Most people with some level of secondary education in Australia will know something of the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl whose family lived in hiding in Nazi-ruled Holland during World War II. The ordeal was documented in diaries she kept that were almost certainly never destined for public consumption, but have since become a symbol of hope and courage for people everywhere.
The Franks were a German Jewish family with a successful business. With her parents and older sister, Anne immigrated to Holland when it became clear to her father, Otto, that Hitler's rise to power in Germany was going to be disastrous for the Jews. Sadly, this forethought merely postponed the inevitable, and Hitler's forces had little trouble extending their influence over much of Europe, Holland included. Even then, Otto Frank had managed to remain one step ahead of the Nazi's by preparing part of his office as a hiding place.
When Anne's older sister, Margot, received orders to report for work detail at a labour camp, the family decided to go into hiding, but knew they couldn't do it without help. Otto Frank's secretary, Miep Gies, was their link to the outside world, and risked severe punishment should she be caught. At a time when Nazi spies, collaborators and traitors were rewarded for turning in hiding Jews, her role cannot be understated.
On her 13th birthday in 1942, Anne had received a diary from her father, and she wrote regular entries throughout their time in hiding, which eventually lasted two years. Several others in hiding shared the attic, the windows were blackened, and with no chance to go out, I should think few of us could imagine how tough it must have been.
Sadly, collaborators turned in the family in 1944, with the last of Anne's diary entries made several days previous. It was never learned who turned them in, and they were moved around several concentration camps. Her diaries were found by Miep Gies, and returned to Otto Frank after the war. Sadly, none of his family lived to see the liberation. Otto Frank died in 1980, and spent his remaining years promoting his daughter's diaries.
The Attic - The Hiding of Anne Frank is based on the book Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies with Alison Leslie Gold, and is as close an insider's look we could get. Sadly, I think the film runs a little short time-wise, and doesn't fully convey the harsh times that must have been truly scary. It is still an interesting telemovie, with some decent acting and good sets and costumes, but somehow it fails to really convey the tension and drama it could have. The last few scenes are truly moving, but the rest fails to really draw you in as it might have.
The film briefly covers all the basics such as the close calls, the arrests of people around them for various similar crimes, the compulsory wearing of stars, the shortage of basic provisions such as food and clothing and the eventual arrest of the family. However, it might have had more impact if filmed as a mini-series thereby allowing more time to explore the story.
As with many telemovies, especially those from the pre-DVD days such as this 1988 effort, this is a full frame presentation and therefore not 16:9 enhanced. Be aware that the back of the cover correctly identifies the film has an aspect ratio of 4:3, but as it is placed inside a widescreen icon, it may fool the less knowledgable.
The overall image screams telemovie from the soft image and its muted colouring. Admittedly we are talking about bleak times, so bold colours would be out of place. There is some grain in some sections, and the occasional artefact such as dirt and speckles, but nothing severe. Colours are also affected by noise. Black levels are acceptable, though shadow detail is occasionally a little on the poor side.
There are few compression problems, but that should not be a surprise on a bare bones disc. Aliasing and shimmer is absent, there are no issues with edge enhancement, and no layer change. While there are no real standout problems, the image is far from inspiring and is no better than watching television or a good quality VHS copy.
This is a very bland and standard audio effort. The Dolby Digital 2.0 shows little evidence of being in stereo as there is minimal separation and no panning of sound. All dialogue, however, is clear and audible, with little interference from the accompanying soundtrack.
The film may be set in war times, but there is nothing that is going to stretch your system such as guns, bombs and heavy military equipment. The low-level sounds are minimal and hardly impacting.
There are no issues with synchronisation, and while there are no sound dropouts, there is some noticeable hiss that seems to waver in and out. A very standard television quality track I am afraid, but it perfectly matches the standard of video.