Anne Frank Remembered (1995) *** (out of 4)With over 25-million copies of her book sold, Anne Frank is without question the most famous name of the victim's to Adolf Hitler's reign of terror during WWII. The teenager would keep a journal of her and her family's years of living in terror as they hid never knowing if someone would learn about their whereabouts or perhaps someone would tell on them. Then, of course, there was the drama of being so close with one another in such a short space, which just added to the drama as the outside world was falling apart. I think this is far from the perfect documentary for a number of reasons including a pacing issue, which I felt really made the film drag at spots. I'd also say that the documentary loses focus throughout and there are times where items other than Anne are being covered and they're just not nearly as interesting. With that said, the film is still very much worth seeing but in large part due to Miep Gies who was the main person who kept the family hidden and didn't give away their secret. It's pretty amazing getting to hear from someone so close to the events and not to mention that she not only helped the family but she was the one who discovered the diary. Hearing her tells her stories are without question the highlights of the film and this includes some pretty emotional stuff as she tells about the family being taken away from their location and of course the father having to learn that he was the only one who survived the Holocaust. I think the film probably would have been much better had it focused on her because there's no question that things aren't as sharp when she's not on the screen. The film is certainly worth seeing just for her but those interested in Anne Frank would probably be better served by either reading the actual book or watching the 1959 movie.

I was forced to watch this farce of a dairy now proved to be false and fictitious, the only thing true may be the the characters named in the book, we will never know for sure.This farce was written by Mr. Vandam's secretary and portions of the supposed diary written with ball point pens which were not in use that the time when the fake diary was written.It is difficult watch this boring movie, it's slow in many places and dreary. Not worth the time of watching this false story badly written, badly acted video. Also explores sexuality, something that should not be shown to children.Don't Bother

I first saw this documentary at the theater when it first came out in the spring of 1996, albeit in a limited art-house release in selected cities (thank God Chicago was one of them). I happened to see it at the famed "Music Box Theater" on Southport Avenue in Chicago to a packed audience (the same theater John Cusack takes his date to on "High Fidelity"). After the credits were over, the audience was so dumbstruck, not a soul moved or said a word until the theater staff turned on all the lights and dropped the curtains -- it was as if people wanted to stay and talk about it. But alas, that wasn't part of the program, and we shuffled off deep in our thoughts, although a few of us caught up later at the coffeeshop next door to talk about it. It was that moving.This is the best documentary on Anne Frank I have ever seen, and is one of the best documentaries to come out of the 1990's. It should not be missed, and should be revisted as often as possible. Kenneth Branagh's narration is gripping and beyond comparison. The tranche de la vie recounting of Anne's as well as her friends' childhood experiences from her former playmates are extremely moving.One of my favorite scenes in this documentary was the meeting filmed in 1995 between Dr. Fritz Pfeffer's (called Albert Dussel by Anne in her diary) son, Mr. Pepper, and Miep Gies. When he said "vielen Dank" to Miep Gies for hiding his father, there wasn't a dry eye in the house, especially when it was revealed that the son later died just weeks after the meeting. The most moving scene, however, was the serendipitously acquired 8mm black-and-white home movie footage of a wedding filmed in June of 1941 on the Merwedeplein in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (the Franks moved to Amsterdam from Frankfurt a.M., Germany in 1933).In the footage, as the bride and groom emerge from the entrance of a three-flat townhouse, the camera pans upward and catches a waving 12-year-old girl waving happily from a second-floor window. The girl is Anne Frank, and is the only motion picture footage of her known to be existence. Anne's brief bout with the silver screen continues to be one of the most haunting reminders of what could've been, hope unfulfilled, and the tragedy that was the Holocaust. A must see for all those interested in history.

As good as Schindler's List was, I found this movie much more powerful as it is a documentary and based on real life. It details the story of the Frank family, and Anne in particular. Although it is a bit slow moving at first (detailing their family life before the war); it becomes very powerful.Due to some of the footage and photos of the camps, I would not recommend it for children but for adults, it illustrates the horror of the Holocaust through one young girl. Highly recommended.