The Diary of Anne Frank

Movie Review: The Diary of Anne Frank

Year of Release: 1959
Country of Origin: USA
Director: George Stevens
Cast: Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Richard Beymer, Gusti Huber, Lou Jacobi, Diane Baker, Ed Wynn

Plot outline: A harrowing World War II real-life chronicle of a young Jewish girl who, with her family and their friends, is forced into hiding in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam (IMDb).

Like other based-on-the-book movies, as the book is usually better than the movie, more often than not if you read the book before you watch the movie, you would be disappointed with the movie. I heard people who have read the book, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, are disappointed with the movie because the movie is apparently inaccurate (!) I fully understand them. For me, I haven't read the book, so I don't have any problems with the movie, in fact I do enjoy it. Instead of being directly adapted from the book, this movie is based on the 1955 Broadway play of the same name - which is based on that book, written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. The same writers then wrote the script for the movie. Director George Stevens, while having Audrey Hepburn in his mind to portray Anne Frank, decided that it would be more effective to use a fresh actor - one with whom the public would have no preconceptions. His choice went to unknown model, Millie Perkins, because of her expressive eyes. With no acting experience, Mr. Stevens was confident that he could teach Ms. Perkins to act, at least for this movie. Still, it was a huge gamble, since her role was the pivotal role in this major production. Well, the results are now history. For me, Millie Perkins is just great (!) The story has been made into movies more than a dozen times, but this production remains the definitive version. With running time of around 170 minutes, director George Stevens skillfully keeps the suspense high and your eyes glued to the screen to see what happens next. From time to time, to keep the audience from getting claustrophobic, Mr. Stevens provides us with shots of the outside street and canal. I like the way he moves the camera from floor to floor. The script: as the story could easily become very sad, I like the way the script focuses on spirit and hope even in the darkest times: ordinary people trying to live an ordinary life even in an extraordinary condition, e.g. Joseph Schildkraut as Anne's father makes sure that even under these circumstances, the education is not neglected. The cast: they are excellent. Millie Perkins, although about twenty-one years old at that time, has an excellent performance and a brilliant narration. She has chemistry with Richard Beymer who plays Peter Van Daan, the boy from the other family. Shelley Winters deserves her Oscar as the ultimate Jewish mother, Mrs. Van Daan. Lou Jacobi is superb as Mr. Van Daan. While Ed Wynn is brilliant as fusspot Mr. Dussell. The black and white cinematography is beautiful and creates tension. Alfred Newman's musical score is mesmerising, it's definitely one of his finest. The extra music in Overture and Exit is a sweet treat. The first kiss scene gives me goosebumps and the final scene just before the Nazi officers knock down the secret door brings me tears. The person who betrayed Anne Frank, her family and their friends has never been discovered. The movie received five Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ed Wynn), Best Music, and Best Costume Design, and won three Oscars: Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Shelley Winters), Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration. It was unfortunate that this touching drama was released in the same year as Ben-Hur ... who could stand a chance against the "mighty" Ben-Hur?

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars