History Fridge / Anastasia

* Anastasia's BondOneLiner as she gradually crushes Rasputin's SoulJar is "This is for Dimitri… This is for my family… And ''this'' is for '''you'''!" At first, it sounds like a dumb line: the first two "for"s are about victims ("for avenging X"), while the third for is an aggressive "for" ( more like "this is ''against'' you"). But when you think about it, Rasputin was also a victim of his own bad decisions, condemning himself to a FateWorseThanDeath through his DealWithTheDevil (first mildly through becoming an undead, something he complains about numerous times; and later because he is going to spend the rest of time in Hell).
* A lot of people didn't understand why Rasputin's curse didn't extend to the dowager empress or any of her relatives - Actually, this is a case of ExactWords - He targeted ''Nicholas II'' specifically. Technically, his mother, aunts, uncles, etc are not part of the line, Rasputin's curse was directed at ''his'' descendants.
* During the reunion scene between Anastasia and the Dowager Empress, Anastasia is able to recall a memory based on the scent of the Empress's peppermint hand oil. Why is this poignant? It's been proven that scents has a direct link to the brain and memories.

* Rasputin, the movie’s main antagonist, is not included in the Broadway musical, an adaptation that is less fantastical and more grounded in the historical sociopolitical reality of early 20th century Russia. However, the songwriters' inclusion of Rasputin’s villain theme highlights the idea that to the crowd fleeing the country in this scene, the antagonist is not an enigmatic magic man, but Russia herself, simultaneously contradicting a love for the country that had been their home. Russia’s social, political, and economic instability forced out some who had invested in their country’s future emotionally and physically, making it an antagonistic force in their lives. The duality of their sentiments, dialectical patriotism despite an unwelcoming environment, is explicitly stated in the loving, yet remorseful lyrics (“Harsh and sweet and bitter to leave it all.”) But, it is made further significant by the tune’s subtle callback to Rasputin, a villain created to substitute the more complicated sociopolitical threats difficult to convey in a children’s animated film. The crowd’s inability to express why they need to leave a country they love to the country they love (“How can I desert you/How to tell you why?) suggests hesitance to blame a figure that holds such personal significance despite feelings of culpability.
* Vlad exclaims "Mother of Moses!" when he learns Anya has a diamond. [[Literature/TheBible Moses]] was a foundling, hid by his mother from the Pharaoh's massacre of newborn Hebrew boys, adopted by a ''princess'', went on a long journey away from his country of birth, and died within sight of the Promised Land. Anastasia's immediate family, except her grandmother, were killed on order of the Bolsheviks. She went on a long journey, both figuratively (to the past) and literally (walking halfway through Russia, and later traveling to Paris, never to return). She chose to disappear mere moments before she was to be revealed as the real Anastasia (and to live like a queen afterwards, with the Romanov fortune), leaving behind the music box - the last remnants of the Grand Duchess, in a mild case of [[ThatManIsDead That Woman Is Dead]], embracing life as Anya rather than Anastasia.[[note]]Mostly, since she still declares herself "the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanova" before claiming Dmitry as her prince.[[/note]] Scholarly arguments have been made that Moses is a legendary figure and not a historical person, but Moses-like figures could have existed. Gleb, the Dowager Empress, and the people of St. Petersburg/Leningrad all stated that Anastasia is a dream, a rumor, a legend, a mystery, or a fairytale, part of Russian history.

** Actually, no: they make it a point to show that the whole rear portion of the train is separated from the engine and the baggage car (Vlad: "There goes the dining car!"), so only those two cars crashed. Of course while the engine went into the gorge, the baggage car ripped up the tracks with that grappling hook. Hopefully the rest of the train coasted to a stop before it reached the broken tracks, and no other trains came along behind...anyway, point is, all the other passengers were safe on the rear half of the train. As for the engineer (not the conductor), who knows, though it's possible when the demons made the boiler overheat and he found he couldn't shut it off, the engineer leaped off the train to safety.

** Furthermore, what were to happen if he found out that one of the Romanovs had survived? Considering that Trotsky was killed in Mexico, Anastasia and Dmitri might not exactly be safe wherever they go.
*** Not sure about that one. It's one thing to kill a comparatively unknown (at the time outside of Russia) rival politician, it's another to kill royalty residing in exile in a foreign country. Tons of Russian aristocrats and members of the Imperial family lived out their lives all over the world, especially in France, England, the US and certain parts of China. Plus, she's living under an assumed name (Anya) with a former peasant.
* This is more of a FridgeHorror about how Rasputin could have ''really'' caused a lot of damage - if he had said his curse was placed on all of Tsar Nicholas's family members, this would include the Dowager Empress and any other relatives.

* Regarding the musical (could be YMMV) When Gleb returns to Russia, how will his higher-ups react to his failure? If they don't know at the end, what happens to him if they find out?

*** Unless if there are no living male heirs.

** Plus the movie seems to be set in some alternate universe with talking bats and curses, etc. The stock market crash and WWII may not even happen there.

* Imagine if Rasputin DID manage to kill Anastasia in the end? Her grandmother spent years feeling lonely, mourning the tragedy of her life and having to deal with impostors (hopes being raised and then crushed, which is pretty much emotional torture) and then when they are finally together, Anastasia is brutally murdered in a night of a ball (an event that would be too much like the night when Rasputin cursed the family).

