I had read the book as a child and was swept up in the depiction of lives lived hidden away in the attic of a factory in Amsterdam, the strong true voice of Anne in her diaries capturing a world of imprisonment, the only crime being that of the wrong religion. Anne's spirit is never quenched as she experiences all the trial and tribulations of burgeoning adolescence, difficulty with her mother and a slow falling in love with a teenage boy, Peter, who shares her quarters.
The book was made into a successful play and then transfered to the screen where it was shortened considerably from the original. And that is where I saw it first, on the screen, but the shorter version, not being aware of the original length.
The cast are amazing, particularly Millie Perkins, who was the least experienced of all the cast and has to be in almost every scene. She candidly shared her experience of the six months' filming when the cast was virtually in captivity and mentioned in passing that the most difficult time she had was not surprisingly with the director, George Stevens, who was extremely supportive but rather with Joseph Schildkraut, who plays Otto Frank, her father in it. He made her life hell on set and never let her forget she was totally inexperienced, unlike the rest of them, in the way of acting. I'm mentioning this as not an inkling of this tension comes across on screen, and Millie has to share a lot of loving scenes with Joseph. Only a gifted actress could overcome her distaste for the man and perform as she did.
The expanded version of the movie is remarkable. It engenders a claustrophobic feeling in the viewer and an overwhelming sadness, knowing that none of these characters, apart from Otto, will survive the madness of the camps.
Anne's positive spirit drenches every scene, she believes in the intrinsic goodness of everyone in spite of everything.
Shelley, as Peter's mother, deserved her Oscar, she conveys her unhappy marriage, her reliance on the material, her love for her son, so well. Diane Baker, as Margot, Anne's sister, hands in a great performance as does the above mentioned Joseph. Ed Wynn, breaking type, plays Dussell the dentist as an irritating busybody.
In the way of the Oscars, so many superb movies fail to attain the best picture of the year. This is one of them. That year, the best picture Oscar went to Ben Hur. This is a far superior movie.
9 out of 10. Superb, especially in the restored length. Not to be missed. B&W at its finest.
