Those familiar with the 1956 movie or the animated film which lead to a successful Broadway musical will be surprised to the differences in what has turned out to be a fable rather than historical fact, since the real Anna Anderson, as dramatized here, never got to meet the dowager empress. This part starts with Anna (Amy Irving) meeting members of the Russian imperial family in Europe, rejected by all but alleged cousin Nicholas Surovy (seen briefly in part one), who takes her to New York in anticipation of meeting the dowager, and ending up becoming friendly with another relative (Susan Lucci). Fate intervenes and she is marked a fraud and decides to take her case to court, having come to take on the persona of the princess and believing obsessively that she should be granted the rights of the estate.
In retrospect, there's much confusion as to how facts got so messed up and turned fictional, as other versions have Anna meeting the dowager in Paris. As a result, Olivia de Haviland's appearance ends up being nothing more than a cameo in both parts, not sharing any scenes with Irving. Rex Harrison reappears as well and makes the most out of his few moments on screen in his last film appearance. It's handsome looking but rather depressing, and even though other versions did warn the audience that most of the events depicted never took place, it's the fantasy of Anna meeting Anastasia's grandmother which becomes the preferred story. Still worth continuing with, even just as a history lesson.
In retrospect, there's much confusion as to how facts got so messed up and turned fictional, as other versions have Anna meeting the dowager in Paris. As a result, Olivia de Haviland's appearance ends up being nothing more than a cameo in both parts, not sharing any scenes with Irving. Rex Harrison reappears as well and makes the most out of his few moments on screen in his last film appearance. It's handsome looking but rather depressing, and even though other versions did warn the audience that most of the events depicted never took place, it's the fantasy of Anna meeting Anastasia's grandmother which becomes the preferred story. Still worth continuing with, even just as a history lesson.
