The Diary of Anne Frank

Anne Frank is thirteen and receives her diary on her birthday. The family had moved from Germany to Amsterdam; now they are not safe there either. They hide in a concealed section behind her father's business premises. Another family is with them and one more person joins later; eight people stay in the same place for two years. Making noise during the day is forbidden, the windows stay shut, and nobody goes out. Anne writes. She does not get on with her mother, is attached to her father, and grows closer to Peter, who is in the same house. Then there is a knock at the door. Hans Steinbichler directs. Lea van Acken plays Anne, Martina Gedeck her mother and Ulrich Noethen her father. It is a German production. It was announced as the first major adaptation of Anne Frank's diary made in Germany. The adaptation rests on the unabridged version of the diary; passages removed in earlier adaptations are included here. The narrative shows Anne as an adolescent rather than a symbol; difficult, curious and at times unfair. The film builds the hidden annexe in detail and the space works by narrowing. The narrative does not show the camp sections; it closes on a text. Lea van Acken's performance carries the picture and in some sections she speaks straight to camera. Its limit is structure; the narrative follows a known story and brings no new view. Who it is for: viewers who like historical drama and adaptations of diaries. Who it is not for: the subject is heavy, the ending known, and the narrative confined to one space.