Tech & Biz

Anne Frank Film Footage Posted on YouTube: Video

by Amy Judd | October 3, 2009 at 01:33 pm

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A 20-second video showing the only surviving footage of Anne Frank has been posted on her new YouTube channel by the Amsterdam museum, the Anne Frank House.

It was taken in 1941 and is the only film footage of Anne that has ever been known to exist. It is a video of a neighbor's wedding and nine seconds in to the footage, a 13-year-old Anne can be seen leaning over the balcony above to get a look at the bridge and groom. The wedding is thought to have taken place at No 37 Merwedeplein, and the Franks lived at No 39.

It was taken on July 22 1941, just one year before the Franks had to go in to hiding and Anne's contribution to history began. They were discovered in 1944 and Anne was finally taken to Bergen Belsen concentration camp where she died in March 1945.

A shorter, five-second version of the video was given to Otto Frank, Anne's father, by the married couple in the 1950s. After Anne's published diary became widely known in the 1950s the couple recognised her in the film and contacted Otto.

The footage is moving as it provides a glimpse in to the life of a young girl who has become a symbol for what happened to families during the Nazi campaign across Europe. The museum has had the footage for some time, but decided now on YouTube was a good way to share it with the world.