MovieChat Forums > Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001) Discussion > Otto and Anne seeing Marie Antoinette

Otto and Anne seeing Marie Antoinette

posted 10 years ago by BoyWiththeGreenHair
1 reply | jump to latest

I get the impression that this is purely coincidental and not intended to be ironic at all, although it is - anyone find it creepy that Anne and Otto are depicted seeing Marie Antoinette with Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power? Why, you might ask?

Because it features Joseph Schilkraut as the Duke of Orleans, the film's villain, who would later play Otto Frank in both the Broadway adaptation of the Diary and the film in 1959.

Again, I doubt that this was meant as an intentional "wink" but its just a chilling coincidence - Otto Frank watching the man who would later play him in the adaptation of his dead daughter's diary without even knowing it? Chills

Even more ironic considering that Otto allegedly never saw the play or the film in real life

[–] briarswt 10 years ago

It is kinda ironic.

But Anne was a huge fan of movies, apparently Norma Shearer was a favorite of hers. So, it would've been reasonable that this would be a movie Otto would've taken her to - and I think the point of the scene wasn't really the movie itself but the newsreel/Anne's reaction to it.

In my mind, we're supposed to see a child who's basically being confronted with a dangerous scenario here - one she can't quite grasp yet (keep in mind, the newsreel is about the German invasion of Poland, which was in September 1939 and Anne would've been only 10 at the time) and a father who is determined to keep a hopeful eye on the future - which is IMMEDIATELY destroyed - it is no accident that the very next scene is the invasion of Holland, and not one of Anne playing or studying or whatever in between.

Also - one could see it even more ironically in terms of how they set up the movie. Watch - you have the movie scene with Anne and Otto, the invasion of Holland, and then what opens up the next chapter? Anne heading to the movies, only to find a sign saying Jews Forbidden, which begins the persecution of the Jews in Holland in the movie.