* There's something poetic and symbolic about the difference between Anastasia saying "

* Anastasia's BondOneLiner as she gradually crushes Rasputin's SoulJar is "This is for Dimitri… This is for my family… And ''this'' is for '''you'''!" At first, it sounds like a dumb line: the first two "for"s are about victims ("for avenging X"), while the third for is an aggressive "for" ( more like "this is ''against'' you"). But when you think about, Rasputin was also a victim of his own bad decisions, condemning himself to a FateWorseThanDeath through his DealWithTheDevil (first mildly through becoming an undead, something he complains about numerous time; and later because he is going to spend the rest of times in Hell.

* Vlad exclaims "Mother of Moses!" when he learns Anya has a diamond. [[Literature/TheBible Moses]] was a foundling, hid by his mother from the Pharaoh's massacre of newborn Hebrew boys, adopted by a ''princess'', went on a long journey away from his country of birth, and died within sight of the Promised Land. Anastasia's immediate family, except her grandmother, were killed on order of the Bolsheviks. She went on a long journey, both figuratively (to the past) and literally (walking halfway through Russia, and later traveling to Paris, never to return). She chose to disappear mere moments before she was to be revealed as the real Anastasia (and to live like a queen afterwards, with the Romanov fortune), leaving behind the music box - the last remnants of the Grand Duchess, in a mild case of [[ThatManIsDead That Woman Is Dead]], embracing life as Anya rather than Anastasia.[[note]]Mostly, since she still declares herself "the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov" before claiming Dmitry as her prince.[[/note]] Scholarly arguments have been made that Moses is a legendary figure and not a historical person, but Moses-like figures could have existed. Gleb, the Dowager Empress, and the people of St. Petersburg/Leningrad all stated that Anastasia is a dream, a rumor, a legend, a mystery, or a fairytale, part of Russian history.

* According to a genius.com user:
--> Rasputin, the movie’s main antagonist, is a character who is not included in the Broadway musical, an adaptation that is less fantastical and more grounded in the historical sociopolitical reality of early 20th century Russia. However, the songwriters' creative choice to include Rasputin’s villain theme highlights the idea that to the crowd fleeing the country in this scene, the antagonist is not an enigmatic magic man, but Russia herself, simultaneously contradicting a love for the country that had been their home. Russia’s social, political, and economic instability forced out some who had invested in their country’s future emotionally and physically, making it an antagonistic force in their lives. The duality of their sentiments, dialectical patriotism despite an unwelcoming environment, is explicitly stated in the loving, yet remorseful lyrics (“Harsh and sweet and bitter to leave it all.”) But, it is made further significant by the tune’s subtle callback to Rasputin, a villain created to substitute the more complicated sociopolitical threats difficult to convey in a children’s animated film. The crowd’s inability to express why they need to leave a country they love to the country they love (“How can I desert you/How to tell you why?) suggests hesitance to blame a figure that holds such personal significance despite feelings of culpability.

* Regarding the musical (could be YMMV) When Gleb returns to Russia how will his higher ups react to his failure? If they don't know at the end, what happens to him if they find out?
** based on his conversation with the Dowager Empress, it's likely he plans on claiming the girl was a fraud and that the real Anastasia is dead.

* Anastasia's BondOneLiner as she gradually [[spoiler: crushes Rasputin's SoulJar]] is "This is for Dimitri… This is for my family… And ''this'' is for '''you'''!" At first, it sounds like a dumb line: the first two "for"s are about victims ("for avenging X"), while the third for is an agressive "for" ( more like "this is ''against'' you"). But when you think about, Rasputin was also a victim of his own bad decisions, condemning himself to a FateWorseThanDeath through his DealWithTheDevil (first mildly through becoming an undead, something he complains about numerous time; and later [[spoiler: because he is going to spend the rest of times in Hell]].

* Regarding the musical (could be YMMV) [[spoiler: When Gleb returns to Russia how will his higher ups react to his failure? If they don't know at the end, what happens to him if they find out? ]]

*** Well, they''did'' have the dining car!

*** Well, they *did* have the dining car!

*** Well, they *did* have the dining car!

* During the reunion scene between Anastasia and the Dowager Empress, Anastasia is able to recall a memory based on the scent of the Empress's peppermint hand oil. Why is this poignant? It's been proven that scents has a direct link to the amygdala (the part of our brain responsible for memory).

* During the reunion scene between Anastasia and the Dowager Empress, Anastasia is able to recall a memory based on the scent of the Empress's peppermint hand oil. Why is this poignant? It's been proven that scents have a direct link to the amygdala (the part of our brain responsible for memory).

** Now what does that [[DarkestHour remind you of?]]

* Well, when one thinks about Rasputin's role in real life, the revolution may as well be '''''technically''''' and ''partially'' his fault after all. In the end, he did in fact have quite some influence over the Czarina's political decisions, as she appointed him as her personal adviser. One of his many poor decisioins was to appoint several common serfs as government officials, of whom ''not one'' [[BookDumb could read or write]]. However, the fact remains that he neither led the revolution nor that he did it because he was evil; he did it because he was, to put it plainly, an idiot, if a genuinely well-meaning one.