Customer Reviews

Attic: Hiding of Anne Frank [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This movie focuses a lot on Meep, played very well by Mary Steenburgen. It tells the story of the Franks from before they move into hiding to their capture and deportation. While it does not cover as broad a time span as the recent tv movie about Anne Frank, it does give a pretty accurate portrayal of the lives of those involved in the hiding of some Jews in a hidden annex.

This is a very good depiction of the people who actually hid them. There are many versions on Ann Frank but none on the Heises.

There is no one actor or actress that I can say was the best. They were all excellent and they could not have done a better job of it. It made me feel both sad and angry. Sad because of what happened in that time and angry for the same reason.

The actors in "The Attic" provide viewers with an engrossing look at the horrors of the Holocaust as it applied to the families in the Secret Annexe as well as the bravery of the Dutch people who served in the Underground. Portions of the story were filmed on location at what is now known as the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. As a teacher, I used the film as a follow up to the study of "The Diary of Anne Frank". My students were curious about the people who helped the people in the Secret Annexe. By the end of this film many of the students had tears in their eyes even though they knew what the ending would be. They found it easy to relate to the characters and the shock and grief at what befell the occupants of the hiding place. Since the story is told from Miep's point of view, we are given a fresh perspective of the Franks, the Van Daans, and Dr. Dussel. Miep had a special friendship with Anne Frank and her memories of the time Anne and her family spent in hiding let us see more of the personalities of the group. If you were not previously convinced about the horror of war (and the persecution of the Jewish people), you definitely will be after viewing this film.

Informative movie about the shocking events that happened during the second world war in the Netherlands, in particular, to the Frank family. The movie itself is somewhat slow.