Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
landmark Hollywood classic, July 8, 2009
What more can I say about this beloved film? It's still the most literal, well-known adaptation of Anne Frank's story, directly based on the Broadway play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Director George Stevens felt a great personal need to tell this story, as his film unit, as part of the US Army Signal Corps, was the first to go into the Dachau concentration camp after it's liberation in 1945, documenting the atrocities committed there by the Nazis (much of what Stevens shot was later used as evidence during the Nuremberg trials). It was an experience which stayed with him, shaped the dark themes in later films like "Shane" and "A Place in the Sun"; and THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK was, no doubt, the culmination of an obsession to reconcile himself with those traumatic wartime memories.
A lush production, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959) featured an amazing multi-storey set, closely modeled by art designers George W. Davis and Lyle Wheeler on the original Amsterdam hiding-place. For the terrifying bombing scenes, parts of the set were built on a platform of springs, causing the building to "lurch" and bounce as the bombs fell nearby. Three actors from the original Broadway cast of the play - Joseph Schildkraut as Otto Frank, Gusti Huber as Edith Frank, and Lou Jacobi as Mr Van Daan - were recruited to reprise their roles for the movie, and they each deliver a realism which heightens the drama immensely. Shelley Winters openly campaigned for the role of shrill Mrs Van Daan (a magnificent performance which netted the actress an Academy Award that she duly donated to the Anne Frank Museum); and Fox contract players Diane Baker and Richard Beymer played Margot and Peter. Beloved comedian Ed Wynn stunned audiences with his layered, Oscar-nominated performance as Mr Dussel. In fantastic supporting roles as the family's devoted helpers Miep and Mr Kraler are Dodie Heath and Douglas Spencer--two highly talented, versatile actors who very rarely receive their full dues when this movie is discussed--and I made certain to include them here because of that sad fact.
For the plum role of Anne Frank, director Stevens launched an exhaustive, worldwide talent search. Broadway's Susan Strasberg wasn't overly interested in reprising her performance; Audrey Hepburn was approached, being a close friend of Otto Frank and later a patron of the Anne Frank Trust, but having lived through the terrible occupation of Brussels during the war, she feared it would require opening very painful old wounds. For a while it looked like a young Dutch actress named Marianne Sarstadt would play Anne; and people became rather alarmed when Stevens began considering German actress Sabine Sinjen for the role. Millie Perkins, a nineteen-year-old model from New Jersey with absolutely no acting experience, finally landed the part and ended up giving a very tender and appropriate performance, thanks in no small part to George Stevens' intense direction and the support of her co-stars. It started the young girl on a very successful acting career in movies and television, but Perkins was quoted as saying recently: "I was a star only once, and that was when I did The Diary of Anne Frank."
This 50th Anniversary edition of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (ironically released close to the date of what would have been Anne's 80th birthday) boasts a wealth of all-new bonus material:
*"George Stevens in WWII" featurette (comprising many pieces of colour footage from George Stevens' Signal Corps coverage)
*"The Making of The Diary of Anne Frank: A Son's Memories" featurette with George Stevens Jr.
*"Memories from Millie Perkins and Diane Baker" featurette (recent interviews with Perkins and Baker sharing their stories from the set)
*"Shelley Winters and The Diary of Anne Frank" featurette (using 1983 interview portions from "George Stevens: A Filmmakers' Journey")
*"The Sound and Music of The Diary of Anne Frank" featurette (focusing on Alfred Newman's stirring, Oscar-nominated musical score)
*"The Diary of Anne Frank Correspondance" featurette (George Stevens Jr. narrates letters from his father and Otto Frank written during production of the film)
*Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman (from the Fox Movie Channel)
*extensive photo galleries
*interactive pressbook gallery
in addition to an audio commentary with Millie Perkins and George Stevens Jr. (ported over from the previous Studio Classics edition).
Sadly missing from this edition is the fascinating, 90-minute Fox special "Echoes from the Past: The Diary of Anne Frank", which was the main bonus feature for the film's 2004 Studio Classics release (in addition, the Fox Movietone newsreels, press conference footage, and an excerpt from "George Stevens: A Filmmakers' Journey" are dropped as well). I'd advise people to hold onto the old disc and also double-dip for the 50th Anniversary one, because both offer some essential extras for the fans.
Now, perhaps more than ever before, we need this wonderful, heartbreaking and life-affirming film. Recommended.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Though not a faithful retelling, it's still a compelling watch with lots of extras, November 6, 2009
"The Diary of Anne Frank" which was released in 1959 (this being the 50th anniversary edition) tells the story of a group of Dutch Jews in hiding in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of Holland. They are aided by some Dutch Gentile friends, Miep Gies [Dody Heath] and Mr Kraler [Douglas Spencer]. The group consists of Anne Frank [Millie Perkins], father Otto [Joseph Schildkraut], mother Edith [Gusti Huber], and sister Margot [Diane Baker], as well as the Van Daan's [Van Pels], Mrs Van Daan [Shelly Winters], Mr Van Daan[Lou Jacobi], and son Peter [Richard Beymer], and dentist Mr Dussel [Ed Wynn].
Anne keeps a diary, in which she records her feelings, longings, and experiences during this period in hiding and the movie is basically a reenactment of the events that she recorded in her diary [which was left behind when the group were arrested, kept by Miep and returned to Anne's father upon his return after the war].
What I liked about the movie was the credible depiction of the fears and frustrations of people in hiding. It was a very dangerous period for Jews during the Nazi reign in Europe in WW II, and more so for Jews in hiding [as they were effectively committing a 'crime' by Nazi standards, by evading deportation]. Anne and her group are forced to live in close quarters, and for a young girl on the cusp of womanhood, this is intolerable. Peter, Anne and Margot have to suffer the indignity of being constantly scrutinized by the adults, especially Mrs Van Daan, who is quite a domineering busybody and nag [a wonderful performance by Shelly Winters]. Anne and Peter especially suffer because they form an attachment, much to the displeasure of Mrs Van Daan.
The movie effectively captures the somber atmosphere of the time, and the sound effects add to bleak atmosphere. The fear of exposure and discovery is constantly portrayed throughout the movie, and the audience senses this all the time. I can only imagine how the actual people must have felt, having to live in constant fear like that, knowing that discovery could only mean imprisonment and even death.
However, there are problems with this movie - it is not an altogether historically accurate representation of actual events. The Franks had gone into hiding before the Van Daans, but this is portrayed otherwise in the movie. Peter Van Daan [Van Pels] was extremely shy in real life, but his demeanor is portrayed differently here, and his romance with Anne is overly exaggerated in typical Hollywood style.
I felt that another production, "Anne Frank: The Whole Story" [2001] was a more realistic and faithful adaptation of Anne's story, and it had the added benefit of covering Anne's life before she went into hiding, as well as a reenactment of what happened to the group after they were captured,their internment in the concentration camps, the deaths of the various group members, culminating in the return of Anne's father, Otto to Amsterdam after the war.
I would still recommend this movie for its production values and as another version of Anne's story [this version ends with the group's capture], but I would highly recommend "Anne Frank: The Whole Story" for a more in-depth coverage of Anne's life and death. The new BBC production (2008) is also very good.
This DVD comes with extras that make this a worthwhile purchase, the most notable being:
A featurette "George Stevens in WW II"
"The Making of The Diary of Anne Frank: A Son's Memories" with George Stevens Jr.
Interviews with Millie Perkins (who played Anne Frank) and Diane Baker (Margot)
"Shelley Winters and The Diary of Anne Frank"
"The Sound and Music of The Diary of Anne Frank"
A narration by George Stevens Jr. of correspondence between his father and Otto Frank, and many more.
The movie itself gets 3* because it diverges from its original source, but the extras make this a 5* release.
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1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The diary of anne frank, September 1, 2009
We found this movie really boring. I was going to use it as a history lesson for my homeschoolers, but found it so boring I couldn't even finish watching it. This was a total waste of money.
The seller was very prompt with shipment, but movie was a total let down.
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DVD ~ Kenneth Branagh
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