About the film
Hans Christian Andersen is a 1952 Hollywood musical film directed by Charles Vidor, produced by Samuel Goldwyn and starring Danny Kaye, Farley Granger and Zizi Jeanmaire. The screenplay was written by Moss Hart and Ben Hecht based on a story by Myles Connolly.
Although the film is nominally about Hans Christian Andersen, the 19th-century Danish author of many world-famous fairy tales, the film is a romantic fiction and does not follow his actual life. Andersen is portrayed as a small-town cobbler with a childlike heart and a vivid imagination.
A large part of the narrative is told through ballet and song, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Many Andersen's most famous stories, such as The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Little Mermaid are referenced. The film was an international success at the box office. It was Danny Kaye's final film to be produced by Samuel Goldwyn.
