The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Country: US
Technical: bw/Cinemascope 180m
Director: George Stevens
Cast: Millie Perkins, Richard Beymer, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Gusti Huber, Diane Baker
Synopsis:
The Frank family, together with another, are given shelter in the dissimulated attic rooms of a spice warehouse in Amsterdam during much of the Nazi occupation. The youngest, Anne, keeps a diary of their experiences.
Review:
Stevens takes the essentials from the Broadway production, including some of the cast, and constructs an impressive and believable set on the sound stage, even managing to make Cinemascope work for him at times (camera movements are understandably limited). The difficulties of cohabitation and constant suspense at discovery are well conveyed, but the script is at times too wordy and fails to fully communicate Anne's imaginary world. Inconsistencies surrounding the need for daytime silence and so on are frustrating, especially since the broken skylight dutifully remains unrepaired. In the end this is a worthy production of its day which many will now find compromised by American accents and a full-throated Newman score.
Country: US
Technical: bw/Cinemascope 180m
Director: George Stevens
Cast: Millie Perkins, Richard Beymer, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Gusti Huber, Diane Baker
Synopsis:
The Frank family, together with another, are given shelter in the dissimulated attic rooms of a spice warehouse in Amsterdam during much of the Nazi occupation. The youngest, Anne, keeps a diary of their experiences.
Review:
Stevens takes the essentials from the Broadway production, including some of the cast, and constructs an impressive and believable set on the sound stage, even managing to make Cinemascope work for him at times (camera movements are understandably limited). The difficulties of cohabitation and constant suspense at discovery are well conveyed, but the script is at times too wordy and fails to fully communicate Anne's imaginary world. Inconsistencies surrounding the need for daytime silence and so on are frustrating, especially since the broken skylight dutifully remains unrepaired. In the end this is a worthy production of its day which many will now find compromised by American accents and a full-throated Newman score.
Country: US
Technical: bw/Cinemascope 180m
Director: George Stevens
Cast: Millie Perkins, Richard Beymer, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Gusti Huber, Diane Baker
Synopsis:
The Frank family, together with another, are given shelter in the dissimulated attic rooms of a spice warehouse in Amsterdam during much of the Nazi occupation. The youngest, Anne, keeps a diary of their experiences.
Review:
Stevens takes the essentials from the Broadway production, including some of the cast, and constructs an impressive and believable set on the sound stage, even managing to make Cinemascope work for him at times (camera movements are understandably limited). The difficulties of cohabitation and constant suspense at discovery are well conveyed, but the script is at times too wordy and fails to fully communicate Anne's imaginary world. Inconsistencies surrounding the need for daytime silence and so on are frustrating, especially since the broken skylight dutifully remains unrepaired. In the end this is a worthy production of its day which many will now find compromised by American accents and a full-throated Newman score.