"Memories of Anne Frank": A Trailer

Via the forum (Hat tip: Charlie and Italiangirl):



This film -- made for Italian TV and scheduled to air on the 27th -- is supposed to be a loose adaptation of the book Memories of Anne Frank, which relates the wartime experiences of Hanneli Goslar, who in addition to being one of Anne Frank's closest childhood friends, was one of the last people to encounter the living Anne Frank -- through a straw-filled security fence at Bergen-Belsen.

Though I should probably hold off on judgments until I've actually seen the film, I can't resist sharing a few first impressions:

-- It bothered me that some of the scenes (I'm mostly thinking of the ones set in the camps) seemed awfully reminiscent of Anne Frank: The Whole Story. But maybe that's because both films are based on the same sources and there are only so many ways a filmmaker can recreate the concentration-cbamp experience.

-- In spite of that, I think the camp scenes looked pretty true-to-life. In particular, I thought the Auschwitz inmate orchestra was an authentic touch. And scene with the Nazis blowing up the crematoria in an attempt to hide the evidence of their crimes. This really did happen during Anne's time at Birkenau (right after the Sonderkommando revolt in October 1944) but, to my knowledge, hasn't been covered in any other film about her.

-- What's up with the blond kid they cast as Hanneli? Seriously? It's like they didn't even try.

All said, it still looks like it's going to be worth watching. I really like the idea of seeing such a familiar story unfold through someone else's eyes. Unfortunately for me, however, I have no access to Italian TV, so guess I'll have to wait until the DVD comes out to see it all for myself.