The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

During World War II, a teenage Jewish girl named Anne Frank and her family are forced into hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Frances Goodrich (screenplay), Albert Hackett (screenplay)

Stars:

Millie Perkins, Shelley Winters, Joseph Schildkraut

Won 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

In Nazi-occupied Holland in World War II, shopkeeper Kraler hides two Jewish families in his attic. Young Anne Frank keeps a diary of everyday life for the Franks and the Van Daans, chronicling the Nazi threat as well as family dynamics. A romance with Peter Van Daan causes jealousy between Anne and her sister, Margot. Otto Frank returns to the attic many years after the eventual capture of both families and finds his late daughter's diary.

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Plot Keywords:

attic | diary | world war two | amsterdam netherlands | holocaust | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Family | History | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

1959 (UK)

Also Known As:

El diario de Ana Frank

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,014,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Stevens Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 171 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original Broadway production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett opened at the Cort Theater on October 5, 1955, ran for 717 performances and won the 1956 Tony Award for the Best Play, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in the same year. Joseph Schildkraut, Gusti Huber and Lou Jacobi recreated their stage roles--respectively Otto Frank, Edith Frank, and Mr. Van Daan--in the movie version for which Goodrich and Hackett also wrote the screenplay. Susan Strasberg, who had played Anne on stage, and was nominated for 1956 Tony Award for Actress in a Drama, turned down the chance to play her on film, so Millie Perkins took over the role.

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Goofs

When the thief comes the first time, Margot Frank has a cough. She coughs into a handkerchief. In the next shot of her, her father Otto Frank tosses her a handkerchief because she is coughing into her hand.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

At the end, neither a "The End" credit nor a cast list appears, only the title of the film once more ("The Diary of Anne Frank").

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Connections

Referenced in Os Normais: De Volta ao Normal (2001)

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Soundtracks

Erika
(uncredited)
Music by Herms Niel

User Reviews

A Story That's Full Of Hope And Yet Still Very Sad

Throughout the movie, it's the hopefulness that is constantly being expressed that makes this all the more sad to watch - because, of course, we (the viewer) know the hopelessness of the situation; we know how it's going to end.

The story is based on a stageplay which was in turn based on the actual diary of Anne Frank, whose family (being Jewish) went into hiding in Nazi-occupied Holland in 1942, sharing a very small space with several others. As the title implies, the movie is largely about Anne. We watch her grow up in this claustrophobic setting - starting at age 13 and spending more than two years there until the group was discovered. Starting out as a child with a natural rebellious streak, Anne grows into a young woman, falling in love with a young man sharing the living quarters. Millie Perkins was excellent as young Anne, and I was impressed with Joseph Schildkraut as her father Otto, who was in the end the only survivor. The movie begins and ends with his post-war visit to the place where they were hidden, and his grief at being the only survivor among his family is powerfully portrayed. In general, all the performances in this were quite good, and there was a believable portrayal of the difficulties involved in so many people sharing so little space under such stressful circumstances, and there are a number of very suspenseful moments involved. It's a very moving story.