Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Memorable, crazy movie

Did you people see the same film I saw?

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Living around the corner of the Dutch Verzetsmuseum (Museum of the Resistance), a (now quite posh) neighborhood where Anne Frank was born and raised for 13 years, I've always had a special interest in the Anne Frank books, films, theater plays and literature.Many of you might not know that the Amsterdam Anne Frank Stichting has to approve (not license - it's a not-for-profit foundation against discrimination in general), on behalf of the Frank family, before any film or title about Anne can be commercially produced.Nevertheless, I've seen many grotesque movie adaptations - many of which portray Anne a bigger heroine than she actually was, often played by an actress twice her age (!!), i've been disappointed oftentimes.On a side note, I would have been happy to pay big money to've seen Natalie Portman in the theater adaptation she was supposedly in a few years ago.This now, "Anne Frank The Whole Story", is something else. It's a very beautiful film, first of all, despite shot in Prague, depicting Amsterdam in a true way, about Anne Frank - not so much relying on her diary - but her life and times beyond the "Achterhuis".I actually believed Hannah Taylor-Gordon, who is a joy to watch anyway, portraying the Anne Frank as I imagined her; happy and merry, steadfast, precocious and foremost just a plain dutch girl.Needless to say, Ben Kingsley is great, and so are the many other talents. But this actress, she stole the show for me, and because Anne's story appeals to so many people worldwide, this should be a cornerstone in her acting career.As this was largely a Czech/American production, I think it's time the Dutch start making a true-to-life version. After the Germans with the brilliant "Der Untergang" about Hitler in his bunker, I think the Dutch should have a go at this for dutch history so important lesson. If there's not enough money possibly a co-production. Because it's still rather ridiculous to hear all the characters speak with British and east-European accents.Plus as far as I can tell, the Netherlands have plenty of acting talent.Meanwhile, this one's a keeper until then. Highly recommended.

I have seen many of the Anne Frank movies and yet - none has ever felt as right as this one! Whoever reads Anne's diary will have the impression that she was - for her age - a normal, sometimes troubled teenager, full of dreams and ideas about her future. Anne never hesitated to note down her fears and frustrations in her diary. "Anne Frank: The Whole Story" shows this specific trade of her personality and differs - especially by this fact - from all prior movies on the subject who often idealized her. The actress portraying her demonstrates this ambiguity in Anne's character in a wonderful, natural way without making the girl seem dull or flat. The same is also true with the rest of the cast who do not only look much like the historical people but who also create the tone that can be found in Anne's diary. To me as a historian it is the small details that count: By shooting this film in and around the original Amsterdam house and sights, not only the "annex" seems realistic but also the whole film itself reaches a never-before-seen level of authenticity and gives the story a whole new quality. Last, and most important of all it seems, is the fact that the plot of this movie begins long before the Franks hid in the annex and ends with Anne's father Otto as the family's only concentration camp survivor who eventually decides to publish his daughter's diary. This has been left out by all the films before and is a good proof that the movie makers did their homework by going beyond the story portrayed in the book! Therefore the title "The whole story" is well chosen. I recommend this film to all people who have read the diary and who were disappointed by the other films. This is a must-see for all students and teachers of history!

Anne Frank: The Whole Story is a terrific movie. The actors and actresses looked so much like the real people. The girl who played Anne Frank looked exactly like her that it was scary. They all did a wonderful job playing the roles. sometimes i would actually think that i was in the Attics or i was in the concentration camps. that movie touched my teacher's heart so much that we took all month doing projects on the Holocaust. then at the end we watched the movie. Through most of the movie i cried because the movie is so intense and you feel like you are right there. Anyway, i wanted to say how great the movie was and if you have never seen it you really need to. it will make you appreciate your life so much more. i know it did for me! To all of the people who put their hearts in you did a great job great job. you touched my heart and many other people's hearts too. Good work.

