Product Details

• Actors: Ben Kingsley, Hannah Taylor Gordon, Jean-Luc Julien, Brenda Blethyn, Tatjana Blacher
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (169 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005LC5R
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,505 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Anne Frank - The Whole Story" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Anne Frank: The Whole Story delivers exactly what it promises: the incredibly moving complete story of Anne Frank, going beyond what the Jewish teenage girl wrote in her widely read diary. Anne, along with her family and friends of her family, hid in a secret annex behind her father's office in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of Holland. She dutifully kept a diary, which became a worldwide bestseller when her father published it in the 1950s. The story has been adapted for television and movies before, but this version, which played on ABC television, moves beyond what Anne wrote, meeting up with the Frank family before Anne receives her diary, and following her past the diary's last entries into Auschwitz and Birkenau. Hannah Taylor Gordon is a superb Anne, bringing to life the multifaceted girl, in turns intelligent, dreamy, creative, spoiled, and bratty, a girl like any other except that Anne is a Jew in Nazi-occupied Holland. The only one who outshines Gordon is Ben Kingsley as Anne's father, Otto Frank. His quiet performance is extraordinarily powerful; as he watches his family slip away, it is impossible not to feel his grief. This brave film is difficult in parts to watch--the concentration camp scenes are brutal--but this is a remarkable adaptation of Anne's life, and it is a film to be shared and discussed and remembered. --Jenny Brown

Product Description

Ben Kingsley, Brenda Blethyn, and Hannah Taylor Gordon star in the stirring tale of one of the most influential young women of the 20th century. Based on Melissa Muller's critically acclaimed book, ANNE FRANK goes beyond the story you already know and paints the true portrait of Anne both before and after she went into hiding. Get to know the high-spirited and popular girl before the war, and experience the challenges of the brave people who risked their lives trying to keep her safe. ANNE FRANK also explores the enduring mystery of who betrayed the Frank family and reveals what happened next.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

179 of 184 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Our Anne April 18, 2004

By James Hiller TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

As i write this review, this film is just finishing up, and I must say, this is one of the most moving accounts of Anne Frank that I've seen to date. We all know the story of Anne Frank, how it started, and what a complete tragic end of her life; and more importantly, what hope she brought to the world that killed her. This film is a remarkable, incredible retelling of the life of Anne Frank.

The reasons why this film soars, aboslutely soars, are numerous. First, the film tells the complete story, from before the Franks hid in the Annex, until her final days in the concentration camp. Whereas some films tend to linger solely on Anne's days in the Annex, this wider focus gives us the larger picture. Anne's time in captivity is heart wrenching; we have fallen in love with the tempestuous, darling girl and to see her solely fade away is devastating. It serves as a testament both to the millions lost, and the one girl that would write a book to change the world.

Secondly, the performances in this movie are amazing. Ben Kingsley and Brenda Blethyn lend their star-stature names to this project, and turn in performances that are real and dignified. Favorite Lili Taylor, who is one of America's most talented actressses, gives a quiet, powerful performance as Miep Gies. It's Hannah Taylor Gorden, as Anne, brings Anne to life with complexity and grace. Gordon honors Anne in every scene, never deifying the girl, but making her real, human. She even writes the way Anne did, holding the pen as Anne would have held it. That attention to detail does not go unnoticed by those of us who love Anne. It was a perfect match of actress and role.

Third, this film is visually beautiful. Often, you expect a "lower" standard of technical excellence in a television film.... Rightfully so, ABC and the director, Robert Dornhelm, give this film a professional style. There are several scenes where you are just in awe, apart from the incredible story.

It was sad for me to learn that this film was not endorsed by the Anne Frank Foundation, because the film was based on a biography not approved by the foundation. Whereas I think its important to have the Foundation so Anne's life can be told in a honest way, they should have seen the film before making a judgment. This movie is a beautiful testament to a beautiful life, and it should be free from any political wranglings like this.

By the final scene, when Miep gives Otto Frank his daughter's diary, and he travels back into the Annex to look at it, my heart was breaking. Anne didn't live to see the effect she'd have on the world, but I think for all of us, we have adopted Anne as our own daughter or sister. She belongs to the world now, and we are responsible to take care of her, to make sure her story is told generation after generation, to honor her life by ensuring nothing like this ever happens in history again. Read more ›

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One Awesome movie!!! May 19, 2003

By Jody Mosier

Format:VHS Tape

This is one of the best films that I've ever seen! In some films that are based on a true story, directors twist the plot line around to suit their whims. But in this one, the producers stuck close to the real story, portraying each character and event as they really were. Actual footage from WWII was inserted in certain points of the film, giving it an authentic air. Also, some of the consultants were people who knew the real Frank family, people like Miep Gies (who to my knowledge is still alive in Amsterdam today) and Jacqueline Van Marsen, one of Anne's childhood friends. The actors and actresses acted out their roles superbly, and I was especially impressed with Hannah Taylor Gordon's performance. Not only does she bear a striking resemblence to the real Anne Frank, but she also acts very much like I believe Anne would have acted. I also appreciate the fact that, even though the film's setting is a very harsh time in history, the producers managed to show the brutality of the Nazi occupation without resorting to blood and gore. Anne's story is a sad one, but one worth watching, because it reminds us that the people who died in the holocaust were just normal human beings with hopes and dreams, whose lives were abruptly snuffed out by people who were blinded by racism and extreme nationalism. I would recommend this film for any history buff. It's definitely the best portrayal of Anne Frank on film. Thumbs up for this movie!

