VividSimon Simply Perfect

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

frankwiener Firstly, Director George Stevens ("Gunga Din", "Place in the Sun", "I Remember Mama") must be commended for his ability to create the dark, claustrophobic conditions experienced by eight Dutch Jews hiding for two entire years in the stifling attic of a small Amsterdam spice factory while he was forced by Fox executives to film their story in glorious CinemaScope. This was an impressive accomplishment by itself. As the head of a combat motion picture unit at the end of World War II in Europe, Stevens was deeply affected by the horrors that he had experienced, including the Normandy invasion and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Unlike films depicting the large-scale conditions of utter de-humanization that existed in the Nazi concentration camps, this movie enabled Stevens to present a view of Nazi victims while they were still able to salvage what little humanity remained within them. In spite of the very difficult circumstances of the Jews in hiding, the victims were still able to maintain at least some form of civility and respectability in their interactions with each other.Not to be overlooked is the separate but related story of the astoundingly brave Dutch citizens who risked their very lives in order to protect their Jewish neighbors. These courageous acts of righteousness occurred in European nations throughout the Nazi occupation, and are never to be underestimated or taken for granted. Imagine risking your own life and those of your loved ones by daring to resist the extreme brutality of the Nazi regime so that others might live. For me, the most powerful scene was of the Nazi transport vehicle screeching to a halt before the address of the hiding place while the dramatic music rises and the menacing, two note Euro siren blasts throughout the streets of Amsterdam. After two agonizing years of confinement, the worst nightmare had suddenly become a reality for the group in hiding. I don't think that Mr. Stevens could have presented this climactic scene more forcefully and perfectly.With minimal cinematic support, the small cast of actors, along with the extraordinary skills of Mr. Stevens, faced the daunting task of carrying the movie from start to finish, and they succeeded very, very well. For me, Shelley Winters and Lou Jacobi as the frustrated, bickering couple stood out from the rest. They could have been my aunt and uncle or the neighbors down the street. They were that real in spite of the fact that they were reading lines written for them by someone else, something that still amazes me when I watch exceptional acting. Ms. Winters was especially gracious to donate the Oscar that she won from her work here (the other was for "Patch of Blue") to the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam as she promised Anne's father, Otto Frank.I have read some criticism among reviewers here of Millie Perkins for her interpretation of Anne, but I don't agree with it. Mr. Frank approved of her casting as his beloved daughter, and that is good enough for me. I have a feeling that Anne would have approved of her too and that Millie would have taken a very prominent place in Anne's cherished film star book, had she only survived the war.The only criticism I have is that the film could have been shortened significantly, not for my sake but for that of all of those folks, including the many IMDb reviewers, who felt that it ran too long. As the film has a very significant, personal connection to me, I was completely engrossed by the dialogue and by the outstanding performances on the part of the entire cast. I am more concerned about the vast majority of viewers who do not have any personal linkage to the film's reenacted situation and who may lose their interest in a story that must be told so that the horrific crimes committed less than 75 short years ago will not be repeated. While an estimated 60 million people were killed during that global cataclysm, the systematic, highly organized. and meticulously planned campaign of genocide by the Nazis of Germany against the mostly defenseless, civilian Jews of Europe is unprecedented. This film illustrates the story not only of Anne but of seven other human beings who were doomed to destruction not because of any specific act that they committed but by the mere fact that they were Jews. Unless we truly learn from the past, we seriously risk repeating it.

severine rubis I watched again the Diary of Anne frank with Millie perkins recently,and i watched this film once when i was a teen and found it good but many years later i don't have the same feeling.The general cast is brilliant and the beginning of the movie is gripping when Otto frank is given his daughter's diary and discovers that time has flown since the first day in the Annex. However there are many inaccuracies. The van Daans for instance never arrived the same day than the Frank and entered the hiding a week after.Plus Anne received her diary the day of her birthday and not in July and Anne is a bit old or Millie perkins who looked like a model whereas real Anne was pretty but she wasn't what we could call a beauty.She was thin even skinny and not obsessed by her appearance like Millie perkins seems to be in the film.Margot is rather well portrayed on the contrary and is quiet and so does Otto but Peter isn't the same than in the diary ,he is a good confident and listener but he never flirted with Anne like we can see but the most disappointing characters are the Van daans.They are total caricature.Despite these flaws this film is quite enjoyable and sometimes disturbing with the scene of the thief and the bombs..The arrest as for it never happened like in the film.The helpers or Miep and Bep and Kruler were in the office on the 4th August and they were forced to speak and tell the Nazi where the refugees were and there were no insistent calls and Anne stopped writing in her diary on the 1 th of August because the arrest was completely unexpected.So the ending in the annex is sugar coated and hollywoodian.This is a beautiful love scene but it isn't real. I give 6 out of 10 to this film.It could have been better ,less romanticized but more detailed.

amour88 This was an amazing movie. It's long almost 3 hours but so worth it. You really feel the terror,paranoia and tension. Your heart breaks with them. It's not too accurate in regards to the book but if you can get past that it really is an excellent film. The movie is not too violent for a film that takes place during the war. Anne while going through an unimaginable situation still remains mostly positive. Her quote "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart" really captures that.Anne's story and so many others like her must continue to be told. This movie really shows what it must have been like to stay in hiding for years. Never being able to go outside,have a breath of fresh air. This is a movie I think everyone needs to see at least once.

didi-5 It isn't to disparage this lengthy and respectful film to say it presents the story of Anne Frank and her family with a slightly Hollywood sheen. Perhaps with the war in living memory the treatment is understandable.Anne Frank (Millie Perkins, excellent), is fourteen and has to go into hiding with her mother (Gusti Huber), her father (Joseph Schildkraut), and sister (Diane Baker). They share their hiding place with the Van Daans (Shelley Winters, who won an Oscar for her performance as flighty and loud Mrs Van Daan, Lou Jacobi, and Richard Beymer, who plays the shy son, Peter). Later they are joined by an additional refugee, Mr Dussell (played a somewhat restrained Ed Wynn).Clearly filmed in a studio and with some inaccuracies (did the refugees really never venture out of their annex? did Anne's diary really survive the war in exactly the place she left it? was their betrayer ever identified?), it does manage to present some darker sides of the tale such as Anne's fights with her mother, her growing maturity, and fears and hopes for the future, plus reports of what happened to the remaining Jews who waited to be taken to their deaths.The film runs just short of three hours, although does not manage to present as much information as the recent TV adaptation. However, it is an interesting production to compare, and it certainly isn't as bad as could be expected. Perhaps a little too much incidental music, but the film certainly isn't saccharine, and treats the story, and Anne's diary, seriously.