No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of Anne Frank's Story

As I sit here thinking about this movie/documentary I can't stop the tears that are welling up in my eyes. It is a story that stays in your mind forever and hope that things like this never happens again. Hearing the words from the people that lived this horrible ordeal makes everything we have read or seen in newsreels come alive. It is such a captivating movie/documentary that you don't want to miss one word of it. I applaud Paula Fouce, the Producer, for her creativeness with this all of her movie/documentaries. For those who were alive, as I was, when this was going on it's a real eye opener.

Please make an all out effort to see this film! It's well worth it.

This well made documentary is a must see for all humans. Let's make sure history never repeats itself.

Yesterday I watched it on DVD. Being very familiar with Otto Frank's life thanks to reading Carol Ann Lee's Otto Frank biography last winter, I remembered that Otto Frank actually was living for a while in New York City working at Macy's. Wiki quote. Otto studied economics in Heidelberg from 1908 to 1909 and had a work experience placement at Macy's Department Store in New York City. However, after leaving for New York, he had to return home briefly after his father died in September 1909, before once again leaving for the United States, returning to Germany two years later in 1911. End of the Wiki quote.

Considering Otto Frank's previous work experience in the US and the fact that his friend Nathan Strauss was willing to vouch for the Frank family makes it even less understandable why the US didn't give the Frank family visas for immigration. I collect every documentary on Anne Frank and her family, so this fairly new production is a big enrichment for my growing collection.

"No Asylum" is a solid documentary. The filmmakers use a surprising amount of archival film, including Nazi, concentration camp, and Anne Frank footage. They manage to avoid using numerous photographs in slow zoom, a technique popularized by Ken Burns and annoyingly prevalent in documentaries today.

Beyond the Frank family's request for asylum abroad, this film puts the story into an historical context that is relevant today. It also has some valuable backstory about World War II, laid out nicely whether you previously knew much about it or not. Access to surviving Frank family members and friends adds credibility and warmth.

The vastness and harshness of the holocaust really comes through, so it is definitely for a mature audience, although I would watch it with my mature 11-year-old son. The story ends with a pretty good historical wrap-up. The running time of just over 70 minutes is just fine as this film deals with some weighty material.

This is a skillfully told story and put together film.