Anne Frank

What can I say about Anne Frank:The Whole Story that hasn't already been said?Not much I guess.I saw it a week ago when it premiered in Finland and was totally devastated by it.It's quite possibly the saddest movie I've ever seen.There were tears in my eyes throughout the movie and the last half an hour was almost unbearable to watch.

Hannah Taylor Gordon is a revelation.She looks just like Anne Frank but,more importantly,manages to capture her wide-eyed optimism and indomitable spirit perfectly.It's truly heart breaking to see her at the end,her spirit finally broken and all her hope gone.Gordon is so believable in her role,it's almost scary.Ben Kingsley is also wonderful as Anne's father.You really believe they are a father and a daughter.The other actors are good too,but Gordon and Kingsley really stand out.

As I said,there's nothing I can say about this movie that hasn't already been said.It's an experience that will stay with me for a long time and possibly the best holocaust movie I've ever seen. 10/10

Having read several books about Anne Frank and seeing the wonderful documentary, ANNE FRANK REMEMBERED, I was very curious about this film. I could not have been more impressed. The casting was excellent, and the acting superb, especially with Hannah Taylor-Gordon as Anne and the riveting presence of Ben Kingsley as Otto. Yes, it was difficult to watch and yes, it was not "entertaining" by definition. But if you want a very accurate portrayal of the before, during and after events of the group who inhabited the "secret annexe," you won't do better than this film. I'm sure it will be a treasure for years to come. Beware: Although it is an excellent educational tool, the last 45 minutes are quite intense and do include some brief nudity. Small children may find it too graphic.

Anne Frank. A girl like anyone else. Anne Frank. A girl who wanted to travel, to do great things, to be a "modern woman". Just an ordinary girl, who lived and died under extraordinary circumstances. Forced into hiding after the Germans gained control of the Netherlands, she was confined in an annex for two years, and then discovered and with her family was taken to a concentration camp. She later perished there. The only survivor of the annex group was Anne's father, Otto Frank. All that is left of her story is the diary she left behind. Her diary, her legacy to the world, defined the voice of a generation. Her irrepressible spirit and pure heart shine through within its pages. Her words, some of the most precious words in history, have been preserved for posterity in the novel, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. This movie, Anne Frank: the Whole Story, tells this tale with such power it leaves the viewer in tears. From her bright, hopeful beginning to her heart-wrenching end, this movie grows a step further than the diary and really does show the "whole story". Inspiring, truthful, tragic, heartbreaking, yet triumph. 10/10

I know someone said that this wasn't an accurate account of Anne Frank's life but as an Asian and having only heard of Anne Frank through summaries in WWII stories, this movie really helped me to get to know this girl and her account of her life as a Jewish girl during WWII. Some facts and accounts may have been manipulated to make the story more interesting but the essence of the story was there. Hannah Taylor Gordon played Anne Frank almost too good; she even looked like the real girl and it was really scary. She really captured the spirit of the sweet wide eyed hopeful girl who never truly comprehended with the horrors of the war. It was heart wrenching to watch an innocent girl being thrown into a concentration camp but I doubt it was to get our sympathies; it was just an inkling of how the children were treated during the Holocaust. The young ones were sent directly to the gas chamber (they were useless; couldn't work) and others like Anne Frank, were made to work and suffer eventhough she was still struggling through her puberty. It wasn't a horror movie but it was scary, if you know what I mean; you can't help but cry for another innocent life lost and then be reminded in the end that Anne Frank was only one of the one and a half million children who died in the Holocaust.

This movie is cast with so many captivating and amazing actors it is hard to see how it could go wrong! Anne Franks' heartfelt story is told in this movie and it is told as if you are experiencing all of her horrors right alongside her and her family. Hannah Taylor-Gordon plays a cute and heroic Anne and Ben Kingsly plays her noble and wise father Auto Frank. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie because of its' touching significance and its' sad historic references. I would not say that this movie was completely without fault. The actors mostly all speak with English accents and as well know Anne's family was Dutch so they could not possibly have English accents. Some parts of the story are laughable with the tale of Anne going through puberty before the annex and during. Her coping with getting breasts, going through her puberty and most importantly finding love. I reccommend watching this movie again because I think it would be a great classic to anyone's collection.