Pretty Good

Absolutely the worst movie.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

.....evolve.Apart from Mr E.Wynn the cast are content to play to Jewish stereotypes and Miss S.Winters is very much full on throughout as the shrewish wife and mother who only too seldom engages her brain before opening her mouth. This picture starts promisingly enough,the set being introduced rather in the German Expressionist manner but,frankly,there is very little use made of cinema as a medium,"Anne Frank" being mainly shot as a straightforward adaption of a stageplay. To be fair to Mr G.Stevens there was little scope for opening out the production and staying fairly true to the book. So we share the sense of claustrophobia of the families which is well realised, but this has the unfortunate effect of making even the sight of marching S.S.men in the street give us a feeling of relief.Unfortunately where "The diary of Anne Frank" fails is in its central performance where Miss M.Perkins is not adequate to the task. She may be pretty and cute with big eyes but she has nothing behind them. You get the impression that when the camera stops she reverts to being a perky American teenager. Worse,she is not even a very sympathetic character. The same goes for Mr R.Beymer whose carefully greased hair smacks of liberal use of hair oil that one would have thought would have been in short supply. I felt he would have been more at home with a catcher's mitt and a bat under his arm. The story deserves better. Apart from the 6 million Jews exterminated by the Germans they also "cleansed" untold numbers of homosexuals,Poles,Russians,the disabled and mentally ill and other such untermenschen."Anne Frank" speaks for them all,its just a pity it wasn't just a little bit better.

I do not know why you insist on listing Gusti Huber as Mrs. Frank when Joan Plowright is the obvious actress. If you look at Ms. Plowright's credits you will see she played Mrs. Frank. Joan did an amazing job with the role. I always knew it was her. So in watching it today again, after so many years and seeing ms. Huber listed, I am very confused. She was even listed in the opening credits of the actual movie. Does anyone know what happened? Of all the versions of this movie, this one was the most profound and left the longest lasting effects. I have watched every version of the movie, play , even a dance rendition and nothing can compare to this movie. I feel sad for anyone who does not catch this one first.I always thought it so kind and generous that Mr. Frank shared this very personal part of his life with us and wish I had a chance to thank him before he died.

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.

The famous story of the Jewish girl hiding in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam receives an impressive screen treatment. Pretty much the entire film takes place inside the cramped attic, and it's a credit to Stevens that a three-hour film in a confined setting manages to remain engaging. Perkins has been unjustly criticized for her performance. She is perhaps a bit too perky in her film debut, but she mostly does well with her expressive face and charming manner. Schildkraut is fine as the father, as are Winters and Beymer as members of another family sharing the attic. In fact, all the acting is good with the exception of Jacobi and Wynn, who come off as rather cartoonish.