The Diary of Anne Frank

 Diary of Anne Frank

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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. Oscars went to supporting actress Shelley Winters and cinematographer William C. Mellor. Hal Erickson

Annotation
Written with rare insight, humor and intimacy, this book is one of the classics of our time.

From the Publisher
For almost fifty years, Anne Frank's diary has moved millions with its testament to the human spirit's indestructibility, but readers have never seen the full text of this beloved book—until now. This new translation, performed by Winona Ryder, restores nearly one third of Anne's entries, excised by her father in previous editions, revealing her burgeoning sexuality, her stormy relationship with her mother, and more.

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From the Critics
From Eleanor Roosevelt  
This is one of the wisest and most moving commentaries on war and its impact on human beings that I have ever read.
 
From New York Herald Tribune  
It is a poignant, heartbreaking yet somehow heartwarming story, fresh with the dew of adolescence.
 
From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly  
This startling new edition of Dutch Jewish teenager Anne Frank's classic diary-written in an Amsterdam warehouse, where for two years she hid from the Nazis with her family and friends-contains approximately 30% more material than the original 1947 edition. It completely revises our understanding of one of the most moving and eloquent documents of the Holocaust. The Anne we meet here is much more sarcastic, rebellious and vulnerable than the sensitive diarist beloved by millions. She rages at her mother, Edith, smolders with jealous resentment toward her sister, Margot, and unleashes acid comments at her roommates. Expanded entries provide a fuller picture of the tensions and quarrels among the eight people in hiding. Anne, who died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945, three months before her 16th birthday, candidly discusses her awakening sexuality in entries that were omitted from the 1947 edition by her father, Otto, the only one of the eight to survive the death camps. He died in 1980. This crisp, stunning translation provides an unvarnished picture of life in the ``secret annex.'' In the end, Anne's teen angst pales beside her profound insights, her self-discovery and her unbroken faith in good triumphing over evil. Photos not seen by PW. (Mar.)
 
From Library Journal  
This new translation of Frank's famous diary includes material about her emerging sexuality and her relationship with her mother that was originally excised by Frank's father, the only family member to survive the Holocaust.
 
From Booknews  
**** A revision of this great document of WWII, considerably expanding the extraordinarily popular work originally published in 1947. A couple dozen entries have been added. Much of the '95 edition is based upon the b version written when Anne was about 15. The price suggests a very large royalty is due the Anne Frank Foundation, owner of all rights. In four months the book is in its sixth printing. Cited in BCL3. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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• Anne Frank (malvern)
• Anne Frank UNIT
• Anne Frank House
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