So, if there's one thing I tell people while I watch movies, it's that I love history. So, I may be biased in the attempt to review the BBC's 2008 production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" Not only do I love history in itself, but I love World War Two history.
That being said, I will review this movie not only as a movie itself, but how historically accurate it is.
I chose the BBC's 2008 production because, the story is (relatively) the same in all the versions, and the BBC's production was the only one of instant netflix.
So, without further ado the BBC's 2008 production of "The Diary of Anne Frank"
The movie starts off with pictures of Anne Frank, and her family, or least who I assume to be her family, Anne Frank is a pretty recognized face, I don't remember what her mother and father look like.
July 6th Amsterdam, 1942.
It begins with actual words from her diary. Words that are also pretty recongized.
"Writing in a diary is pretty strange thing for someone like me...because in the future, nor I, nor anyone else will care about the writings of a 13 year old school girl." - Oh, how wrong she was.
Otto Frank tells Anne that the family is going into hiding, she can't even bring her cat into hiding, not only is it one more mouth to feed, but you can't have a cat running around while you're in hiding.
So, the family sets off to go into hiding in Otto Frank's office, Miep Geiss is helping hiding them, something I can't imagine doing.
They have to stay quiet until 12:30 at the lunch hour and after 5:00 when the men go home for they are hiding right above working men. It would be a little suspicious if there was noise in a warehouse that is normally empty, would it not?
Edith Frank, the mother has an emotional breakdown, as I think any mother would being in that situation, but Otto convinces her to stay strong for Anne and her sister Margo. The family begins sewing curtains so that noone can see them.
Margo has some sort of lung infection, as least that's what I assume from the amount of coughing. They can't call a doctor, for obvious reasons, but Miep's husband gets medicane for Margo, hopefully it shall help.
Miep's husband lowered a wall and fit a bookshelf against it, to make it look less obvious that there's a door there. Actually, that's pretty ingenious.
The Van Damm's are joining the Frank family in the secret annex. Except Peter, the son of the Van Damm's, who is Anne's age, has a cat. Anne shows Peter around the annex, and tries to make small talk, only Peter is less than keen to small talk, but I don't think I would be in this situation.
Anne and Margo begin having a conversation about Peter, and Anne calls him, what I assume in 1942 means "douchebag".
I have to say, so far this movie gets a 8/10, partly because the emotional changes are excellent.
I can't imagine what it's like not to be able to go outside. For years on end, just the few months in the winter where it's too cold to take the daycare kids outside is hell for me as a teacher, because of the pent up energy. My trival-ness (word?) is nothing compared to this.
In the middle of the night there are gunshots, which means a raid by the Nazi's. Anne instictvely runs to her father's bed for saftey.
However, for now their safe. Because as we all know how the story of the Frank family ends. :(
Another person is going to join, Mr. Dussell, the group is making a decision, and decide that he can stay in the annex, as they have room for one more person. The word around town is that the Frank family escaped to Switzerland, Dussell is very susprised to see him in the annex.
Anne hears from Mr. Dussell that 6,000 Jewish people have been taken, some even from insane asylums and that there is talk about mass sterilzation, Anne is mad at Miep for not telling her, but..I'm not sure if I would in Miep's position either, the Franks, the Van Damm's and Mr. Dussell have enough on their plates, they don't need to hear gory details of war unless totally necessary.
When Mr. Dussell arrives they have been in hiding for four long months. (I don't suppose this truly matters, but that way you can get a time frame).
So far, I find this movie to be very historically accurate. I'm impressed.
We skip ahead to life in the Annex in November of 1942.
Otto Frank's business is being sold and the new owner of the building is coming that afternoon to look it over, hopefully he doesn't look behind the bookcase. He doesn't.
Even though I know the story, I still really hope everytime that the Frank family lives, (well, Otto does....) maybe it's false hope for humanity, I don't know. But I do.
The Van Damm's get in Anne's case for being an intellictual, but what else is there to do in hiding other than reading?
We skip foward to Hannakuah in the Annex. They family has a nice celebration, until Otto and Peter find a smelly liquid seeping from the ceiling above. Turns out, Peter's cat peed on the floor above. That was a nice bit of comedic relief.
Mr Dussell recivees a letter, and begins to sob uncontrobally.
Miep meets Anne's teacher on the street one day and finds out that only four of her classmates are still "around". Miep didn't know which ones, to Anne's dismay.
Mr Dussell who is a dentist, beings working on Mrs Van Damm's mouth, pulling a tooth, I don't know if they had numbing meds back then, but Mrs Van Damm didn't have any, imagine that, I have to get a wisdom tooth pulled soon, and I don't think I could do it without getting novacaine, no way in hell.
It is now June of 1943 and Anne's 14th birthday. The most imporant thing she recieves is a bar of chocolate, something I'd imagine she hasn't had in forever.
Miep gives her a pair of heels that her niece has outgrown. Actually, they're cute shoes.
