Known for his highly stylized dialogue, elaborate con films and thematic explorations of gender politics and masculinity, Disney’s announcement of a new adaptation of “The Diary Of Anne Frank” written and directed by David Mamet comes as a total shock. Already filmed multiple times, the best known version being George Stevens’ Oscar winning 1959 feature film, Mamet’s version (which is still being written) is set to reframe the story as a “young girl’s rite of passage.” Uh, ok.
It remains to be seen what attracted Mamet to the project in the first place or how he will leave his stamp on the material. We find it hard to believe that Disney is going to let the director do anything truly groundbreaking with such a well known, important and revered text in Jewish culture. So if this is just yet another re-telling of the familiar story, why bother? Is this just an easy payday for Mamet and an awards season horse for Disney? Have the execs at Disney actually seen a David Mamet film? We’ll have to wait and see the studio’s reaction once the script is handed in, though we’ll hardly be surprised if Disney ends up going for something more safe and traditional even if it means dumping Mamet altogether.
Or maybe two-time nominee Mamet just wants his Oscar already. [BFDealMemo]
Starring Ricky Jay as Anne.
I was hoping for Joe Mantegna as Anne.
It might be alright if they allow Mamet to explore the areas that the other films leave out — the stark depression of Anne in the face of adolescence and the Holocaust, Otto Frank's subtle hubris and ultimate guilt in hiding from the Nazis, etc.
But it's Disney, so they'll probably have songs about cleaning up the annex before the workers arrive.
Disney's Touchstone put out an R-Rated movie called Rushmore that some people like. We shouldn't necc assume because it's Disney it will be atrocious. Also Mamet is incapable of writing something that isn't Mamet-like, i.e., involved, smart, not populist.
Presumably they hired him for a reason. Sure, they could fuck it up, but let's not necc presume it's Disney proper of yore.
I'm glad they're doing this because every year I forget about the Holocaust and every Nov-Dec Hollywood is more than happy to re-educate me on the subject.
So…many…parodies…coming to mind…
"Still believe people are good at heart? Fuck you, go home and play with your sister. Think of all the beauty around you instead of the misery? I don't give a shit. You need BRASS BALLS to survive the Holocaust. I dodged 970 Nazis last year. How many did you dodge? That's who I am!"
etc.
I think I know why they hired him. Mamet is extremely involved in fighting and studying anti-semitism. He's written several books related to Judaism and anti-semitism (from Wikipedia): "Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism."
The guy might actually be the perfect choice for this adaptation. I don't see him shying away from the unpleasant details.