The only existing film footage of Anne Frank has been uploaded to YouTube by the Anne Frank House. The Amsterdam museum is hoping to bring attention to Anne’s story and diaries and reach a new generation who may be unfamiliar with her story.
At the 9 second mark in the clip, you can see Anne Frank leaning out of a second-story window as she watches a bride and groom exit a neighboring address. The Guardian reports that the scene dates back to July 22, 1941 and was provided to the museum by the couple in the 1990s.
The story also goes that in the 1950s, once Anne’s diary became public, the couple recognized Anne in their wedding video. So they decided to contact her father, Otto Frank, to whom they gave a 5 second version of the clip.
I have a framed saying on my desk that says, "Those of you who say it cannot be done should get out of the way of those of us who are doing it." Just about anything I've ever accomplished were things other people told me were impossible. They weren't.
And maybe that's why I love the story of Susan Boyle.
In case you've been living in a cave, she's this middle-aged Scots woman, a coal miner's daughter who always wanted to be a singer, but instead dropped out of acting school to take care of her widowed mother. This past Saturday, she auditioned for "Britain's Got Talent" and the audience laughed at her because of her frumpy looks - until she opened her mouth to sing for the first time since her 91-year-old mother died in 2007.
The YouTube of her performance is up to 11 million hits now. (Be sure to look at Simon's face at 4:01.)
Boyle is frumpy, never-been-kissed and unemployed. The goofy music played over her introduction reflects how the judges, hosts, studio audience and even viewers like us don't take her seriously. We expect a ridiculous rendition of a song that's far below her grandiose, delusional perception of her talents.
But boy, are we wrong. As soon as she begins "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables, everyone is shocked. You can see, hear and feel the ripple of surprise and delight in the audience. Hell, even sourpuss Simon Cowell makes a goofy joke and cracks a smile.
It's moving. In a sense, she has nothing -- except the aforementioned dream. And dammit, that dream might just become a reality.
You can read more about Susan here, here and here.
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