Diary of Anne Frank, The (1959)

reviewed by
Brian Koller


The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Grade: 54 

You would think that "The Diary of Anne Frank" would make a terrific movie. There is suspense, bad guys, innocent victims, and all are believable because they are taken from real life incidents. But while the basis of a great movie is here, this film can't deliver the goods. One problem is it mostly takes place in an attic. But it is talky, overlong, and our young heroine is miscast. Anne Frank is played by Millie Perkins, at 21 too old for the role, and gratingly precocious and self-absorbed.

It is World War II. The Nazis have taken over Europe and are bent on hunting down and exterminating jews. A group of jews are forced to hide in an Amsterdam attic, in a factory owned by a good samaritan who shows up now and then to give them food.

Among the shut-ins are Anne Frank, her older sister Gretchen, her parents, and a handsome young man named Peter and his parents. Anne's parents, as portrayed in the film, are ever-patient saints, while Peter's parents are often jerks. Anne must compete with Gretchen for the attention of Peter, who is more interested in playing with his cat.

Life is boring for everyone in the attic. To pass the time, they read books, and Anne begins a diary. They must all be quiet during the day, or workers below will hear and report them.

The film is at its best when demonstrating how strangers forced to live at length in close quarters will get on each other's nerves. Food deprivation and fear of discovery only increase the stress. Shelly Winters, who won an Oscar for her performance, plays Peter's mother. Her character is all over the place, alternatively charming, bitter, and hysterical.

One night a burgler breaks into the factory and hears noises made by the jews in the attic. Their days are numbered now, since someday when the burglar is caught he will turn them in to reduce his sentence.

Later, a kindly, elderly dentist joins the group. He tells them horror stories of neighbors getting stripped of their possessions and shipped to death camps. But now three food rations must be stretched to feed eight people. Still, no one seems to lose any weight.

The dentist and Anne must share a room. He is also allergic to Peter's cat. These scenes provide rare comic relief. Anne begins having nightmares, waking up screaming, frightening the others and endangering their presence.

The movie drags on, much as did their real life in the attic. The shut-ins begin to appear miserable and catatonic. The exception is Anne, who is still vivacious due to a budding but platonic relationship with dreamy Peter.

A few years pass. The jews celebrate Hannukah with makeshift decorations. A bombing raid tears a small hole in the roof. German soldiers hear noises and check out the factory, nearly discovering them. Peter's father is caught stealing food, and is nearly evicted. They hear of D-day and have hope of liberation. But their hope is proved false when German troops learn of their hiding place, and they are all taken away to concentration camps.

One must separate the film from its historical context. When I criticize the movie, I am not lacking sympathy for European Jews, who suffered great losses of property, life, and liberty. But you can't slap a gold star on a movie based upon good intentions and a redeeming subject matter.

http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html


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