Following the Nazi invasion of Amsterdam, 13-year-old Anne and her family go into hiding in the confines of an attic. Anne's remarkable account of their lives, their growing fear of discovery, their deplorable living conditions and even the blooming of her first love are intimately portrayed in this extraordinary portrait of humanity. Nominated for eight 1959 Oscars and winning three, The Diary of Anne Frank remains one of cinema's most astounding and enduring treasures.
 
"A poignant, moving film of hope and tragedy."  Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
"...[a] magnificent adaptation of the acclaimed play..."  Find-A-Video
"A motion picture masterpiece...enriching...exciting and unforgettable."  Los Angeles Examiner
"Superb...vivid...genuine."  The New York Times
"A vivid and carefully produced work of poignancy and loss."  TV Guide
 


Editor's Note

George Stevens' life-altering experience of witnessing the death camps after WWII was doubtless responsible for his desire to adapt the famed diary of the teenaged Jewish girl, played by Millie Perkins. With the feared 'Green Police' or Dutch Gestapo combing Amsterdam in search of Jews, Anne, her parents, Otto (Joseph Schildkraut) and Edith (Anna Huber) another Jewish family, the Van Daans, and a dentist Albert Dussell (Ed Wynn) take refuge for two years in a small attic provided by Gentile shop owners Kraler (Douglas Spencer) and Miep (Dody Heath). Despite their precarious situation, and the sense of claustrophobia created by having to live together in such crowded conditions, covering the windows during the day, and keeping as quiet as possible at all times, the families carry on as best they can. For Anne, her platonic romance with Peter Van Daan (Richard Beymer), the attractive son of often voluble parents, makes the experience more bearable than it is for the adults, whose sense of foreboding is palpable. By surrounding the inexperienced Perkins with a talented cast of veteran performers, which also includes Shelley Winters and Lou Jacobi, Stevens achieves a moving portrait of Frank's innocent precocity, with her ultimate fate the tragic subtext of this intensely compelling film.