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 | hiding place | amsterdam netherlands | 

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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:

Anne Franks dagbok

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 only film in which Shelley Winters gives an acting Oscar winning performance in a Best Picture nominee.

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Goofs

Anne Frank was given the diary for her thirteenth birthday, a few days before they all went into hiding and not after going into hiding as depicted in the film.

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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

Version of Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001)

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Soundtracks

Berg op zoom
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

A Worthwhile Tribute

This worthwhile cinematic tribute to "The Diary of Anne Frank" offers a solid cast, some very effective settings, and a generally well-considered selection of episodes. No mere movie could convey the full force of the original diary, which no one who has read it can forget. But this movie version is good in its own right, and it does add some memorable, if sometimes non-historical, images to the story. The script does alter some details, and it's hard to see why they could not simply have filmed a selection of actual events, since that could have been more than effective enough. But, as a movie in its own right, it works well.

The Diary is most important for its record of the daily lives of real individuals who lived in constant fear because of the Nazis and their irrational persecutions. It puts names and faces on the kind of human disaster that is all too often described in terms of mere numbers. The movie does well in bringing out this aspect of the diary, making the characters come to life in settings that are interesting, detailed, and believable. The photography also makes good use of the settings and the details.

The other significant aspect of the Diary is its portrait of Anne herself. Her writings combine observations on the overall situation with observations about her own life and self, with a surprising degree of perception. This does not come out so much in the movie, though of course this would be much harder to accomplish. Millie Perkins projects a rather different image from the original Anne, but then again, there is nothing really wrong with her performance in itself. She does make a sympathetic and generally believable heroine. The supporting cast generally does a good job. The fine character actor Joseph Schildkraut gives the best performance, as Anne's father Otto.

Overall, if viewed with reasonable expectations and evaluated apart from the book, this adaptation is an interesting and worthwhile movie.