Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3822 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-12
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1

From the Label
Academy Award® winner Ben Kingsley, Golden Globe winner Brenda Blethyn and Hannah Taylor Gordon star in the stirring tale of one of the most influential young women of the 20th century. Based on Melissa Müller's critically acclaimed book, ANNE FRANK goes beyond the story you already know and paints the true portrait of Anne both before and after she went into hiding. Get to know the high-spirited and popular girl before the war, and experience the challenges of the brave people who risked their lives trying to keep her safe. ANNE FRANK also explores the enduring mystery of who betrayed the Frank family and reveals what happened next.

Customer Reviews

One of the best adaptations of the life of Anne Frank
There have been quite a few film and television adaptations of Anne Frank's life and diary over the last 50 years, but none have come to be as realistic and as faithful to Anne's life as this made for TV drama made in 2001.
One of the good things about 'Anne Frank: The Whole Story' is that it is not just based on Anne's diary or the stage play created in the 1950s which many previous adaptations have been. As it has been based around a well researched biography by Mellisa Muller, it had the ability to explore other aspects of Anne Frank's short life rather than just focusing on the period documented by the world famous diary.
The film begins in 1939 when Anne Frank is only 10 years old. We then view her life from her carefree days before the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940 through to her untimely death in Bergen Belsen concentration camp in March 1945.
The concentration camp scenes towards the end of the film are extreamly emotional, but I feel it important to show these as it gives you a fuller picture of the horrors Anne and her family went through after they were arrested in the hiding place.
Although this film is the best adaptation I have seen so far, it does have it flaws in that it shows on camera who betrayed the families in hiding (Muller speculated it was the cleaner in the office) whereas in reality, we do not know if this is true.
Overall 'Anne Frank: The Whole Story' is a great film and an excellent introduction to Anne Frank and her diary.

Faultless performances.....
Having read the Diary of Anne Frank when I was younger and again recently I greatly looked forward to this DVD and am glad to say overall this is a touching and beautifully acted film, and far superior to the 1959 film adaptation.
The reason this did not get 5 stars from me is because I think the makers should have stuck to not pinpointing the person(s) who eventually revealed the Frank family in the secret annexe, they preferred to opt for the purely speculative version as proposed in the biography by Melissa Muller. This and other discrepancies led to the film not being endorsed by the Frank family and the Anne Frank Foundation and the use of the original diary being prohibited, so sadly you do not get a feel for Anne Frank's own words.
One minor grumble is that in an otherwise beautifully shot production, occasionally some scenes look a bit budget prone such as the beach scene near the beginning which surely could have been filmed on a real beach with a real sky rather than a studio!!!!!
I would still highly recommend this film as it does give a strong sense of the period and not only from a teenagers perspective. The concentration camp scenes are not overly graphic (hence the 12 certificate) so teenagers will also be able to appreciate the relevence and tragedy of the holocaust. Again, strong performances throughout, Hannah Taylor-Gordan as Anne rightfully deserved Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. But if you do decide to buy this, make sure you purchase the original diary as well for a complete perspective of Anne and her writing.

Let us never forget ...
This film has more of a TV drama feel to it, rather than that of a big budget production; however it is very effective in portraying the impact of the ideological evil of the nazis upon an ordinary family in Amsterdam during WW2.

With neo-nazi sycophants on the rise again in Germany (particularly in the old East Germany where there was even a recent news story of an Anne Frank book being publicly burned), this film should be compulsory viewing in schools.

Anne Frank's short life, and that of her family and friends, were devastated by the twisted actions of Nazi Germany. When Anne has to leave her beloved cat behind to go into hiding, she uses three words, in tears, that just about sum up the devastation that the Nazis wrought on ordinary families: "It isn't fair".

But this is also a tale of human endurance. The nazis were brutal evil thugs and everyone who suffered as a consequence of their depravity should be remembered. Let us not forget.