Anne Frank: The Whole Story | |
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Based on |
Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller |
Screenplay by | Kirk Ellis |
Directed by | Robert Dornhelm |
Starring |
Ben Kingsley Brenda Blethyn Lili Taylor Hannah Taylor-Gordon Tatjana Blacher Jessica Manley |
Theme music composer | Graeme Revell |
Country of origin | UK / Czech / USA |
Original language(s) | English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 2 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Producer(s) | David R. Kappes Kirk Ellis Hans Proppe |
Cinematography | Elemér Ragályi |
Editor(s) |
Christopher Rouse Mark Fitzgerald (uncredited) |
Running time | 190 minutes |
Distributor | American Broadcasting Company |
Release | |
Original release | May 20, 2001 – May 21,2001 |
Anne Frank: The Whole Story is a two-part mini-series based on the book Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller. The mini-series aired on ABC on May 20 and 21, 2001. The series starred Ben Kingsley, Brenda Blethyn, Hannah Taylor-Gordon, and Lili Taylor. Controversially, but in keeping with the claim made by Melissa Müller, the series asserts that the anonymous betrayer of the Frank family was the office cleaner, when in fact the betrayer's identity has never been established. A disagreement between the producers of the mini-series and the Anne Frank Foundation about validity of this and other details led to the withdrawal of their endorsement of the dramatization, which prevented the use of any quotations from the writings of Anne Frank appearing within the production. Hannah Taylor-Gordon received both Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her performance as Anne Frank, while Ben Kingsley won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance as Otto Frank, Anne's father. It is revealed in the miniseries that the cleaning lady of Opekta betrayed Anne and her family.
In 1939, Anne Frank (Hannah Taylor-Gordon) realizes her world is beginning to change around her. Eventually, the Nazis invade the Netherlands. Anne becomes increasingly distressed as her rights are taken away, and her family is ominously being forced to register as Jews with the government and to wear yellow stars. She is then forced to leave her school and attend a Jewish lyceum, where she meets her new best friend, Jacqueline van Maarsen (Victoria Anne Brown), who is only half-Jewish. Anne also meets Hello Silberberg (Nicky Cantor), on whom she develops a crush; it is implied that Hello also reciprocates her feelings. On her 13th birthday, she receives the famous checkered-patterned diary and immediately goes to her room to write her first entry.