The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

My Review

“The Diary of Anne Frank” is the true story of a 13-year-old Jewish girl and her family hiding in an attic from the Nazi German soldiers for two years in the Netherlands. Director George Stevens (“Giant” 1956) put together this engrossing drama from the screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. It was adapted from their own 1955 book of the same name, and from Frank’s diary published in 1947.

The cast delivered outstanding performances including Millie Perkins as Anne Frank, Shelley Winters, Joseph Schildkraut, Richard Beymer, Lou Jacobi, Diane Baker, Ed Wynn, and Gusti Huber. The watchable black-and-white picture “The Diary of Anne Frank” was not successful at the box office for producer George Stevens and 20th Century Fox.

It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three: Best Supporting Actress (Winters), Best Cinematography/Black and White (William C. Mellor), and Best Art Direction. Non-winners include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Wynn), Best Costume Design, and Best Musical Scoring (Alfred Newman). It was filmed at the 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles, with some exterior shots in the Netherlands.