There have been some anne frank movies that is much more detailed and better than this one but still it was only 1959 and i say it was pritty good. There is some iffy content like: VILONCE: some images of places being bomed and jews being captured by the nazies. And the ending is very sad, scary and tragic. SEX: Anne and petter flirt with eachother and evetually kiss. They also talk about relationships and who likes who. LANGUAGE: very brief like "you clumsy fool" and "shut up". DRINKING AND SMOKING: Mr. van dann smokes cigaretts and recieves a cigarett as a present from Anne. Also most of the adults drink wine. There may be some issues but on the bright side Anne is a good rolemodel who tries to make the best out every bad situation. And the good messages is that the Frank family hepled others hide with them so they wouldent get caught by the nazies.
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Poignant adaptation is still powerful 50+ years later.
Themes in this movie include: family relationships, growing up, loss
updated 10.23.09
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12 and Up
The good stuff
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What Parents Need to Know
This review of The Diary of Anne Frank was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Parents need to know that this Holocaust drama, while not explicitly violent, explores some mature themes about WWII, captivity, and self-preservation, religious persecution, and perseverance. Although many kids have read (or at least heard about) Anne Frank by the time they're in middle school, the movie based on her diary includes some tense and potentially frightening scenes of what life was like for Jews in hiding. Those hiding in the annex bicker, have nightmares, and in the case of Mr. Van Daan, even steal food from each other. There are a couple of disturbing images of armed Nazis and rounded-up Jews, as well as a general sense of foreboding as the Franks and their friends await their inevitable capture. Although the issue of sexuality is rather chaste, Anne and Peter do flirt, share a few stolen kisses, and give each other several longing looks. Ultimately, Anne Frank remains a beacon of hope, an eternal optimist amidst the most horrifying of circumstances.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the Holocaust, and how this movie raises issues about the way that families work together (or don't) in times of stress.
- How could Anne Frank make her famous statement: "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart" in the face of her family's unthinkably difficult situation? Was she being naive, or was she profound beyond her years?
- In what ways is the Holocaust depicted differently in this Diary of Anne Frank adaptation than in other similarly themed movies?
- Does the lack of overt violence make the Holocaust seem any less evil or frightening?
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More on The Diary of Anne Frank
What’s the Story?
This 1959 film adaptation of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK chronicles the the two years a Jewish teen named Anne Frank (Millie Perkins) and her family spent hiding from Nazis in their Amsterdam textile factory's secret annex. The Franks (Anne, her parents, and her older sister Margot) are sequestered in the small loft with another Jewish family, Mr. And Mrs. Van Daan (Shelley Winters and Lou Jacobi), their teenage son, Peter (Richard Beymer), and later an older dentist, Mr. Dussell. All the while, Anne keeps a running commentary in her diary. Since the Franks' factory is directly below them, the inhabitants of the annex must spend all day in complete silence, lest they inadvertently tip off one of the workers and lure the Gestapo. Two Gentile office managers, Miep and Kraler, routinely visit with news about the war and food rations, but most of the movie follows the small daily horrors of living in constant fear and in close quarters. As Anne goes from an awkward 13-year-old to a mature 15-year-old, her relationship with the slightly older Peter develops into a romance, despite the fact that their shared confinement offers little privacy. As anyone who's read the diary knows, the Franks are eventually betrayed, and the hiding place is besieged by Nazis.
Is It Any Good?
Although a Pulitzer-Prize-winning play preceded it, director George Stevens's The Diary of Anne Frank is the earliest filmed version of the biographical work, and the standard for the many miniseries and plays that have followed in the past five decades. Fifty years later, the movie is still a powerful, touching drama. There's an appropriate balance of foreboding, inter-personal drama, and even humor. Upbeat scenes in which Anne gives out small homemade Hanukkah gifts or prances around wearing Mrs. Van Daan's beloved mink coat contrast beautifully with more haunting images of the confined trying desperately not to make noise as an unexpected thief trashes the office below or of Anne's nightmares of what's happened to her captured, concentration camp-bound friends. Excerpts from the diary are mixed in with the original dialogue, which captures the way domestic minutia can easily turn into heated drama under the emotionally charged circumstances.
At 180 minutes, the movie runs at least 30 minutes too long, and it seems now that Millie Perkins was miscast for the seminal role. Looking like a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Natalie Wood, Perkins is almost too beautiful to play Anne, and her sing-songy tones make her sound more pouty and melodramatic than precocious. Perkins does have a believable chemistry with Beymer (Tony from West Side Story), who does an impressive job of darting furtive, smoldering glances at Anne throughout the movie. Winters and Jacobi are spot-on as the meddling, tactless Van Daans -- especially Winters, who knows how to steal a scene. Unlike some of the more contemporary television versions, this original is so much more than a glorified after-school special; it's a poignant drama about possibly the most inspiring diarist of the 20th century.
Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox, Director: George Stevens
Run time: 180 minutes
Theatrical release: 1/1/1959, DVD release: 2/3/2004
MPAA Rating: NR
Run time: 180 minutes
Theatrical release: 1/1/1959, DVD release: 2/3/2004
MPAA Rating: NR
Our Members Say
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Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
an ok movie
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
sad
sense it is about the holocoast it IS GOING TO BE SAD!!!!!!!! and YES it WILL be TO MUCH for YOUNGER KIDS AND SOME 11 YEAR OLDS.
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Sad
This is a great movie that tells the story of Anne Frank up until the point she was captured. It is one of the few movies that have actually almost made me cry. Younger kids who don't know much about the holocaust may have a hard time understanding the movie. I think everyone should see this classic.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
I cried!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Every person should see this movie
I watched this in class and thought it was an amazing movie. I almost cried at the end of it, although I didn't because I was in class. It is a bit long, but older kids won't mind that. Kids 10 and under might not fully understand what is going on unless it is explained. Have a discussion about the Holocaust before watching.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Anne Frank...
Teh movie kinda strays from teh book. An ok movie, a must-see for all history enthusiasts and students studying WWII and Anne Frank. A classic.
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