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Hans_Christian_Andersen_FilmPoster.jpeg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Charles Vidor |
| Written by | Moss Hart |
| Story by | Myles Connolly |
| Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn |
| Starring | Danny Kaye Farley Granger Zizi Jeanmaire |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling |
| Edited by | Daniel Mandell |
| Music by | Walter Scharf Frank Loesser |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million[1] |
| Box office | $6 million (Rentals)[2] |
Hans Christian Andersen is a 1952 Hollywood musical film directed by Charles Vidor and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. The screenplay by Moss Hart and an uncredited Ben Hecht is based on a story by Myles Connolly.
Although it is nominally about Hans Christian Andersen, the 19th-century Danish author of many world-famous fairy tales, the film is romantic fiction, and does not relate to Andersen's biography: the introduction describes it as "not the story of his life, but a fairy tale about this great spinner of fairy tales." Andersen, as played by Danny Kaye, is portrayed as a small-town cobbler with a childlike heart and a vivid imagination.
A large part of the narrative is told through song (music and lyrics by Frank Loesser) and ballet and includes many of the real Andersen's most famous stories, such as The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Little Mermaid. The film was internationally successful at the time of release.
- ^ a b c Hans Christian Andersen at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ "Top Grossers of 1953". Variety. January 13, 1954. p. 10.