Overview
A poignant exploration of resilience and hope during one of history's darkest times.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- harrowing
- intimate
- melancholic
- historical film night
- classroom viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's eloquent, technically accomplished adaptation, direction, performances, and balance of terror with human warmth, while finding its three-hour length and some dialogue overextended.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Otto Frank returns to the attic years later and finds Anne's diary, framing the story of the hidden families.
Anne's diary chronicles confinement, family conflict, Nazi persecution, and her inner life.
Meals, arguments, romance, and family rituals unfold inside an attic while Nazi occupation creates constant danger.
Eight people endure more than two years in a cramped hidden attic, with movement and sound shaped by concealment.
Films like The Diary of Anne Frank, and why
Schindler's List
shared Holocaust drama, historical trauma, moral courage, and intimate survival narrative
The Pianist
shared World War II setting, Jewish persecution, confinement, and poignant historical drama
Au revoir les enfants
shared Holocaust subject, child perspective, coming-of-age drama, and devastating historical context
The Pawnbroker
shared black-and-white historical drama, wartime persecution, family endurance, and moral witness
Movie Details
- Director
- George Stevens
- Release Date
- 1959-03-18
- Runtime
- 179 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (381)
Cast
- Millie Perkins
- Joseph Schildkraut
- Shelley Winters
- Richard Beymer
- Gusti Huber
- Lou Jacobi
- Diane Baker
- Douglas Spencer
- Dody Heath
- Ed Wynn
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Diary of Anne Frank about?
- A young Jewish diarist transforms two years of hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam into an intimate record of family, fear, and resilient imagination.
- What is The Diary of Anne Frank like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Diary of Anne Frank as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Diary of Anne Frank violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Diary of Anne Frank as mild.
- What did critics think of The Diary of Anne Frank?
- Critics broadly praised the film's eloquent, technically accomplished adaptation, direction, performances, and balance of terror with human warmth, while finding its three-hour length and some dialogue overextended.
- Which films are like The Diary of Anne Frank?
- Films with a similar feel include Schindler's List, The Pianist, Au revoir les enfants, and The Pawnbroker.
- How long is The Diary of Anne Frank?
- The Diary of Anne Frank runs 179 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Diary of Anne Frank?
- In United States, The Diary of Anne Frank is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
