Mamet's 'Anne Frank' Too Dark for Disney
Filed under: Drama, Deals, Disney
Not too long ago, we learned that David Mamet and Disney were coming together for a new take on The Diary of Anne Frank. The project was said to merge Frank's famous diary with the Tony Award-winning stage production and Mamet's own spin as -- believe it or not -- a "coming of age" story. Mamet + Disney + Frank -- it sounded too strange to be real, and it looks like Disney agrees.Just over a month later, The Wrap reports that the project has been thrown into turnaround. It seems that this wasn't exactly a film about Frank (thank god), but rather "a pro-Israel exploration of anti-Semitism set in contemporary times," about "a contemporary Jewish girl who goes to Israel and learns about the traumas of suicide bombing." According to sources, Disney said the spin was "too dark." (One can only wonder why it took Disney a month to come to this realization when we all suspected it from the beginning.) One executive said: "It's very intense, and dark and scary. It's not a film version of The Diary of Anne Frank."
That begs the question: Why frakking call it The Diary of Anne Frank if it's not about her? If the film is set in modern times, and not about Anne Frank hiding out during WWII, why not call it something else? Why capitalize on one dead girl's name? And while we're on the topic -- why did Disney pick this to begin with? Did they think Mamet would have Anne tiptoeing through the tulips and singing "fa-la-la"?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-24-2009 @ 7:22PM
CParis said...
Frank's infamous diary
WTF? I don't think I would call her diary "infamous". Might want to check a dictionary.
Reply
9-24-2009 @ 7:22PM
Monika said...
You're right.. Totally unintentional "in." Thanks for catching that, CParis.
9-25-2009 @ 12:54AM
Batzarro said...
Makng a story about a Holocaust victim without making it dark is, you know, hard. I mean, isn't it the point?
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9-25-2009 @ 1:05AM
Marc said...
I went to a reading with a friend of the writer. He told this story:
"My friend was commissioned to write the screenplay for a new movie version of the diary of anne frank. When he presented it, one of the executives literally said 'It's great, but can you get her out of the attic more?'"
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9-27-2009 @ 2:42PM
Kaylan said...
Walt Disney would role over in his grave if he knew his creation would do a movie that goes agaisnt his own beliefs. Not to mention that diary was proven fake, it was written years after the war ended in a ball point pen.
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9-27-2009 @ 3:52PM
Wodrp said...
Kaylan,
Please point me to the article that 'proves' Anne's diary was a fake. I have to read this.
But, be sure the author cites sources I can check. Most people today believe it IS real so, it would be interesting to see what (s)he has to say.
There have been many lawsuits over the years and the final outcome is that the diary IS real. Explaing that, if you can.
Wodrp
9-27-2009 @ 2:53PM
crystal said...
I get so sick of people trying to remake classics. Why not do something original for a change. I read a headline the other day about a possible remake of the Wizard of Oz. I hope it's not true. I couldn't bring myself to read the article...that movie is perfection!! A classic that kids of all generations should watch and enjoy. Don't fix what ain't broke!! Same goes for Anne Frank!!
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9-27-2009 @ 3:04PM
John said...
As for Anne Frank, her diary was real, Kaylan, just because some holocaust denier has said he has proof, doesn't make his proof real. As for the Wizard of Oz, crystal, it should be remade the way L. Frank Baum wrote it. If you read the book, you know the movie, while similar, is not exactly what he wrote.
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9-27-2009 @ 3:24PM
Leon Stark said...
Uncle Walter did not shy away from dark subjects if he could infuse some amount of hope into the storyline.
In that case, nearly anything to do with Anne Frank, The Holocaust, the hidings of the 1930's and 1940's and the stresses of the native separation of people into separate ethnic and ethic groups would be hard to infuse with a positive ending.
Plaudits for the DisneyCorp. for thinking about the subject, if starting it and backing out. They have to try something daring to bring up their movie/media revenues.
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9-27-2009 @ 3:29PM
mezl said...
didn't disney do a skewed version of anastasia? you know, a happy feel-good movie about the last remaining daughter of a CZAR, who was MURDERED along with the rest of his family? and aren't czars, well... not such good guys? though there is nothing wrong with making movies about past events, there are just some things that should be handled a little more respectfully. and if disney had wanted to do the anastasia move- which they probably shouldn't have- they should not have made it into a "fairy tale" type movie. there is nothing "fairy talish" about real life murders, revolutions or orphaned children who witnessed the murders of their entire families - even if the adult family members were monsters themselves. and even though "fairy tales" are really stories about events that actually went on, told in safer, less traumatic way to children to help them under stand the evils in the world around them.
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9-27-2009 @ 8:34PM
Laur said...
Disney did not make Anastasia, another company did
9-27-2009 @ 3:42PM
ghob said...
obviously Disney is still controlled by conservative nazis.
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9-27-2009 @ 4:54PM
grdael said...
No, it was Don Bluth and 20th Century Fox that did the "Anastasia" musical. But I agree, there is something distasteful about trying to turn such a dark story into a happy, feel-good, kiddie movie.
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9-27-2009 @ 4:51PM
Richard said...
The original is not 'PC' by todays standards...I prefer the original version
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9-27-2009 @ 4:55PM
estrer said...
Personaly?
I am sick of all these stories...they are hashed to death in greedy...soul-less America. Clean up the mess we are in and stop boring me with the past.....a past that is not so innocent and rosy....with our own american behavior.
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9-27-2009 @ 5:06PM
Tom said...
I am sick of all the redoing of the classic's. Leave them alone
all of this realy show's how little imagination America has today. Steeling from the olden days and boring us ...the over 40 age group with all the rehashed movie's and broadway show's.
Enough of the past...we done a bad job of it in America ourself's...how about writing and reporting on that?
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9-27-2009 @ 5:22PM
Karen said...
Umm... like Disney's Pocahontas?
9-27-2009 @ 5:17PM
Sherry said...
I think the Diary Of Anne Frank should be one of those Disney movies because it encourages children to have confidence and hope without doubt. Anne Frank was my idol on 4th grade, and I'm looking forward to this movie as well.
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9-27-2009 @ 7:32PM
jodi said...
Re-read - this movie isn't about Anne Frank (and yes, she is considered fairly infamous). I do think this is too harsh for Disney to take on, and am glad they backed out.
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9-27-2009 @ 6:25PM
Sue said...
The only reason they keep making remakes is that no one seems to have any imagination. It must take a real brain to screw up Anne Franks Diary. Every school child should see the real one so they know what it was really like for her. If they want to remake fantasy fine, but screwing with history reall is disgusting and shows how dumb these Hollywood types are. Disney is going to the dogs anyway and has been since Walt died.
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