The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
(On Cable TV, December 2019) Let’s get the unpleasantness out of the way first: The Diary of Anne Frank is very, very long. Clocking in at three hours, it feels even more interminable by dint of almost taking place in a single location—this isn’t about a globe-spanning multi-decade story: this is about a group of people stuck in an attic for two years, and we start feeling the claustrophobia at times. This significant criticism put aside, it does remain an affecting film and a very effective portrayal of a classic book. While it condenses, dramatizes and bowdlerizes (according to what was known at the time and what the public could tolerate) the book, The Diary of Anne Frank remains an effective character study, and by the time it builds to the classic “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart,” there shouldn’t be a single dry eye left in the house. Even seen through the lenses of a 1950s movie, with its theatrical acting and carefully restrained emotions, it’s still an engrossing story. I would still like to see a much shorter version, but there’s nothing wrong in sticking close to the original text. Director George Stevens makes effective use of the elements at his disposal, and Millie Perkins sustains having the entire film depend on her as the title character. Long but worth the investment, The Diary of Anne Frank was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award and it’s not hard to see why.