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well made movie and better than the original August 19, 2006

By Travis Dockweiler

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

In the past year I had been wanting to learn about the story of Anne Frank. I kept passing up the original movie at the video store because I thought it'd be "boring" and that some people said it was too much like your typical Hollywood film.

I didn't care for the original at all and thought the actress who played Anne Frank was miscast to say the least. Not only that, but very annoying. After watching the original movie I bought the book and read it immediately. After finishing it I purchased this movie and was extremely impressed with it. I liked it so much that I immediately loaned it to my mother and she loved it too.

They seemed to keep all the smallest details of the book and the person who played Anne Frank was much better than the actress from the original movie. I believe this was a TV movie, but you can hardly tell. One sign of a good movie is if you think about it weeks and even months later it must be good. It's only been 3 months since I saw this last and I really want to watch it again.

Trust me, get this movie. You'll like it!

I'd also suggest the movie "Anne Frank Remembered".

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect companion to Anne Frank's diary!!! March 3, 2006

By Stephen Pletko TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

+++++

At the very end of this movie we are presented with the following words:

"One and a half million children were murdered in the genocide the Nazis called `The Final Solution.' Anne Frank's story is only one of them." (The Nazis' final solution was to exterminate the Jews.)

And what a story it is! The story is well told through this movie.

At the beginning of this movie we are presented with the following words (information in parentheses is my own additional information):

(i) This movie is based on the book by Melissa Muller called "Anne Frank: A Biography" (1998) as well as research and interviews by an independent researcher. (I have not read this book but from what I have read, it is excellently researched.)

(ii) Some scenes can also be found in "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl." Note that the actual words from the diary were not used. (The first diary entry is for mid-June, 1942 and the last one is dated (August 1, 1944). It is also helpful to know that Anne was born June 12, 1929.)

(iii) There are realistic depictions of concentration camp life--including brief nudity.

The actual movie itself can be divided into four parts:

(1) The time before the German-Jewish Anne Frank (Hannah Taylor-Gordon) and her family go into hiding. The movie begins Feb., 1939 in Amsterdam, Holland. Some of this is based on the ten diary entries Anne made before she went into hiding. (This part of the movie lasts about 55 minutes.)

(2) The time the Frank family of four, another family of three, and an elderly dentist went into hiding in the "het achterbuis" which, loosely translated, means "secret annex" of an old three-story building. This part of the movie begins in mid-Nov...., 1942 when the elderly dentist joins the two families that have been hiding since early July, 1942. We are also introduced to the four people who aided the hiding group of eight especially a young women named Miep (Lili Taylor). There is also some speculation of exactly who betrayed the hiding group. (Note that this has never been proven.) This part ends with the group of eight being discovered by the Nazis secret police (Gestapo) and being taken away on Aug. 4, 1944. (Lasts for about 75 minutes.)

(3) This part of the movie portrays what happened to Anne after the group was discovered. It ends with the viewer being taken to Amsterdam in 1945, one month after the German surrender. (Lasts about 55 minutes.)

(4) The movie ends with the printed word. In this part we get snippets of important printed information. For example:

"In 1957, Otto Frank [Anne's father, played in the movie by Ben Kingsley] established the Anne Frank Foundation, working to educate young people against intolerance and discrimination."

Another example is the quoted information that begins this review. (Lasts about 3 minutes.)

What makes this movie so powerful is the contrasts we see in each part. Part one presents the free, happy Anne; part two, the hiding, hoping Anne; and part three, the fearful, prisoner Anne.

Note that this movie has not been sanctioned by the Anne Frank Foundation. Personally, I can't understand why because it seems to follow rather closely everything I've read.

The acting in this movie is fantastic. Kudos should go to Hannah Taylor-Gordon who essentially carries the movie as Anne.

The background music adds to each scene and even the cinematography is well done.

If you haven't actually read Anne's diary, I urge you to do so. I recommend the 1993 Bantam edition that not only contains the actual diary but also information that puts Anne's diary in historical context and, as well, has pictures that illuminate the diary.

Finally, the DVD itself is perfect in picture and sound quality. There are no extras.

In conclusion, this is a powerful movie, a worthy companion to Anne Frank's diary!!

(2001; 3 hr, 10 min; made for TV; full screen; 22 scenes)

+++++ Read more ›