No other 13-year-old girl in modern history has had as a profound effect on readers as Anne Frank. Born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany, Anne, her elder sister, and her parents fled Germany in 1933 for the Netherlands to escape Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. This installment of A&E's award-winning Biography series, Anne Frank: The Life of a Young Girl, takes viewers back to her 13th birthday when she received the red-and-white-checkered diary she named Kitty. Just a few weeks later, Anne's Jewish family was forced into 25 months of hiding in the secret annex behind a bookshelf in her father's office. Her diary not only documents the life of a young girl, but the extraordinary circumstances she endured; Anne Frank has become "a symbol, a cause, an institution." Excerpts from Kitty were originally published in 1947 as Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex) and the acclaim was so widespread that an American edition, The Diary of a Young Girl, was published in 1952. Three years later it won the Pulitzer Prize. There have been Broadway plays and a 1959 Hollywood film based on the diary. A&E does an excellent job telling the story of Anne's life, and presents historical context with limited black-and-white photographs of Anne and her family, as well as footage from World War II. But most significant are the interviews with Anne's father, the only survivor of the 11 people who hid in the annex; Anne's childhood friends and Holocaust survivors; "Hello" Silverberg, the object of her school-girl crush; and her father's loyal assistant Miep Gies, who ultimately saved Anne's diary after Anne and her family were discovered and taken away to concentration camps. Anne Frank: The Life of a Young Girl describes why the young girl's gifted writing in a checkered diary has survived as a formidable force against prejudice and discrimination. --Cristina Del Sesto
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Interesting Introduction to Anne With Extras:
This is the first documentary film I've seen where we meet Hello Silverberg. Hello, was Anne's first boyfriend before she went into hiding.
It is a definite plus that he was interviewed for this piece. Not many people realize that Anne would be 79 years old as of June 2008. I do believe that she would have gone far in life had she lived. It's good that they interviewed so many for this documentary. It's sad that most of the Franks helpers could not be interviewed. The only surviving hero who helped... more info
An interesting introduction to Anne Frank:
This is an interesting introduction to Anne frank, autor of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, and The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition probably second only to Anne Frank Remembered, generally considered to be the definitive Anne Frank documentary (for good reason). Contains all of the expected interviews with those who knew her and were still alive and some archive footage of those who are now dead (Otto Frank).
Courageous Acknowledgement of Man's Inhumanity to Man!:
Anne Frank lives-in spirit. One of the strongest and certainly youngest chronicler of the holocaust. She is such a heroine role model for today's confused youth. A "must see" VHS and please don't forget a book or other readers/media by the same title. Great for discussion beginning with 10 years olds through middle school. (Not just for girls as Elie Wiesel is not just for boys). "Live life", is the message I get and if you must suffer it than do it with class and even with a sense of curiosity and... more info
