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The Diary Of Anne Frank [1959]


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Not the most accurate Anne Frank adaptation but still a good Hollywood movie
Review date: 2008-07-10 Rating: 6 out of 10

I can imagine that for many people this is the one film they have watched about Anne Frank and her diary, but although this film is very popular there are many flaws with it and it is not that faithful to Anne's life.
For me Millie Perkins is almost nothing like Anne. Fair enough she does capture Anne's sillyness and sense of fun in parts of the film but for the rest she just appears to act like a 1950s American teenager rather than the German/Dutch girl brought up in the 30s and 40s which Anne Frank was. Anne's relationship with Peter I think was over exaggerated. In the film it shows them together to the end, Anne and Peter kissing in the annex attic waiting for the Gestapo to take them away. However, in reality this romantic relationship had broken down a few months before and although they still liked each other, Anne didn't have those feelings for Peter anymore.
As this film was based on the play (which was based on the diary) it gives a very unflattering portrayal of Fritz Pfeffer (called Albert Dussel in the film and play). In the film Dussel comes across as a comic interlude, a character with no real backbone (possibly with the exception of when he is telling those in hiding about the deportations). I can imagine that he was much more dignified and intellegent in real life.
The way this film portrays the arrest of those in hiding also deviates greatly from what actually happened. However, I can imagine these changes were brought in for dramatic affect (The Frank family never knew they were going to be arrested on 4th August 1944, nor did they hear a telephone ring!).
Despite all its flaws, "The Diary of Anne Frank" is good in the way it uses location shooting. It has outdoor shots of the actual building where the family hid as well as the sound of the Westerkerk bells nearby.

Overall "The Diary of Anne Frank" is a good Hollywood film, but if you are wanting to find out about Anne Frank's life, I'd suggest you'd look up the film Anne Frank: The Whole Story before renting this film.

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Reviews


Anne Frank
Review date: 2008-05-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

I just got the dvd today and i watched it. what a very sad story. I wish Anne Frank had lived poor girl and the people she was sharing in the attic with. A very brave girl and the film had very good acting in it and i really enjoyed it would recommend it to any one who does not know the whole story which i did not before but do now.


Anne Frank
Review date: 2005-04-19 Rating: 10 out of 10

The Anne Frank DVD is much more powerful than the book and gives you a better insight to what happened to her and her life-time. It is much more understandable then reading the book and is good for all ages. i thought it was a very good DVD overall

Claustrophobic
Review date: 2005-01-31 Rating: 8 out of 10

Although the recent adaptation of the Anne Frank story is an excellent film, this older film, though it does take quite a few liberties with the truth, gives more of an idea what it must have been like to have been in the hiding place day after day.
The first scene in the attic, when they have to remain silent while the workers are below, shows the mind numbing boredom which must have been an everyday part of their lives in the little over two years they were in hiding. A very strong cast is headed by the young Millie Perkins who gives a tremendous performance as Anne, while the only weak characterisation is that of Dussel who is more of a comic sideshow than bearing any resemblance to the original Fritz Pfeffer.
With some useful extras and in glorious black and white widescreen format, the film should be seen by anyone with an interest in Anne's story.

A wonderful true-life story
Review date: 2002-01-21 Rating: 8 out of 10

Film tells the story of a jewish family hiding away from the Nazi's in wartime Amsterdam. A truly wonderful Academy Award winning performance from Shelley Winters.
A film that can be seen over and over, its message still as valid today as when it was made in 1959.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Richard Beymer
Millie Perkins
Joseph Schildkraut
Gusti Huber
Shelley Winters

Creators:
Millie Perkins (Primary Contributor)
Shelley Winters (Primary Contributor)
William C. Mellor (Cinematographer)
George Stevens (Producer)
David Bretherton (Editor)
George Stevens Jr. (Producer)
Albert Hackett (Writer)
Anne Frank (Writer)
Frances Goodrich (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036016940
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, PAL,
Release date: 2004-07-19
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 144 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1959-08-28
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: German (Original Language)

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