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.
Rasputin: You dare to banish the great Rasputin? By the unholy powers vested in me, I banish you, with a curse! Mark my words: you and your family will die within a fortnight! I will not rest until I see the end of the Romanov line forever.
Question: How was young Anastasia never aware of the secret door in her room? You would think her family would have told her about it since secret doors were often built into castles and palaces for the safety of royal families.
Answer: There may have been some concern that young Anastasia might try to leave the palace to go exploring, could carelessly reveal the secret to someone, or sneak someone into her room. There's any number of reasons. She probably would have been told about it when she was older and more trustworthy with information.
Question: In both Anastasia's ballroom daydream and nightmare scene, why is it her sisters are the only ones who age and not her brother?
Answer: Dreams are not reality and are subject to an individual's interpretation. Anastasia's brother, the youngest sibling, was sickly and physically weak. (In real life, Alexei suffered from hemophilia.) Anastasia apparently always sees him as an innocent, vulnerable child needing to be protected. He being the youngest, was still a child when killed.
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.
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