The Diary of Anne Frank
US (1959): Drama/War
Teenaged Anne Frank, a Dutch Jew, perished along with most of the rest of her family in a Nazi concentration camp, but her hopes, dreams, and optimistic outlook have endured thanks to the publication of her diary in 1952. After intense negotiations with Anne's father, the sole survivor of the Frank family, The Diary of Anne Frank was dramatized in 1954 in a Pulitzer Prize-winning version by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. In the 1959 film version, director George Stevens could stage many dialogue sequences in furtive whispers, conveying the precariousness of the Franks' existence, and that of their fellow exiles, the Van Daan family and fussy dentist Mr. Dussel, during the two years they spent hiding from the Gestapo in a tiny Amsterdam attic. Yet, while the Franks' attic is appropriately confining, the decision to film in CinemaScope robs the situation of its inherent claustrophobia. Stevens was criticized for casting unknown Millie Perkins as Anne, but her awkwardness and naivete add to the credibility of her character, much more so than the movie-starrish turn by young Richard Beymer as Peter Van Daan. The movie also features such veterans as Joseph Schildkraut as Otto Frank, Shelley Winters as Mrs. Van Daan, Lou Jacobi as Mr. Van Daan, and Ed Wynn as Dussel. Despite its nearly three-hour length, The Diary of Anne Frank sustains its suspense and poignancy throughout, and is capped by one of the most heartwrenching climaxes of any film -- albeit one handled with taste and decorum. There have been two other film versions of the story: a 1995 Japanese film Anne no nikki and an animated UK/Ireland/France/Netherlands production, Anne Frank's Diary / Le journal d'Anne Franck (1999). Three versions have been made for television -- in 1967, 1980 and 1987. (20th Century-Fox) (Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide)
8 nominations, 3 Awards
· Supporting Actress 1959: Shelley Winters
· Art Direction/Set Decoration (Black and White) 1959: Lyle Wheeler & George W. Davis - Art Direction, Walter M. Scott & Stuart A. Reiss - Set Decoration
· Cinematography (Black and White) 1959: William C. Mellor
· Best Picture 1959: George Stevens - Producer (20th Century-Fox)
· Supporting Actor 1959: Ed Wynn
· Directing 1959: George Stevens
· Costume Design (Black and White) 1959: Charles LeMaire, Mary Wills
· Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) 1959: Alfred Newman