The Diary of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank (Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank)

Movie · 2016 · 13 people

The personal development of Anne Frank, the Jewish girl the Nazis murdered in the Bergen-Belsen camp, is the focus of Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank), a 2016 German literary adaptation of her world-famous diary. Hans Steinbichler directed from a screenplay by Fred Breinersdorfer, and the film runs about two hours and eight minutes.

The film follows the young Anne through her years in hiding with her family in Amsterdam, under the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Lea van Acken plays Anne, with Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Noethen and Stella Kunkat leading the supporting cast, alongside Margarita Broich, André Jung, Leonard Carow, Arthur Klemt and Jamie Bick. It looks at the personal development of a girl growing up in hiding rather than at the broad historical picture.

The world premiere took place on 16 February 2016 in a special presentation for young people at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. It reached German and Austrian cinemas on 3 March 2016 through Universal Pictures International. At the 89th Academy Awards it was one of eight films that could have become Germany's Best Foreign Language Film entry, but it was not chosen. Reviews were mostly positive, with van Acken's performance praised most.

DirectorHans Steinbichler

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Jamie Bick Jamie Bick Actor · 26 years old Lea van Acken Martina Gedeck Ulrich Noethen Stella Kunkat Margarita Broich André Jung Leonard Carow Arthur Klemt Gerti Drassl Stephan Schad Florian Teichtmeister Michael A. Grimm

Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

What sets this 2016 German adaptation of the world-famous diary apart is that it moves the broad historical picture into the background and focuses on the personal growth of a girl coming of age in hiding. That choice lets us see more closely the pressure on a family living in a cramped space in Amsterdam under Nazi occupation. That it is a German production is meaningful in its own right, as part of facing the past. For young viewers who lack the historical context, though, the narrow focus may fall short of conveying the scale of events, so it is worth pairing the film with some history at school or at home.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Hans Steinbichler and screenwriter Fred Breinersdorfer face one of literary adaptation's hardest problems: turning an inward-looking diary into a drama watched from outside. The film solves it by putting Anne's personal growth at the centre, and it is no surprise that Lea van Acken's performance is its most praised element; the story rightly rests on her shoulders. In my view the weak point is that the confinement of the hiding place pushes the narrative into repetition over a long running time, and the dramatic structure relies on an accumulation of moods more than on clear turning points. A measured, respectful adaptation, but formally too cautious.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

A film you can watch with teenagers, but not a light one. Its world premiere was a special screening for young people, which shows it was made with young viewers in mind. The subject is Nazi persecution and life in hiding, and the bitter end of the real story is well known. It is too heavy for small children. For middle and high school students, it is a valuable chance to watch together and talk afterwards.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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