The Diary of Anne Frank

Masterpiece Classic aired the two hour new adaptation of "The Diary of Anne Frank" on Sunday. This was a really moving and powerful adaptation of the young Jewess' diary of the trials and tribulations of living in captivity during WWII. It's streaming online for a week at the PBS website.

The cast were all British but they did a faithful job recreating the Jewish experience and acting as the Dutch. I love the old movie from the 50s, but this one did as good a job with the story. Ellie Kendrick, a newcomer to acting, portrayed Anne deftly as the stubborn, sometimes petty, but courageous teenager she was. Her romance with Peter Van Damme was really sad because you knew they wouldn't live to fulfill the dreams they spoke of. Her parents gave rousing performances, and Felicity Jones captured Margo Frank's demureness but resoluteness.

I wept at the end of this movie. You'd have to be a Nazi yourself not to be moved to tears by this story. Anne was just a girl with big dreams and high hopes, but it was human hatred that denied her a chance to live them out. She was a human being, but her transition into womanhood is relateable for any teen, regardless of gender. Her struggle with comprehending the mad world around her is heartbreaking.

This was truly a Masterpiece.