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Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Richard Beymer, Gusti Huber ... see more see more... , Lou Jacobi , Diane Baker , Douglas Spencer , Dody Heath , Ed Wynn , Del Erickson , Frank Tweddell , Charles Wagenheim , Robert Boon , William Kirschner , Dodie Heath

This is the autobiographical drama of a young Dutch Jewish girl hiding from the invading Nazis during World War II. Anne and her family share a claustrophobic attic with another family. Tension is oft... read more read more...en unbearable, as the people hiding know that their discovery by the enemy could lead to almost certain death at the hands of their captors. They also must contend with the Dutch Gestapo or "Green Police," who will turn them over to the Nazis if discovered. Dutch nationals risk their lives by hiding the family for two years. The group, despite the horror and crowded conditions, still find time for celebrations of Hanukkah and rejoice quietly in the small attic that has become their world. The story is told from the narrative perspective of Anne, a young girl hoping to live to womanhood. The film was nominated for several academy awards and won two for best supporting actress (Shelley Winters) and for cinematography (William Mellor). ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

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74% liked it

27,025 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

16 critics

PG, 2 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: George Stevens

Release Date: January 1, 1959

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DVD Release Date: February 3, 2004

Stats: 873 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (873)

  • erika250
    April 11, 2012
    erika250
    book is better
  • ajv2688
    November 19, 2010
    ajv2688
    A classic movie based on a classic novel/diary of the real experiences of a girl living in Nazi Germany. This movie really brings the events to life, and I highly recommend seeing it.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 2, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Touching classic based upon true events in WWII on Diary of Anne Frank. I read the Book twice and every tiny bit of the words in the book sucked me in to it. A tragedy.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    May 5, 2008
    FiLmCrAzY
    excellant very moving and very intersting in the life of a jewish girl being tracked down by the nazi reli worth a watch excellant history of the ww2
  • purplemegan
    August 7, 2007
    purplemegan
    A must-see movie based on a must-see book. I enjoyed it a lot; it is such a sad and moving story. I couldn't quite get past the fact that the dentist guy was played by the same actor who was flying around on the ceiling in mary poppins.
  • jennifxu
    July 3, 2007
    jennifxu
    altogether too long but it drew me in and millie perkins is perfection as an innocent but annoying anne frank who grows up in that little room.
  • mjgildea
    June 14, 2007
    mjgildea
    I remember watching this in my 8th grade English class and liking the fact that it took a whole week for us to watch--thus getting out of any homework. Almost 20 years later I really didn't have as much enthusiasm. I know you've got to drag a story like this out as long as you po... read moressibly can to convey the claustrophobia of the characters, but that walks a fine line between Stir-Crazy and Bored Shitless. It's obviously a horrific tale--if the possibility of Nazis busting your door down and dragging you off to a concentration camp doesn't scare you, the thought of living with your family in an attic and not being able to leave for two years should. In the end, it's well done and not to take away from what these people endured and eventually suffered through, but I'd recommend The Pianist or Schindler's List first.
  • dreamfaeries
    January 31, 2007
    dreamfaeries
    Fantastic job by Perkins. She really captured what I feel that Anne was really like. Highly recommend.
  • Gsmily5
    April 29, 2012
    Gsmily5
    Diary of Anne Frank
    This was about a few people, a family and some of his trusted colleagues who were done a favor and hid in the attic of a business. They were escaping the Holocaust. During this time people were being taken and sent to camps or the ghetto. They were being forc... read moreed to leave their homes. They survived off of can foods and other limited supplies. Their conditions were much more lenient at first. They were able to relax on the second floor of this establishment, trying to enjoy life as much as they could, listening to music, reading, playing games, eating together, much more lax sleeping conditions. This movie gave a insight on what a group of people went through to preserve their lives. As things got stricter out side they became stricter on the inside. They eventually had to cram in the attic. Scarce movement was allowed. The quarters were tight and hot, and food became more and more scarce. They're was no movement or light allowed after a certain time of the day because troops were still looking for people who were trying to hide. They eventually began to get stressed out and some began to panic and scream and go into psychotic fits. They all knew that if they were found that would be the end for them. They were in freedom and in bondage at the same time. They were able to remain hidden for about two years until they were found. Anne died of a infection while the rest were sent to a Nazi camp except one.
    This teaches religions to day of what they're people had to endure This taught them of how hard it was in an earlier time. It tells what others still have to endure that are not over here in the states, and are free. Jews helps their religion sacred and their freedom as well. And some when through so much to remain free, and in the end were still captured. The fight is what stands out the most, they never gave up.
  • inhonoredglory
    July 13, 2011
    inhonoredglory
    The best movies move me, teach me, and make something in the world so very real. This film does just that. I come away from it sad, glad, and inspired. It taught me the tangible reality of the victims of that regime, how they felt, how they were real people like you and me. I saw... read more how the news of D-Day was like gold to a people who knew no freedom. How to us, D-Day may seem like a waste of young lives, but to people like Anne Frank and those in a similar fate, our efforts in Europe meant the very hope of being free again, being alive.

    The simple everyday nature of the Franks' lives made their fate so much more real and accessible to me and to our time. They were like us because they were us; they were no different from you or me. Their tale is sad, yet inspiring -- Anne's eternal optimism shines through every dark cloud, and her youthful exuberance brightens the darkest hour of humanity.

    The soundtrack of this film is decidedly poignant, and the cinematography is wonderful, especially when one is introduced to its complexity in the bonus features of the film.

    Otto Frank's words will always remain within me: "We have lived in fear, but now we can live in hope."

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Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Mr. Stevens has done a superb job of putting upon the screen the basic drama and shivering authenticity of the Frances Goodrich-Albert Hackett play, which in turn caught the magnitude of drama in the ... Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Represents Stevens at the height of his pretentiousness and the depths of his accomplishment. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
August 15, 2011
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

A poignant drama bringing us into the lives of Anne Frank, whose diary inspired millions seeking to understand why such a sweet, innocent child could be murdered in the Holocaust. Full Review

Peter Canavese
June 28, 2009
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

Remains a potent statement about the horrors of war and a valid testament to the girl who could answer them by writing, 'I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart.'... Full Review

November 13, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A vivid and carefully produced work of poignancy and loss. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
May 1, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

More valuable as historical than artistic work, George Stevens' reverential Broadway-to-Hollywood transfer is marred by the weak lead performance from Millie Perkins. Full Review

January 26, 2006
Time Out

One of those extremely long and well-meaning adaptations of plays, this doesn't really amount to very much, despite its intrinsically moving subject matter. Full Review

Derek Smith
January 20, 2005
Derek Smith, Apollo Guide

Its ideals are concerned less with the horrors of 1940s Germany and more with the optimistic, hopeful attitude of 1950s America. Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Stevens took some stick for casting an unknown as Anne, but his decision paid off as Perkins is refreshingly unmannered in the role. Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten
March 13, 2003
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

The Anne Frank saga remains moving, personal, and relavant, no matter how distant we become in time. Full Review

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The Diary of Anne Frank Trivia

  • Name the 1959 movie about a young German girl hiding out in an attic with her family,who kept a journal.  Answer »
  • What film is the story of a 13 year old girl and her family that are forced into hiding by the Germans?  Answer »
  • Who portrayed Anne Frank [1980 version] in The Diary Of Anne Frank ?  Answer »
  • This is the final line of a 1959 movie that was the biography of a young girl..what is the name of the movie? ?In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.?  Answer »
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