It's been my good fortune to visit the Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht in central Amsterdam, and for me it is one of those places that retains the aura of what happened there. This is where Anne wrote her diary while she, her sister, her parents, and four other Jews hid for two years before being taken into custody by the Nazis. Quite a bit of the documentary was shot at this important location.
Of the eight residents of the building on Prinsengracht, seven died grim deaths during the Holocaust. Anne's father became the lone survivor when the Russians liberated Auschwitz, and the film contains footage of historical interviews he gave years later. The movie also features interviews with several other concentration camp survivors, and I found these to be among the most poignant parts of the documentary. At one point there's a member of the Dutch resistance who balks at speaking explicitly about how horrible conditions became at Bergen-Belsen in early 1945, and it's left for narrator Kenneth Branagh to say, "Cannibalism became part of a desperate struggle to quench the most appalling hunger."
I think the film tries to be evenhanded in its depiction of the Netherlands under German occupation. While some collaborated with the Nazis, others risked assisting Jews. There were four people who helped the residents in the building on Prinsengracht, and the documentary contains quite a bit of footage of one of the four, a woman named Miep Gies. She embodies a humanity and quiet courage I'll never forget.
Most of the documentary focuses on Anne Frank herself, and there are many still photos of her and her family. Also, the film contains the only known moving footage of Anne. It's only a few seconds long and was shot in 1941 when she was 12. In it, she's on a balcony watching a wedding party. Occasionally the movie contains extracts from Anne’s diary read in voice-over by Glenn Close. Here's one of the teenager's diary entries I found most moving: "I don't want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to people, even those I've never met."
I think the best thing about "Anne Frank Remembered" is the understated and detailed way it tells the tale of one Holocaust victim and her legacy. For the most part, the film's tone is matter-of-fact and unsentimental, yet I found myself fighting back tears periodically. The movie is a fitting tribute to the memory of a teenage girl who, despite having her life cut tragically short, was still able to do something that has inspired millions.
Regrettably the DVD provides no bonus materials of any consequence, but "Anne Frank Remembered" is an extraordinary movie, and I'm pleased that it is at last available for repeated home viewing in a high-quality, inexpensive medium.
Selected Special Features:
- Near Full-Screen (1.66:1)
- English Dolby Surround
- English Subtitles
- Spanish Subtitles
- Theatrical Trailers (4)
