Hans Christian Andersen

"Once upon a time there lived in Denmark a great storyteller named Hans Christian Andersen. This is not the story of his life, but a fairy tale about the great spinner of fairy tales." According to the liner notes in the digi-book-packaged Blu-ray edition of Charles Vidor's 1952 musical, Myles Connolly—whose treatment served as the basis for Moss Hart's screenplay—felt that “Anderson's life would make for a dull movie.” Instead, we're given a fanciful Technicolor tale about 19th-century cobbler Hans Christian Andersen (Danny Kaye), who works with his apprentice, Peter (Joey Walsh), in a small village where he earns a meager living—not to mention the ire of the schoolmaster for holding the local kids captive (willingly) with his winning stories. The flimsy plot kicks in when the burg's powers-that-be decide to run Hans out of town, after which Peter convinces his boss to pack up his shoemaker shop and head for Copenhagen (the largest set ever built at the Samuel Goldwyn Studio). Here, Hans begins to publish stories while also falling for a lovely ballerina (Renée Jeanmaire) who appears to be in an abusive relationship with the ballet director (Farley Granger). The principal draw here is not the awkward plot, but rather Frank Loesser's songs—particularly the hits “I'm Hans Christian Andersen,” “Inchworm,” and “Thumbelina”—and the dance segments, especially the elaborate 17-minute sequence for “The Little Mermaid.” Re-released on DVD and bowing on Blu-ray with a somewhat disappointing transfer (and no extras beyond a trailer and a 42-page booklet), Hans Christian Andersen is still a deservedly beloved musical with eminently hummable tunes, making this a strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)