Analysis of the Diary of Anne Frank
Film Analysis of The Diary of Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank is a powerful non-fiction film based on the diary of a young Jewish girl who went into hiding with her family in 1942 to escape the Nazi persecution. Filmed in 1959, George Stevens brilliant usage of mise-en-scene successfully made this movie thought provoking and emotional. Mise-en-scene is one of the four film components that allow motion pictures to serve as a medium of communication. Films use this component to incorporate a visual theme. This encompasses everything that appears before the camera such as the arrangement of the set, props, actors, lighting, and costumes. By looking at the visual theme in this movie, we will be able to determine what makes this movie so provoking and emotional.
The Diary of Anne Frank is the story of a 13 year old Jewish girl that is forced into hiding with her family to escape the persecutions of the Jewish in the now Nazi occupied Holland. The opening scene shows Otto Frank walking into an empty factory building, looking alone and full of turmoil. Joined by friends, he begins to read Anne’s diary, attempting to seek comfort in her written words. This is where the story flashes back to three years prior, 1942.
As Anne’s story begins, her sister Margot, her father Otto, and her mother Edith are being forced into hiding. Mr. Kraler and his assistant Miep help the Frank’s and the Van Daan’s (Petronella, Hans, and their 16 year old son Peter) into hiding in an attic space above their spice factory. To avoid detection, during the working hours of the factory, they must maintain strict silence so not to be heard. As a present to his daughter, Mr. Frank gives Anne her first diary. She writes about their time in the attic, attempting to avoid detection while waiting for the allies to liberate them. Meeting their basic needs soon becomes a challenge as rations for three people are split seven ways and the attic continues to provide not nearly enough privacy.
The Diary of Anne Frank is a powerful non-fiction film based on the diary of a young Jewish girl who went into hiding with her family in 1942 to escape the Nazi persecution. Filmed in 1959, George Stevens brilliant usage of mise-en-scene successfully made this movie thought provoking and emotional. Mise-en-scene is one of the four film components that allow motion pictures to serve as a medium of communication. Films use this component to incorporate a visual theme. This encompasses everything that appears before the camera such as the arrangement of the set, props, actors, lighting, and costumes. By looking at the visual theme in this movie, we will be able to determine what makes this movie so provoking and emotional.
The Diary of Anne Frank is the story of a 13 year old Jewish girl that is forced into hiding with her family to escape the persecutions of the Jewish in the now Nazi occupied Holland. The opening scene shows Otto Frank walking into an empty factory building, looking alone and full of turmoil. Joined by friends, he begins to read Anne’s diary, attempting to seek comfort in her written words. This is where the story flashes back to three years prior, 1942.
As Anne’s story begins, her sister Margot, her father Otto, and her mother Edith are being forced into hiding. Mr. Kraler and his assistant Miep help the Frank’s and the Van Daan’s (Petronella, Hans, and their 16 year old son Peter) into hiding in an attic space above their spice factory. To avoid detection, during the working hours of the factory, they must maintain strict silence so not to be heard. As a present to his daughter, Mr. Frank gives Anne her first diary. She writes about their time in the attic, attempting to avoid detection while waiting for the allies to liberate them. Meeting their basic needs soon becomes a challenge as rations for three people are split seven ways and the attic continues to provide not nearly enough privacy.
Cited: The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). (n.d.). Retrieved July 2012, from Turner Classic Movies: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/73083/The-Diary-of-Anne-Frank/notes.html