The Diary of Anne Frank

This version of The Diary Of Anne Frank is absolutely brilliant and of course *very* sad too, especially as I am Jewish, myself. Melissa Gilbert is great as Anne Frank as are rest of the cast, including Maximilian Schell, who played Otto Frank and Scott Jacoby, who played Pete Van. The Diary Of Anne Frank is highly recommended to anyone of any age, as is the book, which I'm sure most people have read by now.

~ Anne Frank 1929-1945 ~

"We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same." - Anne Frank.

I saw this on television when I was in the 7th grade and at the time knew absolutely NOTHING about the Holocaust. Yes, Melissa Gilbert's Anne is real perky, the whole movie is, well, a little perky, which only STUNNED the 12 year-old me when I found out these people were MURDERED. This shock got me very interested in this period of time. I believe this is an excellent introduction to a terrible and interesting and sad chapter in human history.

The Diary of Anne Frank (1980) was an interesting made-for-t.v.-movie that I saw when our class was studying the Diary of Anne Frank in middle school. The production values were good and the acting was pretty solid for a t.v. movie. I was impressed by the acting of Melissa Gilbert. It was a lot better than I expected. I was used to her whiny performance on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE and other made-for-t.v.-films. Maximillian Schell was perfect as her father. The only thing that I didn't like was how short the film was. I wished it could have been longer. We barely got to know the characters. Their performances seemed rushed. Other than that nitpick, it was great all around.

Highly recommended.

Same thing happened with the 1979 TV adaptation of "The Miracle Worker" - the too-tall, too-old Gilbert got to play Helen in that very sunny, CA adaptation funded by her production company (Hint: see the superior 1962 film instead). For this one, Gilbert is too perky & too American as Anne. Also annoying - Doris Roberts as Mrs. van Damm. Clive Reville I had not seen since on the screen he played Fagin in the 1968 film "Oliver." Joan Plowright & Maximillian Schell are the best of the cast, but this adaptation is still too bright & sunny. Better to stick with the 1959 film version.

Rarely have I seen a work of literature translated so badly to the screen. The hysterical cast of b-movie and sitcom extras simply make the characters seem like bad Jewish stereotypes. The worst of all is Melissa Gilbert, who you hate from scene one and never develop any sympathy for. Performances like this should be noted and used against actors who wish to work again. All in all, a seedy, low-budget made-for-TV film of the sort that gives made-for-TV films a bad name.