In 1959, director George Stevens brought one of the twentieth century’s most important personal accounts to the big screen. The Diary of Anne Frank is a film adaptation of the diary kept by Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who hid with her family in German-occupied Holland during World War II. The project had already proven itself on Broadway, and Stevens drew three members of that original stage cast into the film to keep it grounded in its theatrical roots.
The story follows two Jewish families concealed in the attic of a building owned by a shopkeeper named Kraler. Anne Frank, played by Millie Perkins, keeps a written diary throughout their time in hiding. Her entries document daily life inside the cramped attic — the tensions between families, the fear of discovery, and the very human moments that existed even under the shadow of Nazi occupation.
The diary captures more than just fear. Anne writes about family conflict, adolescent emotions, and her growing feelings for Peter Van Daan, the son of the other family in hiding. Her sister Margot grows jealous of that connection. These personal storylines run alongside the ever-present threat outside the attic walls, giving the film both an intimate and a historically weighty tone.
The film opens and closes with Otto Frank, played by Joseph Schildkraut. Otto is Anne’s father and the only member of the family to survive the war. He returns to the attic after liberation and discovers his daughter’s diary — the record of everything that happened in that hidden space. This framing device anchors the entire story in the reality of what was lost.
Casting Millie Perkins as Anne Frank was one of the most debated decisions Stevens made. Perkins was a young American model with no prior film experience. Critics argued she was too old-looking for the role and lacked the vulnerability the part demanded. The backlash was pointed — many felt an American actress was simply the wrong choice to portray a Dutch Jewish girl whose story had become a symbol of European wartime suffering.
Stevens made the casting decision with the American audience in mind. Unlike Europeans, many Americans had no direct connection to the scale of Nazi atrocities. By placing an American actress at the center of the story, Stevens aimed to close that emotional distance — to make Anne Frank feel familiar and real to viewers who might otherwise have felt removed from the events depicted.
Despite the controversy around Perkins, the film earned strong reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 78% critics’ score — a solid mark for a film over six decades old. Many critics and historians consider it the best film adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary produced to date.
At the 1960 Academy Awards, the film won three Oscars. One of the most talked-about wins was Best Supporting Actress, awarded to Shelley Winters for her role as Mrs. Van Daan. Winters had campaigned hard for the part, and her performance brought genuine weight to the story’s most difficult emotional beats.
After receiving her Oscar, Shelley Winters donated the award to the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. It remains on display there, connecting the film’s recognition to the real history it represents.
