ABC's 'Anne Frank' is a landmark
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When I was a girl, I had little use for Anne Frank, Holocaust martyr.
"The Diary of Anne Frank" was assigned reading in elementary school. And while the history of the book - its existence as a testament to immortality - was interesting, the person on the pages seemed like a model of heroism no real kid could hope to emulate.
It wasn't just the diary's fault, although her father, Otto Frank, did expurgate some of the more intimate entries. The whole world seemed intent on presenting Anne as a figure of passive nobility to be admired more for what had happened to her than for who she was.
I say all this because if your first reaction to this weekend's new ABC miniseries "Anne Frank" is to walk away - don't. You'd miss not just a crowning achievement of the network TV season, but one of the finest movies ever done on the Holocaust.
Here at long last is Anne brought to the kind of life that cannot be erased by death: a spirited, maddening, wide-open adolescent whom the movie chronicles from her pre-diary days in Amsterdam to her abominable end in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Based on journalist Melissa Müller's critically applauded book "Anne Frank: A Biography," ABC's four-hour version airs 9-11 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Unlike most miniseries, this investment of time proves necessary to the movie and worthwhile to viewers.
From the get-go, "Anne Frank" feels restorative and intelligent. We see a lively girl, precocious, self-centered and occasionally snippy, clearly her father's favorite. We see the Franks' ordinary day-to-day existence, filled with work and school lessons and visits to friends, and the tensions of a not-altogether-perfect family.
We also see the war - conveyed first in shadowy newsreels or radio broadcasts and then, when Germany conquers Holland, in the rules that restrict Jews and eventually force the Franks into hiding.
This multilayered approach remains consistent throughout "Anne Frank." The inner core of the film is Anne herself; then come the other inhabitants of the famous annex; then the world and its machinations.
Above all, "Anne Frank" supplies context. For decades, diary readers have known what Anne thought about her circumscribed universe; now, we have the added dimensionality of outside actions that occurred while eight people lived in a secret handful of rooms for over two years.
The movie's nuanced direction and talented cast yield several superlative performances.
The great Ben Kingsley brings his impeccable technique to Otto Frank, conveying warmth and affection to a remotely dignified figure. Brenda Blethyn is similarly cast to perfect type as the annoying and brassy Mrs. Van Pels. As Miep Gies, the Austrian woman who takes the lead in helping hide the Franks, Lili Taylor glows integrity.
But rightly so, it is 14-year-old English actress Hannah Taylor Gordon who must pull off "Anne Frank." She does so with such subtlety, intelligence and restraint that you rarely glimpse the work. Gordon sets a high benchmark for future Anne Franks.
"Anne Frank" richly deserves viewing by children as well as adults. However, that's a recommendation with a caveat.
Given how thoroughly the film acquaints us with the Franks, the Van Pels and Mr. Pfeffer, it's inevitable the scenes after the annex is raided will be painful.
Nevertheless, I was unprepared for how uncompromising ABC and Touchstone Television chose to be when Anne, Margot and their mother are processed through the camps.
Mind you, this is completely laudable. "Anne Frank" avoids the upbeat Hollywood ending, which was something even "Schindler's List" couldn't resist. But as Monday night's TV-14 rating indicates, the last 45 minutes are visually and emotionally brutal.
The final triumph, of course, remains Anne's. The essence of humanity that the Third Reich sought to wipe from the earth was indomitable.
'Conspiracy' is powerful
Just how hard the Reich tried, though, is made chillingly apparent in HBO's "Conspiracy," an excellent ensemble drama airing Saturday at 9 p.m.
Headlined by Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth, "Conspiracy" is a dramatic reconstruction of the 1942 meeting where the Final Solution was codified. The fine, taut script by Loring Mandel is based on the only known surviving copy of minutes from that meeting.
"Conspiracy" is an astringent complement to "Anne Frank." Brilliantly directed by Frank Pierson, the two-hour film takes place at a table where 15 high-ranking Nazi officials discuss the best way to rid Germany and its newly conquered territories of Jews.
The blood-curdling aspect of "Conspiracy" lies in its resemblance to a corporate meeting where the participant's souls have become completely detached from their intellects and the need for consensus overrides common sense. This madness reaches its apex in Firth's fine portrayal of the - surprise - lawyer who wrote the Nuremberg Laws.
'Submerged' is substandard
Note: It's a time full of World War II bombardment, and we haven't even gotten to next week's "Pearl Harbor" attack.
But here's one you can ditch - NBC's lame "Submerged," which airs Sunday at 9 and turns an exciting submarine sea rescue into bland porridge.
Reach Kay McFadden at 206-382-8888 or kmcfadden@seattletimes.com.