The Diary of Anne Frank, 1959 - Movie Analysis Essay Sample

The movie, Diary of Anne Frank is adapted and is based on Anne Franks diary. In the journal, it is noted that on Annes 13th birthday, her parents were responsible for giving Anne Frank a journal. The movie indicates that Anne was highly excited about the gift that her parents gave her simply because she needed something or someone that she could confide in and tell or write all of her secrets and thoughts. Therefore, here comes a diary which fits all her requirements and desires. The social life of Anne Frank was a highly generous kind of life. The type of social life that she was experiencing was not befitting and making her comfortable as she always felt that she was always misunderstood by everyone and individuals that she knew. Therefore, having the presence of a diary, Anne began writing and filling up her diary. The major things that she was writing about were her daily events, her thoughts, and ideas, the grades that she obtained while in school and also more information about boys. In the movie, it is important to note that within a month, the life of Anne had changed.

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The Anne Frank family started living in fear with their lives full of fearful events. The reason for much is that they were of Jewish origin, and they were living in German area occupied by Holland. Therefore, to explain the idea and the fear that they had, the family immediately went into hiding the moment Annes sister Margot was called up to face the authorities. The call meant that she was going to be sentenced to a detention camp, a camp that was concentrated. The place that they chose to hide in involved a small room and office place where their father was working and was protected by a wall which had a bookcase. In the diary, on Thursday, July 9th, 1942, Anne records by drawing the diagram of the office which plays a significant role in the explanation of the hiding place.

The family alongside with another family of Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan live in the secret hiding for two years. While in the room, Anne was able to grow her knowledge and political understanding si9nce the Franks family had a lot of reading materials. Real change happens to Anne when she begins hanging out with Peter Van Daan. In this event, she develops dreams about another Peter that she was in love with to the extent of getting the two Peters confused in her head. The movie explores to us how Anne becomes sensitive to the worlds suffering making her think that everybody hates her.

Movie information

The diary of Anne Frank is a movie that was released in the year 1959 on April 17th. The film was released in Netherlands as it has a setting from the same region. It is important to note that the running time for the movie is 3 hours which falls under the biography, drama and family genre. George Stevens is the director of the film with Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett as the screenplay writers. It stirred Millie Perkins acting as Anne Frank, Joseph Schildkraut acting as Otto Frank, Shelley Winters acting as Mrs. Petronella Van Dan and Richard Beymer who is acting as Peter Van Daan.

Analysis of the Movie

Literary devices used

Symbolism is one of the uses in the film. For example, Peter Schiff serves as a symbol of love and desire making Anne Frank pin all her imaginations of love on the boy. Consequently, another symbolism in the movie is when there is a talk about menstruation as Aunt Flo notes that getting your first period is a symbol of body change identifying the readiness of the body to be ready to baby make. Lastly, symbolism in the movie can be identified through the writing that Anne Frank was always doing. For example while in the secret annex, she expressed the desire to become immortal through the use of paper.

Thematic Analysis

Change is the central point theme of focus in the story. The change affects its self when there is a civil war in the region causing a racial rift as the Jewish are separated from other individuals like the Nazis. The movie focuses on change also when it explains the alteration of the body of Anne Frank from a young girl who matures into a young woman. Body changes such as the experience of menstruation is a major example of the theme change.

Setting

The early entries of the movie take place in Amsterdam, which is in Holland. Thus, the explanation is about the Jewish movements within the city which have a restriction due to the high German occupation. An example is the Jewish are not allowed to use public transportation in the city. Interestingly, the majority of the diary writings and events takes place in the secret hiding. A challenge of the secret hiding place is portrayed in that the families hiding in the room were always required to be enough especially during the working hours to avoid being identified.

Narrator's point of View

The narrator uses the first person perspective in the telling of the story. In this case, the narrator tells the story through the eyes and ideas of Anne Frank. Therefore, the film makes us see the happenings and the events that are taking place through the eyes and view of Anne Frank. Hence, as the audience, it makes us become part of the movie.

Tone and Audience

The tone of the film is an optimistic as well as a youthful tone as it shows how a thirteen-year-old girl was experiencing in her world. Thus, the tone is based on the ideas of a thirteen-year-old. There is optimism in the way Jewish are treated hoping that the situation will take a change.

The audience of the movie is human beings and individuals who are interested in the human rights of people. The video shows expressions on how certain groups of people are oppressed and racially segregated preventing equality among others. The reason for the film development by the directors is to try and explain the challenges that other racial individuals were facing in Germany, which was under the leadership of Adolf Hitler at that time. It helps in the historical event development and understanding of how difficult it was during this period through visual explanations.

