Review of The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) by Michael G — 13 Jun 2007

I remember watching this in my 8th grade English class and liking the fact that it took a whole week for us to watch--thus getting out of any homework. Almost 20 years later I really didn't have as much enthusiasm.

I know you've got to drag a story like this out as long as you possibly can to convey the claustrophobia of the characters, but that walks a fine line between Stir-Crazy and Bored Shitless. It's obviously a horrific tale--if the possibility of Nazis busting your door down and dragging you off to a concentration camp doesn't scare you, the thought of living with your family in an attic and not being able to leave for two years should.

In the end, it's well done and not to take away from what these people endured and eventually suffered through, but I'd recommend The Pianist or Schindler's List first.