El diario de Ana Frank

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.

Some stories don't need to be dramatised. The weight of the genuine events that took place in the life of the Franks, the awful reality of the suffering of those who died in concentration camps and the terrifying implications all these events have for the nature of the human are beyond the grasp of all but the most brutal and bleak of film productions.

Enter Melissa Gilbert of Little House on the Prairie, skipping gaily, full of life and joy and entirely lacking in depth or gravity.

As a country girl of ludicrous naiveté in 'Little House' Gilbert is nauseating enough but to watch her trample all across the character of a young Jewish holocaust victim is bordering on offensive.

Some cast members are convincing and assured enough to carry off the roles to which they have committed themselves but the truth is that these are in the minority. The overall picture comes across as a poor taste 6th Form production put together by minds too young to realise the blasphemy of their actions.

I have the misfortune of having to show this drivel to pupils at the school in which I teach. It makes me feel uneasy to think I'm polluting the minds of young adults with such low culture.

Keep away.

I would like to correct Erik-32's belief that this is a bad adaptation of literature. In fact, it is almost identical, line-for-line, to not only the 1959 movie with Millie Perkins, but to the dramatic play script.

I grew up with this movie, and it once made me cry as I realized some my ancestors (I am of Jewish descent) may well have suffered the same situation. I would recommend this version for young children, because it's easy to understand the dramatizations. The 1959 movie would be more appropriate for older children and young adults.

After watching this you'll be willing to tell the Nazis where Melissa Gilbert and Doris Roberts are hiding! On the positive side Maximillian Schell does a decent job in his part... Melissa Gilbert is something to watch as an older teenaged girl pretending to be 13 but acting more like an 8 year old Laura Ingalls, and still trying to run out of as many scenes as possible in tears. (well it worked on Little House) This film has "bad TV play" written all over it. The actor who plays the teenage boy was also decent in his role. I believe he is the same actor who played opposite Jody Foster in "The little Girl who lives down the lane". He and Mr. Schell are the only ones who avoided bringing shame to the final product.

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.