The Whole Story, 2001

Introduction

The whole story is a movie that is in the form of a series version. It is a two-part mini-series that have a basing on the book titles, Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Muller. It is important to note that the miniseries was aired on the ABC television on 20th and 21st May in the year 2001. In the series, it is asserted that the betrayer who took part in the betraying of the Frank family was none other than the office cleaner. Interestingly, it should be noted that there has never been an establishment of the betrayers identity

Plot Summary

In the year 1939, Hannah Taylor Gordon who was acting as Anne Frank realizes that her world begins to change with the inclusion of everything about and around her. In the eventual outcome, the Nazis finally invades the Netherlands. Therefore, there is an increase in the distressing nature of the life of Anne because the outcomes are that her human rights are taken away from her. Furthermore, despite her rights being taken away, her family are undergoing a challenge and are being forced to be registered as Jews by the government. Another power and challenge that her family is facing is the fact that they would be required to be always wearing yellow stars. The oppression goes further, and Anne is forced to leave her original school to join the Jewish Lyceum. It is while at this Jewish Lyceum that she was privileged to meet her best friend Jacque van Maarsen. The racial background of Jacque is that she is only half Jewish. Furthermore, Anne meets Hello Silberg. She thus developed feelings and interests on Hello Silberg, which ends up to being a crush. In the movie, there is an implication that there is a reciprocation of the same feelings by Hello. It is during her thirteenth birthday that Anne is presented with a diary on which she immediately puts in a first entry while in her room.

While her sister is called to b deported, the whole family goes into hiding. It is while at the hiding room that Anne Frank gets her first period. It is also at this stage that Anne gets into a real kind of relationship which facilitates and prompts her to receive her first kiss. On August, in the year 1944, the custodian who was responsible for the cleaning of the building that houses the secret annex Lena Hartog denounces the Franks family. After the denouncing, all the eight people who had been hiding in the secret annex are arrested. The arrest leads to the dumping of Annes diary on the floor while the security service man was searching for hidden money from the occupants. Other two individuals who were helpers in the hiding of the Franks and persons in the secret annex were also arrested. The security service man, Silbarbauer has lamentations that the Franks family would have received a decent treatment if they had not decided to go into hiding.

The end results with the Franks family being sent to a Westerbork, which is a transit camp. Anne, her friends, and her family are all held in a criminal block in the S Barracks. While at the Barracks, Anne meets a woman by the name Janny Brandes and the sister to Janny called Lientje. The two in a later part of the movie are seen with Anne in Bergen-Belsen. Anne also takes part in the befriending of the schoolteacher who ends up having a good relationship with Anne. The teacher often invites Anne to the school camp to tell the children stories. Among the stories that Anne tells involves one titled Mrs. Quackenbush, which is a story that Anne wrote earlier before she went to the hiding place, the Secret Annex. The story had an interesting background as Anne was forced to write it by her mathematics teacher as a punishment for being talkative in class.

Film information

The film was released in the year 2001 and credit is given to the director called Robert Dornhelm. It is important to note that the movie casts include Ben Kingsley acting as Otto Frank, Brenda Blethyn who works as Auguste van Pels, Lili Taylor acting as Meip Giese, Jessica Manley acting as Margot Frank and Hannah Taylor-Gordon acting as Anne Frank. Therefore, in the movie, Anne Frank is the leading actress. The film is characterized in the series section with one season and two episodes. Approximately, the films running time is 190 minutes. The film was released in the United States of America and Czech Republic.

Themes

Romance

There is romance being exhibited in the movie. The romantic scene takes place when Anne and the Van Daan families are enclosed in the Secret Annex in hiding. At this place, Anne has the chance and engages herself in a romantic relationship with Peter. The romantic relationship culminates to a kiss. Therefore, the movie shows aspects of romance.

Betrayal

There is the element of betrayal in the film where the custodian exposes the hideout of the Franks family. The custodian betrays the family causing the arresting and the sending of the household members, and Annes friends to the detention camp. Therefore, if the guardian of the house that the hiding spot was found did not expose the family, they would not have been arrested.

Racial Segregation

There is an explanation of racial segregation in the movie as there is a clear distinction between the Jewish race and other races in the region. The Jewish individuals are forced to wear yellow stars and also to register with the government. Furthermore, there is a curfew and strict rules that the Jewish individuals are required to follow while in the region.

Audience Targeted

The movie targets human beings for the entertainment purpose. Watching the two episodes of the film will make people feel entertained and enjoy the film aspect. Furthermore, there is also another target that the film aims at reaching out to involves activists who are interested in human rights to identify the challenges that other races...