Hans Christian Andersen (film)

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Hans Christian Andersen is a 1952 Hollywood musical film, with words and music by Frank Loesser. It is a fictionalised, romanticised story revolving around the life of the Danish poet and story-teller Hans Christian Andersen. The title role was played by Danny Kaye.

The film was an international success at the time. It is not a "biographical" movie, and never claimed to be: in the introduction it describes itself as "a fairytale about the storyteller". A large part of the story is told through song and ballet.

Not least because of the film's international success, it is regrettable that it in no way can be called "biographical": the story was not at all faithful to the real Hans Christian Andersen's personality and unusual career. Even many years later, many people who know Andersen's Tales, know nothing about the poet himself - apart from this purely fictional production.