Anne Frank Remembered Page #12

---

Initially, it made little impact.|Then in the 1950s...

...German, French, English and|other translations began to appear.

In 1955, a stage adaptation opened on|Broadway to a rapturous reception.

The transformation of the 15-year-old|German-Jewish refugee...

...into an emblem of the Holocaust|gathered pace.

A 1959 feature film based on the play|added further to this process.

To some, she had become|little short of a saint.

But her diary, at the very least,|had become a publishing phenomenon.

In 1953, Otto had remarried|and moved to Switzerland.

In the absence of Anne, he became|the focus for his daughter's celebrity.

He, in turn, came to symbolize the|perfect father so many children crave.

Thousands wrote to him|from around the world...

...and he replied to each|individually.

If young people are writing to me|after reading the diary...

Otto Frank|interviewed in 1 976

...I start to think:

"That is, for me, one of|the most precious."

Though Otto developed relationships,|sometimes close ones...

...with many of the children|who wrote to him...

...he admitted he never understood|his own daughter in her lifetime.

Was she in fact the optimist and|cheerful person that he saw as a child?

She showed herself like that.

But in fact, I only learned|to know her really...

...through her diary.

Throughout these years, one persistent|problem refused to go away:

Citing differences between different|language versions of the diary...

...which were never|explained in the various editions...

...together with further fictional|scenes in the play and film...

...neo-Nazis around the world...

...wanting to throw doubt on|the very existence of the Holocaust...

...alleged that the diary was a hoax.

Painful and inconclusive|lawsuits followed...

...but it was only in 1980,|after Otto's death...

...that the authenticity of the diary|was finally tested scientifically.

The extensive report by the Netherlands|State Institute for War Documentation...

...took five years to complete|and was eventually published...

...with a study of all|the versions of Anne's diary.

It categorically stated that the diary|was genuine in every respect.

In 1960, one of Holland's most secret|places became one of its most public.

The Franks' annex|was opened as a museum...

...and is now visited by over|600,000 tourists a year.

Otto also created|charitable foundations...

...to perpetuate Anne's|message to the world.

Anne was not simply|to be commemorated...

...but her short life was to become|a more general force for good.

To fight against prejudice|and discrimination...

...and hatred against people|of different race and religion.

Since 1985, a touring exhibition...

...telling Anne's life story and its|relevance to current world affairs...

...has traveled from country to|country, from Moscow to Minneapolis...

...South America to South Africa.

It has also shown that the diary|has had some surprising readers...

...in surprising places.

During the many years my comrades|and I spent in prison...

Nelson Mandela|President of South Africa

Political Prisoner 1 964-1 990

...we derived inspiration|from the courage and tenacity...

...of those who challenge injustice...

...even under the most|difficult circumstances.

Some of us read Anne Frank's diary|on Robben lsland...

...and derived much|encouragement from it.

It's very interesting...

...the letters of the German children.

They always ask me everything...

...because they wrote me:|"My father or grandfather...

...didn't tell me|anything about the war.

They say always, 'That is the past.|That is over."'

But that is not true.

The past goes always with you...

...in your whole life,|and we can learn from the past.

In 1941, there was a wedding|at Merwedeplein in Amsterdam.

After filming the street...

...the cameraman pointed|at the onlookers above.

There at the window was Anne Frank.

This is the only known|moving footage of her.

When she stood at the window|that sunny day in June...

...it's not surprising that|the 12-year-old Anne Frank...

...was yet to find her life's purpose.

But less than three years later,|as she sat caged...

...in the fragile security|of her hiding place...

...she had discovered her destiny.

"Wednesday, April 5, 1944.

My dearest Kitty:

I don't want to have lived|in vain like most people.

I want to be useful or bring|enjoyment to people...

...even those I've never met.

I want to go on living,|even after my death.

And that's why I'm grateful to God|for having given me this gift...

...which I can use|to develop and to express...

...all that's inside me.|Yours, Anne M. Frank. "

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes