The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Frances Goodrich (screenplay) and
Albert Hackett (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 August 1959 (Denmark)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Plot:

Harrowing story of a young Jewish girl who, with her family and their friends is forced into hiding in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.

Plot Keywords:

Dentist | Diary | Jewish | Attic | Fear

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Millie Perkins	...	Anne Frank
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Otto Frank
Shelley Winters	...	Mrs. Petronella Van Daan
Richard Beymer	...	Peter Van Daan
Gusti Huber	...	Mrs. Edith Frank
Lou Jacobi	...	Mr. Hans Van Daan
Diane Baker	...	Margot Frank
Douglas Spencer	...	Kraler
Dodie Heath	...	Miep (as Dody Heath)
Ed Wynn	...	Mr. Albert Dussell
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arthur Berkeley	...	Dutch Workman (uncredited)
Robert Boon	...	SS Man (uncredited)
John Corrydon	...	Dutch Workman (uncredited)
Delmar Erickson	...	SS Man (uncredited)
Gretchen Goertz	...	Sanne Devries (uncredited)
William Kirschner	...	Workman in Shop (uncredited)
Edmund Purdom	...	British Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Frank Tweddell	...	Night Watchman (uncredited)
Charles Wagenheim	...	Sneak Thief (uncredited)
Bruce Walkup	...	Dutch Workman (uncredited)

Directed by
George Stevens

Writing credits
Frances Goodrich		(screenplay) and
Albert Hackett		(screenplay)
Frances Goodrich		(from the play by) and
Albert Hackett		(from the play by)
Anne Frank		(based on the book "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" by)

Produced by
George Stevens Jr.	....	associate producer
George Stevens	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
William C. Mellor		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David Bretherton
William Mace
Robert Swink

Casting by
Jim Buchanan		(uncredited)
George Light		(uncredited)
Owen McLean		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Stuart A. Reiss		(set decorations)
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Charles Le Maire		(executive wardrobe designer) (as Charles LeMaire)
Mary Wills

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist
Edwin Allen	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Ruby Felker	....	hairdresser (uncredited)
Ray Forman	....	hairdresser (uncredited)
Harry Maret	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Maurine McDermott	....	body makeup: women (uncredited)
Allan Snyder	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Sid Rogell	....	executive production manager (uncredited)
Abe Steinberg	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Hall	....	assistant director
George Stevens Jr.	....	director: location scenes
Herbert Curiel	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Nina Foch	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Wesley J. McAfee	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Hank Moonjean	....	assistant director: Holland (uncredited)

Art Department
M. Duke Abrahams	....	property master
Jules Kahn	....	props (uncredited)
George Westenhiser	....	assistant props (uncredited)

Sound Department
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
William Buffinger	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Paul Gilbert	....	microphone boom operator (uncredited)
Otis Gunter	....	cableman (uncredited)
Hal Lombard	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Harry Roberts	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Cardiff	....	photographer: location scenes
Les Berry	....	grip (uncredited)
Sam Bischoff	....	grip (uncredited)
Carl Cabibi	....	best boy (uncredited)
Sam Fisher	....	electrician (uncredited)
Frank Gilley	....	crane operator (uncredited)
Frank Gilley	....	grip (uncredited)
Sol Halperin	....	head camera (uncredited)
William K. Jurgensen	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Gaston Longet	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Gordon Meagher	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
James Mitchell	....	still photographer (uncredited)
John Murray	....	grip (uncredited)
Lloyd Phillips	....	grip (uncredited)
Homer Plannette	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Fred Rezk	....	grip (uncredited)
Irving Rosenberg	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Reeder P. Boss	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Josephine Brown	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)
Clinton Sandeen	....	wardrobe department: men (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Larry Allen	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)
Hal Ashby	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)
Robert Kimball	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)
George Leggewie	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)
Marion Rothman	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)
Harold Saylor	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)
Pat Shade	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator
Earle Hagen	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Alfred Newman	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Kermit Bloomgarden	....	produced on the stage by
Garson Kanin	....	directed on the stage by
Tony Van Renterghem	....	technical advisor (as Tony van Renterghem)
B. Aaronson	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
George Boyce	....	stand-in: Ed Wynn (uncredited)
Ernst Brengt	....	stand-in: Joseph Schildkraut (uncredited)
John Del Valle	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)
Robert Gary	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Fred Guiol	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Ben Kadish	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Frances Mack	....	stand-in: Gusti Huber and Diane Baker (uncredited)
Rosemary O'Neil	....	stand-in: Shelley Winters (uncredited)
Midge Pare	....	stand-in: Millie Perkins (uncredited)
Douglas Wall	....	stand-in: Richard Beymer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (produced by) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) (A CinemaScope Picture)
• George Stevens Productions (as A George Stevens Production)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1959) (USA) (theatrical) (as 20th Century Fox)
• Centfox (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1963) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Fox Films (1959) (Finland) (theatrical)
• FS Film Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1985) (Finland) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1970) (1990) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

180 min | Argentina:158 min | USA:171 min (FMC Library Print) | West Germany:152 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (optical prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | Taiwan:GP | UK:U | West Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:AL | USA:Approved (certificate #19008) | Canada:PG (video rating) | New Zealand:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Average Shot Length (ASL) = 9 seconds

Goofs:

Continuity: On the first night of Hanukkah, Anne says it is Dec 7, 1942 - a Monday - and two candles are lit and blown out. When Mr. Frank goes to inspect the break-in, he says it is Saturday and no one will return until Monday. The same two extinguished candles are seen throughout the scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Kraler:Mr. Frank. - Mr Frank?
Otto Frank:Kraler. - Mr. Kraler. Miep. My good friends.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "What's My Line?: Episode dated 27 March 1960" (1960)

Soundtrack:

Berg op zoom

"Diary of A Lifetime"

No words are adequate enough to express the emotion that I feel each time I see this harrowing account of Jewish people hiding from Nazi terror in Holland.

I read that Director George Stevens assembled his cast to live in those quarters for a certain amount of time so as to get the idea of what confinement might actually mean.

Joseph Schildkraut gave a memorable performance. Where was his Oscar nomination? Were Academy voters afraid that if he had been nominated, he might have defeated Charlton Heston in "Ben-Hur?"

Ed Wynn brought comic relief with a gem of a dramatic performance as the condemned dentist. His losing the Oscar for best supporting actor was a slap in the face, especially for his many years in show business. Similarly, Lou Jacobi gave a tremendous performance as Shelley Winters' long suffering husband.(Who remembers Hugh Griffith in "Ben-Hur?") Few remember that he was the best supporting actor that year for the latter film.

What a great musical score reaching its height as the "fugitives" are about to be rounded up. That farewell kiss between Richard Beymer and Millie Perkins was wonderful.