The Diary of Anne Frank
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: B
Film: B+
Believe it or not there
have been three TV versions of the Diary
of Anne Frank starting in 1967 and then again in 1980, and 1987, but all
versions are inferior to George Stevens' 1959 film. This would be the biggest production of the
story of a young Jewish girl who hid from the Nazi’s in Amsterdam, not to
mention one of the longest versions running nearly three hours!
George Stevens at this
point of his career was one of the most established of the sound film directors
working through the 30’s on a number of films and then doing Woman of the Year (1942), A Place in the Sun (1951), and Giant (1956). His risk for The Diary of Anne Frank came with his casting of the young model Millie
Perkins, who he was convinced, could act even if it were just for this one
film. Her work here pulled off just fine
despite going on to do mostly B-pictures and George Stevens would only make a
handful of films later, but The Diary of
Anne Frank would be one of the biggest pictures of the year including
Shelley Winters Oscar winning performance as Mrs.
Petronella Van Daan.
Fox has issued the film as part of its Studio Classics
series releasing the film in its entire 180-minute runtime with the original
2.35 X 1 scope transfer. The print looks
good, but I doubt that it is from the original camera negative. If it is, than that print has some damage to
it, mostly excess grain. The transfer is
virtually clean, but softness does appear along with the grain, which can be
quite noticeable on larger TV sets. It
is anamorphically enhanced, however. The
Oscar winning camera work still shines through by cinematographer William C.
Mellor, who knew how to effectively use scope even with black and white. The restoration on the film still looks better
than the 12” LaserDisc, which also included the Overture, Intermission, and
Exit Music. These were quite traditional
in the ‘roadshow’ version, which ran 170-minutes.
The Dolby
Digital Stereo is pretty basic giving some dimension to the film, despite its
age. Obviously this is an older more
flat type of sound design, which offers very little outside of dialogue. The music comes through with a fair amount of
fidelity, but can become harsh when played back at higher volumes.
The extras for
this release are plentiful including a commentary that runs the entire length
of the film on side one and the rest of the extras on the other side. There is a full-length documentary called Echoes From the Past, which is the most
informative of all the supplements.
There is also an excerpt from the documentary George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey, which was put together by
Steven’s son. His son is also featured
on the commentary track along with actress Millie Perkins. There are also some tidbit extras like screen
tests, newsreel footage, and other various programs to entertain.
This is easily
one of those stories that people fall in love with and want to enjoy over and
over, which is exactly why its release onto DVD makes for a good buy. The extras will delight any fan, but those
new to this film altogether might find it trite, lengthy, and a little too
bittersweet.
- Nate Goss
