Anne Of Green Gables (DVD)

...twice!”
-- young Anne Shirley, eternal optimist


Left yet again in another orphanage by her latest, wicked foster parent, thirteen-year-old Anne Shirley is dispatched by mistake to the elderly brother and sister Cuthberts, Matthew and Marilla, of the village of Avonlea on beautiful Prince Edward Island. Instead of the boy they had requested to help Matthew with the farm chores, the Cuthberts get a skinny little girl ...
...parts of Marilla, Matthew and Anne would be hard to find. Characters come to vivid life onscreen and turn into breathing, living beings whose relationships feel genuine and unforced, and we develop a keen fondness for them all.

As Marilla, Colleen Dewhurst gives a finely nuanced, empathetic portrait of the gruff spinster with set ways and a tender core. Subtle hints in her performance betray the softness growing in Marilla’s heart ... more

“That’s the one good thing about me--I never do the same wrong thing twice!”
-- young Anne Shirley, eternal optimist

Left yet again in another orphanage by her latest, wicked foster parent, thirteen-year-old Anne Shirley is dispatched by mistake to the elderly brother and sister Cuthberts, Matthew and Marilla, of the village of Avonlea on beautiful Prince Edward Island. Instead of the boy they had requested to help Matthew with the farm chores, the Cuthberts get a skinny little girl with a nonstop mouth, flaming red hair and a temper to match. Not having the heart to send her back, the Cuthberts decide to give her a try. After a bumpy trial period (of which Marilla says to Anne, “When I said trial, I had no idea you'd take me literally.”), Marilla and Matthew decide to take her in to live with them in Green Gables, to the girl’s eternal delight and gratitude. Henceforth, life in Green Gables will cease to have a single dull moment.

Thus begins the excellent TV miniseries based on one of the most beloved children’s stories of the last century. Penned by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery almost a hundred years ago, “Anne of Green Gables” would be the first of eight books relating the life and adventures from adolescence through adulthood of the spunky orphan called Anne—spelled most emphatically with an “e”.

Know this: I generally avoid so-called “family movies” and their “inspirational” kin, since far too many of them bear one or more fatal flaws; stereotypical two-dimensional creatures, predictable plotlines, forced humor (that of late also dips into tastelessness), and most annoying of all, lethal doses of schmaltz--that false, manipulative and maudlin sentimentality meant to draw cheap tears and reflexive “awwwww”s from audiences.

I’m happy to report that this miniseries has none of these, having had the good fortune to be born outside of Hollywood. Produced by Canada’s CBC, with help from the US’ PBS and Germany’s ZDF, it first aired in the US in 1985 on the PBS Wonderworks program.

Director/writer Kevin Sullivan and co-writer Joe Wiesenfeld have created a splendid adaptation of the book. It’s not a slavish translation, but stays spiritually faithful to the source. The film is set twenty years later than events in the book, characters and scenes are transposed, events condensed, and a few wholly made-up vignettes and transitional scenes are tossed in. Minor characters are fleshed out and loose plot elements tightened. Finally, a coherence and flow are added to Montgomery’s rather episodic story. The overall results will please even the most skeptical among fervent fans of the book.

Much of “Anne of Green Gables” rests on the hilarious misadventures of poor Anne, burdened with a double whammy of being an orphan and a redhead. Things are not helped by the girl’s frank speech and quick temper, and we come to anticipate with bemused interest what new mess she’ll land in next. A smart and diligent student in school, she's also sincere in her efforts to do what’s right and proper in order to please the stern Marilla and the kind and gentle Matthew. Through it all, she remains on the lookout for “bosom friends” and “kindred spirits,” gaining many pals in Avonlea.

There are loads of Anne-inspired comic situations that will sometimes leave you roaring with laughter, while the moments of sentiment are leavened with wit and humor. However, I think the film accomplishes its greatest feat in the scenes of deep emotion and sorrow. The drama here is straightforward and never overplayed. Audiences are moved to tears, yet the film never descends into the abominable, soggy depths of bathos—hardly an easy task in a “family film.” Hagood Hardy’s lovely soundtrack provides a fine complement to the onscreen goings-on, with its exquisite mix of gentle sweetness and melancholy that manages to avoid a dreadful mawkishness.

The wonderful Montgomery tale is further enhanced by superb casting and pitch-perfect performances. Finer choices for the parts of Marilla, Matthew and Anne would be hard to find. Characters come to vivid life onscreen and turn into breathing, living beings whose relationships feel genuine and unforced, and we develop a keen fondness for them all.

As Marilla, Colleen Dewhurst gives a finely nuanced, empathetic portrait of the gruff spinster with set ways and a tender core. Subtle hints in her performance betray the softness growing in Marilla’s heart for her trouble-prone charge. In the exchanges between Anne and Marilla, the mood can switch from touching to humorous and back with agile delicacy. And although we come to expect some reaction from Marilla with Anne’s every new folly, Dewhurst’s continual expressions of exasperation always sound fresh and spontaneous. Despite multiple viewings, none of the scenes ever grow old.

Richard Farnsworth defines the shy and gentle Matthew Cuthbert with seemingly little effort. His aw-shucks manner and speech endear his Matthew to us without being corny in the least. In quiet scenes of poignancy between Matthew and Anne we see in his soft eyes his deep, unending affection for “his little girl,” whose chatty enthusiasm wins him over very early on. Like Dewhurst’s Marilla and Megan Follows’ Anne, Farnsworth will be fondly remembered by many as the one and only true Matthew Cuthbert on film.

