Anne Frank Remembered

Starring: Kenneth Branagh (voice), Glenn Close (voice), Miep Gies, Isa Baschwitz, Mary Bos, Peter Pepper, Joely Richardson (voice)
Directed by: Jon Blair
Rating: PG
Genre: Documentary
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Examines the life and death of Anne Frank, whose peaceful childhood was destroyed during World War II.

Review:

Tim: I feel very lucky that this Academy Award winning (Best Documentary) film exists. Yes, we have had dozens and dozens of movies about World War II over the years- many fictional, but quite a few documentaries, too. That's good. That war and the atrocities committed by the Nazis should never leave our collective cultural consciousness. We can't deny or forget about that great evil that swept Europe in the 1940s. Anne Frank plays a vital role in that. The movie calls her perhaps the most famous victim of the Holocaust. She represents so much for so many- a small piece of what was lost during Hitler's evil reign. This movie explores Anne Frank's life and ultimate death in a beautiful, poignant way. I obviously learned about Frank in school, but there was so much I didn't know.

First off, she likely pronounced her name "Anna"... Americanized schools let me down yet again. The documentary fills in so many of the gaps- we learn more about her personality before this tragedy started (energetic, charismatic, a troublemaker, strong-willed, introspective). We learn about her close connection to her father, her conflicts with her mother. We learn about her older sister, Margot who was much more of a rule-follower than the younger Anne. Learning about this historical figure, especially in stories told by her actual friends, we learn that she was just a normal girl. Sure, she had a spark that suggested she might have done immense good in the world, could have potentially had a long and successful career as a journalist or a writer, for example. But, in her early teens, she was just a normal kid. Unfortunately, she was thrust into extraordinary circumstances. We learn about her two years in hiding, the monotony and the the fear experienced on a daily basis. We learn a bit about her betrayal by some unknown person or persons. And, what my history class failed to teach me- we learn some about her time in the concentration camps. It's a well-known fact that Anne Frank died in these camps, but I knew nothing about her experience. We learn snippets from those who were with her and survived. The whole thing is a tragedy- there's nothing fun about this movie. But, director Jon Blair captures this information about Frank and preserves it for all-time through this film. I felt so thankful for that.

As far as the movie itself, it's very well-made. I liked it a lot and it informed greatly about Frank's life. I wouldn't quite call it a great movie, though. It's an important movie- a movie that should be preserved because of the importance of its subject matter. However, I felt like the movie itself just missed out on greatness. The whole movie is obviously somber- that tone was clearly needed given the subject matter. However, this tone plus the fact that most of the movie is hearing these firsthand accounts- stunning stuff- but it's mostly (at this point) old women reminiscing. They all do a fantastic job of remembering details, but after almost two hours of this, it ends up feeling like a lot. Blair had a tough job- and you can tell certain points in the interviews where he helps them with a word in English or gently nudges them where they need to go. I think he knew that as valuable as their testimony was, it's not always the most riveting cinema. Still, this isn't anyone's fault, it's the reality of interviewing witnesses decades and decades later, asking them to recall the worst, most brutal times of their lives. The movie wisely prioritizes capturing their testimony verses entertainment. However, it does just drop the movie below the "great" threshold.

Quick note- the movie is certainly helped by impressive narration by Kenneth Branagh, and hearing Glenn Close reading from Anne's diary. Small things, but getting two well-spoken, talented, experienced actors to speak for this film does make a difference.

That being said, the importance of this movie is off-the-charts. It takes a famous historical figure that we all learned about and helps us see her in three dimensions. She was a young girl who had her life tragically cut short- but her writing was her legacy. She offered the world insight into this terrible experience and allowed us to get to know her mind, just a little. Anne Frank Remembered is a thoroughly impressive and essential film and it doesn't surprise me at all that it won Best Documentary. Everyone should see this film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Long Way Home, When We Were Kings