Anne has started her period, she's had it 3 times now, and doesn't understand the urges to masturbate as completly natural. I don't think that scene was exactly needed, but I think it showed a lot about Anne and how 14 year old girls think, even 14 year old girls in hiding.
The Van Damm's money is running out, Mr Van Damm tries to sell Mrs Van Damm's fur coat, but she refuses to let it be sold, and tries to convince Peter to sell his bike, as it's forbidden that Jewish people ride bikes, let alone, where is he going to ride it in hiding? I don't think they ended up selling anything. Anne overhears them arguing over the coat and the bike and peers in, Mrs Van Damm yells at her for not staying in her room.
Emotions are running thin. But of course, it is 1943, and as we all know, this story only goes until 1945.
Anne reveals to the diary that she thinks she is falling in love with Peter, who at the beginning of the movie, she hated.
There is a loud breaking of glass from downstairs. Turns out, it was Miep's husband, Peter's job is to unbolt the doors at morning and night so that Miep and her husband can get in, well, he forgot and he had to bust a window to get it, that means people will think there has been a breakin, and call the police.
Peter lightly kisses Anne on the cheek, and then romantically kisses her on the lips, but she pulls away out of fear and runs to her room, and like any kid does, she hides under the covers.
Anne finds Mr Dussell crying uncontrolablly in his bed, but decides it's best to let it be.
Anne and Peter have been spending a lot of time in the attic together, Mrs Van Damm suggests they have ben doing sexual things, but Edith Frank knows her daughter better than that, even if she can't express it.
Edith kisses her daughter goodnight, and tells her to be careful around Peter, for he is younger than his age in many ways.
The two of the them have the first heartfelt conversation the entire movie, but it is ennded quickly by what sounds like more air raids.
Anne asks Margo if she minds her dating Peter, Margo doesn't, she has never thought of him "like that" but she wishes Anne would have told her, for they used to tell each other everything.
Otto tries to have the same conversation with Anne that Edith did, only to more success. Anne feels Otto, and has felt since the beginning of the movie, that her father is Superman and her mother is a dimwit. Why? It never says, could just be because she's a teenager, I'm not sure I much liked my mother when I was 14.
Margo runs into the room and tells Anne that someone has tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler, which as everyone knows, doesn't work. Anne writes a very mean letter to her parents explaining that she is her own person, and doesn't need them, she is going to spend time with Peter whether they like it or not, and there's nothing they can do.
Yep, sounds like teenage angst to me.
It was now May of 1944. There is another loud glass break from downstairs, only this time it is the middle of the night, so everyone knows it is not Miep's husband.
It's bugalars. Otto and Peter go downstairs to check, Peter carries a hammer. The robbers may have spotted the two men, for the door is shutting as they arrive downstairs. Everyone rushes to the bedroom, full of fright, another scene where the emotional changes are excellent. Mrs Van Damm gets up from her seat, moves to a corner in the room.
Miep's husband tells everyone that the robbers found nothing in the warehouse, but they stole things from the offices, including food coupons. Mrs Van Damm tells how she wishes teh police would find them, because then they'd be put out of their misery.
Anne tells Peter, while the two of them are in the attic that she doesn't understand why there is one law for Christians and another one for Jewish people, he replies by telling her "Your hair looks nice".
Otto Frank gives Anne a briefcase to keep her diary in, so that she can, to the best of her ability "lock it up".
Anne wonders if she will ever write something great. She may have only written one thing, but it's as great as it gets. Anne's great dream at the beginning of the movie was to be a movie star, with 10 minutes left, she admits her new dream is to be a writer, Margo wants to train as a midwife and go to Palenstein.
Margo finally has an emotional breakdown, telling Anne how she "forces" her to keep the peace. There's a lot on Margo's shoulders as the bigger sister.
The families know that the war will soon be drawing to a close. The waiting is getting more unbearble by the second.
Miep's husband got 8 crates of Strawberries at a produce auction, they are making them into jam, but eating even more.
The police find the annex, and capture the families.
Otto admits that they have been hiding for 2 years and the police looked shocked, they all have 5 minutes to pack a bag.
Peter Van Daan - Died in Mauthauseen Camp May 1945
Petronella Van Daan - died in transit to Theresienstadt Camp April 1945
Hermann van Daan - died in Auschwitz camp November 1944
Albery Dussel - died in Neuengamme camp December 1944
Edith Frank - Died in Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp Janurary 1945
Otto Frank - Surivived Auschwitz dued August 1980
Margot Frank - died in Bergen-Belsen Camp March 1945
Anne Frank - died in Bergen-Belson camp March 1945
I don't know if in real life, Miep found the diary or not, but in the movie she does.
The end.
It's a dark tale, I don't think I've seen darker, and by seen...I mean, since I wasn't around in Hitler's time,(and I'm quite okay with that, even though I am not Jewish). Reading, watching movies and plays based on War World 2.
So, I give the movie itself a 9/10. It was very historically accurate, and the acting was very good, for such a difficult role. They seemed to know exactly how each person felt in real life, even though, they of course, wouldn't have known the Frank Van Daan's or Mr Dussel in real life.
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