At the time of filming, those at Fox were not aware that the real Anna Anderson was still alive. After this came to their attention, they flew to her home in Germany and asked permission to use her name.
This movie was based on the story of Anna Anderson, a woman who claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia. It was later discovered that, in fact, she was not who she claimed to be; the mystery was solved through DNA examination of a small piece of tissue cut from Anna in an operation years before.
This film marked Ingrid Bergman's Hollywood comeback, after being effectively blacklisted in 1949 for having an affair with director Roberto Rossellini and having a child out of wedlock.
Helen Haye was a British actress who had impressed the film's producer in Anastasia (1953), a BBC Television production. He sent a memo to the casting director, saying "Hire Helen Haye." This was taken to be a misprint by the agent, and the popular actress Helen Hayes was hired.
Anna Anderson's handwriting was pronounced identical with Anastasia's and medical experts found 17 points of similarity between her ear and the real Anastasia's. However, after her death it was discovered that her DNA did not match that of England's Prince Philip, a blood relative of the Romanovs.