Themes: Crimes Against Humanity, Life Under Occupation
Main Cast: Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Richard Beymer, Gusti Huber, Lou Jacobi
Release Year: 1959
Country: US
Run Time: 150 minutes
Plot
This is the autobiographical drama of a young Dutch Jewish girl hiding from the invading Nazis during World War II. Anne and her family share a claustrophobic attic with another family. Tension is often unbearable, as the people hiding know that their discovery by the enemy could lead to almost certain death at the hands of their captors. They also must contend with the Dutch Gestapo or "Green Police," who will turn them over to the Nazis if discovered. Dutch nationals risk their lives by hiding the family for two years. The group, despite the horror and crowded conditions, still find time for celebrations of Hanukkah and rejoice quietly in the small attic that has become their world. The story is told from the narrative perspective of Anne, a young girl hoping to live to womanhood. The film was nominated for several academy awards and won two for best supporting actress (Shelley Winters) and for cinematography (William Mellor). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
Although it appeared almost fifteen years after the end of World War II, The Diary of Anne Frank was one of the first post-war films to confront the Holocaust on such human terms. The Frank family is an "every family," made to bear testimony for all the victims of the Nazi genocide. It is a weight that the film bears with dignity, although the filmmaker's self-consciousness occasionally causes the pace to drag. Shooting in panoramic Cinemascope, Oscar-winning cinematographer William C. Mellor and director George Stevens capture the situation's overwhelming claustrophobia, as the two families are forced to cohabit in cave-like conditions, remain quiet all day, and block up the windows at night; the claustrophobia gradually creates a palpable sense of audience dread. Shelley Winters's near-hysterical performance garnered her an Oscar, but she sometimes seems to be in a different movie from her more controlled co-stars. Millie Perkins was a little old (21) for the title role, but she effectively conveys Anne's painful adolescent confusion. The strength of both families in the face of such frightening conditions provides the film with a moral center and tragic power that overcome its minor weaknesses. ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide
Diane Baker - Margot Frank; Douglas Spencer - Kraler; Dody Heath - Miep; Ed Wynn - Albert Dussell; Del Erickson; Frank Tweddell - Night Watchman; Charles Wagenheim - Sneak Thief; Robert Boon - SS Man; William Kirschner - Workman in Shop
On February 3, 2004, The Diary of Anne Frank was released on DVD. The special features included some of the following; "The Diary of Anne Frank: Echoes From the Past" featurette, a press conference with director George Stevens, MovieTone news announcing public appearances by Millie Perkins, a screen test, and an audio commentary by Millie Perkins and George Stevens Jr, the director's son.
A fiftieth-anniversary edition of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 16, 2009, three months after the film's original release date, in commemoration of what would have been Anne Frank's 80th birthday.[3] It included seven major new featurettes: three cast interviews, a behind-the scenes look at the score, two short documentaries about George Stevens' memories from the war and the history of the diary, and a perspective piece on the film's legacy by Thomas Rothman.[4]
The Blu-ray release was only a month before Tony van Renterghem passed away on July 19.[5] Renterghem, a Dutch cinematographer and technical, historical and script adviser who worked with Stevens for many years, consulted on both the play and the film.[5] While his work was almost entirely behind the scenes, his knowledge no doubt helped in putting together the historical featurettes.[original research?]