CONTAINS SPOILERS!This is a story of a young girl called Anne Frank.She was born in Frankfurt, Germany but she moved with her family to Amsterdam, Netherlands in the 30's.They had to make this decision because in Germany there was a psychopath called Adolf Hitler in power and the Franks happened to be Jews.They were living a normal life in Holland at first.In 1939 Hitler started the second world war and in the early 40's the Nazis made also the lives of Dutch Jews very hard.Anne received a diary for her 13th birthday which became very important to her.In July of 1942 the lives of the Franks changed radically after they had to go hiding.That's because the Nazis wanted their daughter, Margot.The hiding place was at Princengracht 263, in the middle of the town.Later they were joined by other people, as well.All the people of the secret annexe were; Otto Frank (Ben Kingsley), Edith Hollander-Frank (Tatjana Blacher), Anne Frank (Hannah Taylor-Gordon), Margot Frank (Jessica Manley), Hermann van Pels (Joachim Krol), Auguste Rottgen-van Pels (Brenda Blethyn), Peter van Pels (Nicholas Audsley) and Fritz Pfeffer (Jan Niklas).Of course they needed some Christian friends from outside.These good people were; Miep Gies (Lili Taylor), Jan Gies (Rob Das), Victor Kugler (Peter Bolhuis) Johannes Kleiman (Johannes Silberschneider) and Elisabeth 'Bep' Voskuijl (Ela Lehotska).Those eight hiders were forced to be hiding for over two years.They didn't have any chance to go out.Anne just waited for the time when the war would be over and she could go out in the nature.She really loved the nature.They had all kind of dreams what they would do after the war.Anne wanted to be a writer.And we all know now that she was a very talented writer.But she never had a chance to be what she wanted to be. All those people had was hope.They couldn't do anything but wait and hope.June 6th in 1944 was the day of the D-Day.After that day they got more hope.Finally they had some faith for the future.Maybe the girls and Peter will go back to school on Fall.But that never happened.On August 4th the Gestapo came and took them to the concentration camp.Only Otto Frank came back.This year it will be 60 years since that horrible day.Who was the idiot that told them about the hiding place? Was it the cleaning lady that was said in this film? That we may not ever know for sure.Anne Frank:The Whole Story (2001) is a movie with a brilliant cast.Ben Kingsley's role work as Otto is really something to remember.This 60-year old actor has done some memorable roles earlier, like in Schindler's List.Tatjana Blacher is very good as Edith.Joachim Król and Brenda Blethyn are terrific as Hermann and Auguste van Pels.Jan Niklas is brilliant as Fritz Pfeffer.Lili Taylor is great as Miep Gies.And so is Rob Das as Jan Gies.Peter Bolhuis is excellent as Victor Kugler.Johannes Silberschneider is superb as Johannes Kleiman.I especially have to give credit to the young actors.Hannah Taylor-Gordon as Anne is just amazing.She's very beautiful and very talented, just like Anne Frank.I really hope success for this 16-year old actress. I can tell the same about Jessica Manley who plays Margot.Nick Audsley does magnificent job as Peter.Anne's friends are played by Victoria Anne Brown as Jacque van Maarsen, Michaela Horakova as Sanne Ledermann and Jade Williams as Hannah Goslar.They're all really great.This movie is a very realistic portrait of what happened.Sometimes it feels like you're watching the actual events.Like you're going through all those things with Anne.You laugh when Anne laughs, you cry when Anne cries.During that time in hiding Anne found someone she could share her feelings with.That boy was Peter van Pels.In the movie their relationship is portrayed very beautifully.It also has the most beautiful music, kind of music that brings tears to your eyes. This isn't a movie you can watch as entertainment.You can't just take a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the show.These people were real.They had to suffer because they were Jewish and so did millions of others.Nobody should die for the sake of the religion or race they represent.We should all just pray that nothing like that will ever happen again.If only it was just a bad dream. The latter part of the movie is pretty painful to watch.Watching Anne and her sister suffer in the cold camp, it just makes you wonder how cruel people can be.There are parts where you can't do nothing but cry. Tears fill your eyes when Anne is separated from Pim, her father, as she used to call him.All you can ask is why.Thank God all the people aren't such monsters.Miep Gies is one of those people.She did everything she could to help her Jewish friends.She has a heart of gold and I would like to thank her and give her a big hug for what she did.Next month this amazing woman will turn 95 years.Congratulations Miep! If there were more people like you, this world would be a much better place to live.This movie is based on Melissa Muller's book Anne Frank:The Biography.It's good if you have read it before seeing the movie.Even more important is that you have read The Diary of a Young Girl.That book makes you understand who Anne Frank really was.I also recommend Miep's book Anne Frank Remembered.This program wasn't sanctioned by Anne's first cousin Buddy Elias, apparently because they showed Anne and the others in the concentration camp.It wasn't easy to watch that, and maybe they should have left that out.They weren't allowed to use Anne's text from the diary in this program.Steven Spielberg was to be the executive producer, but declined after Anne's relatives asked him not to be involved in this project since it's not based on the authorized account of Frank's life.This year, on June 12th, Anne would turn 75.She was forced to leave this Earth way too soon.But she will live on in her diary.