I (Hamlette) have owned this soundtrack since I was in college. I first saw Anastasia (1997) on Thanksgiving break during my freshman year of college, and loved it so much I bought the soundtrack when I was home for Christmas. Anastasia is hardly the stuff historical documentaries are made of, but if you're like me and don't expect your animated movies to be exactly factual, then you can enjoy it for the history-inspired fable it clearly is. The music by David Newman, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty, was nominated for two Academy Awards, though it didn't win either of them.
The first song in both the movie and the soundtrack is "A Rumor in St. Petersburg," and it's so much fun -- it reminds me of the song "The Rumor" from Fiddler on the Roof, as I'm sure it's meant to. After all, both movies are set in Russia in the early part of the 1900s. The song works splendidly to communicate not just the setting, but also tell us the basic plot: two con artists (voiced by John Cusack and Kelsey Grammer) are searching for a girl to impersonate the missing Princess Anastasia to get them a big reward from her grandmother.
Meanwhile, an orphan named Anya (Meg Ryan) with no memory of her past sets off to figure out who she used to be, as the song "Journey to the Past" explores. The music helps us feel the mixture of determination and hesitancy she feels about trying to find out her history. The music swells as her questions give way to optimistic ideas of what she might find on this journey. This was nominated for the Oscar for Best Song, but of course it lost out to a little tune called "My Heart Will Go On." Sigh.
My third selection to share today is "Once Upon a December." I think this is the most beautiful song in the whole score, and the one that best captures the mystery and yearning that run through this film. In it, Anastasia regains a memory of dancing with her father in the palace as a child. It's haunting, isn't it?
Usually I limit myself to three tracks for these reviews, but today I'm sharing one more song. "At the Beginning" plays during the end credits, and it's my favorite song on the whole album. This song gives me a happy energy high, and I could listen to it over and over. In fact, I have :-) My favorite part is at 2:25.
Dasvidanya!
Maybe I shouldn't like this movie given its lack of historical accuracy, but I don't care ;) It's a great "what if" story and really more of a fairy tale than historical fiction, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd the songs *are* amazing. "Once Upon a December" is probably my favorite, but I love all the songs, including "At the Beginning. " I really need to buy the soundtrack, though!
(Also, I think I heard somewhere that one of the composers/songwriters also worked on Schoolhouse Rock... I need to go look that up and see if that's right)
Hayden, I think lambasting a film that contains a talking bat for historical inaccuracy is pretty silly. I mean, it's not like schools are gonna show this for history class. So like it all you want! I do.
DeleteI remember when this came out that it was a HUGE deal because it wasn't made by Disney, but it was actually really good and released to theaters, not just to video.
haha! Good point. I'd completely forgotten about Bartok.
DeleteOnce Upon a December is so gorgeous, that's been one of my favorite songs for years! I've sadly only seen the movie once, but I bough the soundtrack at a thrift store a long time ago on a whim and it was one of my best purchases ever! :D I kinda want to rewatch it now because KELSEY GRAMMER?! Love him! :D
ReplyDeleteJamie, what a great thrift store find! I'm actually on my second copy because my first CD quit playing after many years of faithful service.
DeleteI haven't seen the movie in a long time, either, but I know it's out on DVD, so I should probably pick up a copy.
You know this is for many reasons one of my least favorite Disney movies but The soundtrack is the best!
ReplyDeleteespecially that last one you recommended even though it reminds me of a phil collins song :p
Daniel, might the reason this is one of your least-favorite Disney movies be that it's not actually a Disney movie? It's from 20th Century Fox ;-)
DeleteBut I'm glad you can enjoy the soundtrack even though you don't dig the movie!
YESSSS :D
ReplyDelete"Once Upon a December" is definitely my favorite. YESH IT'S JUST SO HAUNTING AND GORGEOUS. Love how you described the songs, by the way!
And "A Rumor in St. Petersburg" is such a fun one, no?
Ooh, I don't think I've heard "At the Beginning"! I'll have to pay more attention during the credits;D
Thank you for this! Loved it:D
Thanks, Olivia! I try to put into words what it is about a track that makes me want to share it for these posts, and that's not always easy, so it's nice to hear you appreciate that.
DeleteOhhh, I love this movie so much--it's been one of my constant favorites since childhood. :) I really wish Broadway would make a musical of it. Wouldn't that be amazing?? The music is just SO gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI too love the end credits track! :)
Natalie, yes! A Broadway musical would be sooooo cool. Not sure how they'd handle Bartok, but I'm sure they could think of something :-) Imagine the costumes!!!
DeleteHaha, I'm sure they would. They always seem to figure out those "hard" things. And oh my, I hadn't imagined that until you said so but...wow. That would be amazing!! :D
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