As the well-intentioned teen with the boundless imagination and optimism, young Megan Follows has created a wonderful Anne Shirley that will be an extremely tough one to beat. Watching Follows as Anne, we see why everyone who gets to know her can’t help but open their hearts to the Cuthberts' young charge. Just sixteen years old when she was cast for the part among thousands of hopefuls, she gives a solid and winning portrayal of the talky and spirited young redhead who matures from a childish twelve-year-old at the beginning of the film to a young woman of sixteen at the end. There isn’t a trace of irony in her portrayal of the young, romance-obsessed, daydreaming Anne. One can almost touch that core of strength inside Anne, who has known little love and much hardship and deprivation in her young life. Follows captures the wide-eyed innocence of the younger Anne without condescension, and assumes the more confident, grown-up ways and attitude of the older Anne with ease. Since scenes are normally shot in disorienting, non-chronological order, the thoroughly convincing evolution of Anne over the three hours of screen time is nothing short of remarkable. That her presence is required in almost all scenes impresses us even more. Follows stays true to her character’s varying age and situation at all times, and pulls off the role with the skill and flair of veterans in the business.

Schuyler Grant is Diana Barry, the shyer, ladylike and soft-spoken girl with the raven black tresses—and Anne’s “bosom friend.” Theirs is an authentic onscreen friendship of giddy and overdramatically inclined young girls. One favorite scene (among so many) is that of the girls playing proper grown-ups when Anne invites Diana over for afternoon tea. Of course, the visit ends on a humorous and somewhat catastrophic note. Follows and Grant carry off the extended scene with a delightfully nuanced sincerity and sweetness—and impeccable comic timing.

As Gilbert Blythe, Anne’s class rival and avowed “enemy"—for committing the unforgivable sin of calling Anne “Carrots” for her red hair—film neophyte Jonathan Crombie projects an innocent, boyish charm with a tiny, mischievous twinkle in his eye. Scenes of Anne and Gilbert‘s love-hate relationship (with the hate part really a one-sided affair) radiate a perfect chemistry of shyness and pride, humor and affection. Of no small import is the engaging element of tension that’s forever brewing between the two.

Likewise escaping banality are Patricia Hamilton’s turn as Marilla’s friend, the self-righteous nosy parker Rachel Lynde who surpasses even Anne in outspokenness, but really means well. Marilyn Lightstone’s excellent portrayal of Anne’s mentor, Miss Stacy, reminded me of a favorite teacher from long ago, one who pushed her students with a firm hand to do their best, and gave them generous, sincere smiles of encouragement. Paul Brown's hilarious-yet-serious take on nerdy teacher Mr. Phillips also deserves mention. Then there’s Charmion King as the cantankerous Aunt Josephine who surprises even herself when she finds “the Anne-girl” to her liking.

Longtime “Anne” fans will love the recreations of episodes from the book; others will just have rollicking fun with Anne’s adventures in Avonlea. Find out why Anne has to apologize to Mrs. Lynde early on; what is it that drives her to crack a slate over Gilbert’s head in class; what she does to her hair in a fit of desperation; which incident causes Mrs. Barry to banish Anne from her house and the company of her daughter Diana, and what will prompt her to change her mind; how Anne ends up hilariously attempting to preserve her pride when a stunt of Tennyson make-believe goes awry; and many more incidents that show us why Matthew and Marilla come to conclude that the asylum’s mistake in sending the wrong orphan was in reality a Providential act.

By the end of this miniseries, Anne and her young friends will be nearing adulthood and leave much of their childish ways behind. Larger life concerns filled with both sadness and hope enter their lives, and we are left to wonder about what new, bigger adventures await these characters whom we’ve come to know and love.

Modern readers and audiences both young and old continue to be drawn to this century-old story for its idyllic view of village life in a time before excessive busy-ness and materialism would dominate the day. One gleans lessons in character-building and the realities of life that help make “Anne of Green Gables” more than just a tale of a young girl’s amusing antics. To the credit of the filmmakers—and of Lucy Maud Montgomery—it’s subtlety, and not insufferable moral preachiness, that wins the day. Furthermore, Montgomery’s unconventional advocacy of strong, smart, independent women who upset social conventions comes through in the character of Anne. Yet things never get overbearing. Young girls, especially, might even be inspired by Anne’s story to a similar feistiness and goodness of purpose while having a jolly good time with the film.

Trust me on this one: this charming Canadian TV production might be the best film adaptation ever of an extremely popular children’s classic. Don’t miss it. See it and share it with family and friends. Despite its running length of 195 minutes, you’ll still be left wanting to see more about our heroine and her friends. Many non-readers have been known to rush out to get the book soon after seeing the film. The unexpected success of the film prompted Kevin Sullivan to reunite the cast to make a sequel two years later (“Anne of Green Gables--the Sequel” or “Anne of Avonlea” as it was called in the States). And if it isn’t obvious yet, I very highly recommended this film for all and sundry, without reservations.

* * * DVD Extras: * * *

Missing Scenes:
Scenes shot for the German TV broadcast featuring the ZDF producers’ choice of actors for a couple of minor characters; few are indispensable to the integrity of the film.

Lost Footage:
Scenes shot but unused due to technical constraints and problems. There’s a funny bit in there involving Megan Follows and an uncooperative film prop.

Megan Follows’ Audition:
Home video quality footage of Follows’ screen test, in which we already see the Anne Shirley of the final film just from her line readings. A really nice extra.

Behind-the-Scenes Short:
A very short TV news feature on the shoot made by the CBC.

Cast and Crew Biographies:
Brief stills with basic information on the main cast members and the director.

Director’s Commentary:
The best reason to get the DVD. Director Kevin Sullivan and editor Mairin Wilkinson treat you to delightful and amusing insider bits about conditions and incidents on the shoot, thoughts on the actors and their performances, the script, locations, cinematography, etc. An example: apparently the filming and editing of the sad scenes left the crew, and the editor, in tears.

 

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