THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK illustrates how hope, humour and courage can survive in such horrifying circumstances.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1594 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-01-12
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 145 minutes

Synopsis
This five-part BBC drama presents an intimate portrayal of the tragically short life of Anne Frank and her family. Anne's diary was first published over fifty years ago and is the very moving account of a young girl in hiding from the Nazis during the years from 1942 to 1944. THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK pieces together the fascinating and emotive details of her life and times and illustrates how hope, humour and courage can survive in such horrifying circumstances.

---

Customer Reviews

Outstanding!!

I was lucky enough to see an early version of this and being such a fan of previous adaptations this one simply blows them all out of the water.

This is the kind of drama that the BBC seems to do best, and being able to actual shoot scenes around Anne's actual house in Amsterdam made it all the more authentic. The performances are exceptionally good especially Ellie Kendrick who gives an honest portayal of the central character and Iain Glen & Tasmin Grieg as her parents.

I'll certainly be buying this DVD when it's released

Wonderfully spirited yet deeply moving
After the first episode of this I began to look forward to it every night. I've read The Diary of a Young Girl several times over the years and each time I was surprised again by the intelligence, insight and sparkling humour of such a young woman in such difficult circumstances. I was really hoping that this new dramatisation would reflect that, and I wasn't disappointed.

Ellie Kendrick's portrayal of Anne was brilliant - certainly worth an award or two - and the ensemble cast around her very much fitted how I had imagined her family and the Van Daans from her descriptions. The humour and the happiness was inspiring and uplifting, whilst at the same time the adaptation doesn't shy away from the terror of the situation. The bombing going on around the house was well done - and something I hadn't really been able to imagine in reading the book - and the grittier scenes were skilfully handled (Mrs Van Daan's nervous stomach when the burglars are in the house was hideously realistic).

If this dramatisation connects more young people to Anne's diary and provides a sparkling and lively viewing experience, yet also inspires a few people to go out and learn more about the atrocities that took the lives of the Franks and so many more besides, then it has done an admirable job.

Excellent
I remember seeing the 1959 film of this when I was at school, which eventually led to me reading the book. As I find the whole story fascinating I couldn't wait to see what this production was going to be like. I must admit that I was bowled over, the acting is excellent, especially by Ellie Kendrick who plays Anne Frank.

The script was written by Deborah Moggach who did the last film version of Pride and Prejudice, and she has obviously taken a lot of care over this. I think that everyone must know the story of Anne Frank, family and friends being secreted above business premises in Holland during the Second World War. If you have never read the book I would wholeheartedy recommend it, I currently have the definitive version The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition.

What has made Anne Frank so popular isn't so much the war, if that was all there was to it only historians and people interested in that period would read it. The dynamics of so many people being in close proximity helps to give the diary more interest, but ultimately it's the opinions and comments of a girl that is going through adolescense that has really gripped people, and meant that it has been read by so many people of different ages. After all I think that probably the bible is the only book that has outsold this (bad luck JK Rowling).

Obviously not everything in the diary can be included that is why I suggest reading the book. As we all know Anne Frank died in Belsen about a fortnight before that camp was liberated, and so alas she had no idea of the legacy that she has left behind. If you want to know about conditions in Belsen then I would suggest the brilliant drama The Relief Of Belsen [2007], but be warned it is pretty harrowing. Also those people who helped keep Anne Frank etc. safe, and the others like them throughout Europe should never be forgotten for their selfless bravery, after all they faced death for what they did.