George Stevens' epic screen adaptation of one of the most moving documents to emerge from World War II - the diary of the thirteen year old Jewish girl - Anne Frank. To escape the horrors of Nazi Persecution, Otto Frank (Joseph Schildkraut) hid with his wife (Gusti Huber) and their two daughters, Anne (Millie Perkins) and Margot (Diane Baker) in a disused Amsterdam attic for two years. Also hiding with them were Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan (Lou Jacobi and Shelley Winters), their son Peter (Richard Beymer) and a dentist, Mr. Dussel (Ed Wynn). In her daily journal, Anne recorded the trials and tribulations of the people around her trying to live a normal life in the cramped confines of the tiny attic, whilst under the constant threat of discovery by the Gestapo. The strain and the almost unbearable tension of their situation is skillfully conveyed in this remarkable and poignant, triple Oscar winning movie.
Directed by
George Stevens
Written by
Anne Frank (diary) Frances Goodrich (play) & Albert Hackett (play) Frances Goodrich (screenplay) & Albert Hackett (screenplay)
Starring
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); Ed Wynn (Mr. Albert Dussell). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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A Touching Story of Faith, Family and Friendship
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Recommended
This is a film that is unlikely to get picked up on any traditionally Catholic film lists, but the values and relationships the film depicts are as Christian and Catholic as any you will find elsewhere; from the courageous people that hide the Franks and the Van Daans in the Amsterdam attic, to the faith that Anne's father continues to hold true to (despite their hardships and persecutions), to the every day compromises and sacrifices the attic's inhabitants have to make whilst living with one another. Don't be put off by the length of the film either - I've watched few films in my time that have passed by as seamlessly as The Diary of Anne Frank. An additional mention also goes to the Oscar-winning cinematography used throughout.
