Keeping Her Story Alive On Blu-Ray

It’s been 50 years and the story of Anne Frank still couldn’t be more relevant. On June 16th, four days after what would have been Frank’s 80th birthday, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Diary of Anne Frank on DVD and Blu-ray.

Back in 1959, George Stevens brought the Pulitzer Prize winning play The Diary of Anne Frank, which is based on Frank’s bestselling diary, to the big screen. What begins as a compilation of trivial thoughts turns into a book that recounts one of the most infamous occurrences in history. After receiving a notice ordering her sister to report to a work camp, Anne is informed by her father that their family will go into hiding. On July 6th, 1942, Anne’s family hid in the ‘secret annex.’ Anne wrote in her diary up until August 1st, 1944. On the 4th, her family was seized and sent to concentration camps.

If there’s any film that deserves Blu-ray treatment, it’s The Diary of Anne Frank. This is where the technology behind the BD trend really excels because is gives us the ability to take an old classic and preserve it for future generations. The importance of sharing the story of the Holocaust in order to prevent any similar occurrences is widely known. But what makes this film even more important to own, is that it’s simply a great movie. The Diary of Anne Frank took home the Oscars for Best Supporting Actress (Shelley Winters), Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. It also received nominations for Best Supporting Actors (Ed Wynn), Best Costume Design, Best Director, Best Music and Best Picture.

If you pay the $19.98 for the DVD, you’ll get new bonus material including audio commentary with George Stevens Jr. and Millie Perkins (Anne Frank), “Introduction: George Stevens Jr. and World War II,” “The Making of The Diary of Anne Frank: A Son’s Memories,” “The Diary of Anne Frank: Memories from Millie Perkins and Diane Baker (Margot Frank),” “Shelley Winters and The Diary of Anne Frank,” “The Score of The Diary of Anne Frank,” “The Diary of Anne Frank: Correspondence” and “Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman.” In addition to all the never-before-seen bonus material on the DVD version, the Blu-ray one also comes with special features from the film’s original release on DVD: “Diary of Anne Frank: Echoes from the Past,” “Diary of Anne Frank: Excerpt from ‘George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey,’” a George Stevens press conference, Millie Perkins’ screen test, Movietone News, two version of the film’s trailer, an interactive pressbook gallery and a behind-the-scenes gallery. This immense about of bonus material will cost you $34.99.