Enrique Sanchez
What a pleasant surprise to see this splendorous fantasy-biography of the life of Hans Christian Andersen. First and foremost kudos must go to Kieren Bew for a, dare I say, enchanting portrayal full of energy, delightful invention and childlike pathos and innocence. I hope we see him many more times again.The direction, writing, art direction and cinematography joined to form a magical setting for Andersen's stories.This is a clever melding of stories and true biography. I was surprised that the words to a song I've loved for so long, "I Love You!" (Ich Liebe Dich) by Edvard Grieg was penned by Andersen! So many times we see biographies which stretch the truth to adorn the storytelling. But here, it is all true and it works quite well.This is a story that I will return to again and again. And I will surely never tire of it.
Billy Sargent (Guerauxguex)
This programme weaves a story within a story, the faireytales are brought to life as Hans is brought to his destiny, his own faireytale life. From his impetuous leap into the world to his triumphant crowning glory, pyrrhic & wrought with a too late realization. Hans' stories are used to illustrate his own life, chapters within his ascension. I cast a vote of nine for two reasons. 1) I reserve the highest possible rating for that which leaves me unconcious with delight. 2) There were just a few poorly edited scenes, where an obvious commercial break was intended but the story of the moment got treated a bit like a frisbee run over with a lawnmower. I suppose you could call this a docu-something. Drama? There are dramatic moments. Comedy? There are comedic moments, most often well played by Kieran Bew. He brings Hans to life with madcap delight & innocence & fearlessness born of the ignorance of cruelty. There is a lovely love story here as well. I fell in love with Emily Hamilton's portrayal of Jette. Her obvious love for Hans, her selflessness, her tenderness & strength in adversity are moving. I could go on, & everyone here deserves their moment of illumination, but there are so many & so little room. I would like to note especially Simon Callow as Charles Dickens, and the humour, sweetness, gentleness & poignancy the writer, director & crews wove into the story. God bless you, every one.
olive_zoeky98
Adding to some previous comments, I would like to say that this film is just WOW! I'd been a big fan of Hans Christian Andersen before.. and now even more! When I saw the preview of this movie on Hallmark Channel, I just thought I shouldn't miss it. So, I spent two consecutive nights to watch both parts of this spectacular film; crisp yet heart-throbbing (especially Kieran Bew)! So sad to find out that there's not much information about him on the net, because he's a new-comer :( Well, I just hope to see him on TV again (or even cinema) in the future.
rainbow414
I am enjoying watching this movie that has been recently reshown on the Hallmark Channel. How refreshing to watch a film that doesn't have foul language,etc. and tells the wonderful tale in a dramatic form of Hans' life.......I also admired the new actor who played Hans......we hope to see him in other theatrical productions or films sometime soon.......Thanks Hallmark for showing it again on tv!!!!!!
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