Product Details

• Actors: Mary Steenburgen, Paul Scofield, Huub Stapel, Eleanor Bron, Frances Cuka
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Cabin Fever
• VHS Release Date: August 31, 1995
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302516544
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,868 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage and love in the midst of oppression, June 20, 2002

By 

Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attic: Hiding of Anne Frank [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Mary Steenburgen gives a deeply sympathetic and loving portrayal of Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank and her family during the German occupation of Holland.

The subdued color until the final bright scene, the music, the low key acting with only one dramatic outburst in the film, all give the feeling of great oppression. The horror of being occupied by foreign power in your own country is constantly portrayed. Juxtaposed to this oppression is the strength, courage, and love of one woman.

Anne Frank herself isn't portrayed as the beautiful child we've seen in other versions. She is rather plain and quiet, but there are scenes when she does blossom out as one mature for her years with her own sense of strength and courage.

We don't, of course, see the whole story of the Franks, because the focus here is on the woman, Miep Gies. The movie is based on a book by the woman, a book I hope to read in time.

This is not exactly an entertaining movie, nor is it a morbid or dreary experience. It does portray not only the plight of the Jews, but also the plight of the Dutch people. And it is good that we emphasize with the people of that time. Present generations don't realize that it could have happened here. If a few battles had gone another way, if Hitler had paid more attention to Rommel, our history could have been drastically and unimagineably changed. And so it is good for us to watch what a captive nation is like.

No, this isn't entertainment in its strictest sense, but it does have an uplifting feeling at the end and is quite worth the watching, to make an understatement.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unsung Heroes & Heroines: People of the Dutch Underground, February 14, 2006

By 

K. Wait (Byron Center, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attic: Hiding of Anne Frank [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As a teacher of the Holocaust, I am always trying to find resources to use with my students that will bring real people into the study. Kids today can't relate to the horrors of something like the Holocaust, and providing as much background knowledge as possible is critical. This movie very closely follows the story of the Franks and the other people in the Secret Annexe as it was told by Miep Gies. It gives the perspective of those who bravely hid Jews from the Nazis. My students are in awe of those who so willingly risked their lives for the sake of others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Steenburgen in an absorbing performance, March 15, 2005

By 

Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Attic: Hiding of Anne Frank [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a overall very-fine TV movie, putting a different slant on the story of Anne Frank and her family. Mary Steenburgen plays heroic Miep Gies, the young woman who helped the Franks' and the others in ATTIC: THE HIDING OF ANNE FRANK. This movie attempts to tell the story of `The Diary of Anne Frank' from a different perspective, that of Miep. Naturally we get to see a lot more of Miep (and Anne is very much a supporting character here), nevertheless the premise works well and Steenburgen offers a touching performance. The film is based on the real-life Miep Gies' book, co-authored with Alison Leslie Gold, "Anne Frank Remembered".

The supporting cast is first-rate. Paul Schofield (CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE) is perfect as Otto, with Huub Stapel as Miep's husband Jan, Eleanor Bron as Edith Frank and Lisa Jacobs as Anne. Quality TV movie.