Anne of Green Gables (2016) - General Discussion

[SomeTameGazelle]

I have a lot of issues with the 1985 Megan Follows version, so I am looking forward to this new version (airing Monday Feb 15 on YTV in Canada). With Martin Sheen as Matthew Cuthbert and Sara Botsford as Marilla.

 

Diane Wild at TV, eh? said she was disappointed in the low level of Gilbert (which actually makes sense to me in the context of the first book) and surprised at the amount of Matthew. I am concerned that Matthew won't seem shy enough, but am hoping that low expectations will lead to my being pleasantly surprised.

 

I wonder if this Mrs Lynde will actually be, you know, fat.

 

http://www.torontosun.com/2016/02/10/ella-ballentine-embraces-the-past-in-anne-of-green-gables

 

ETA: found this promo clip. Looks like Mrs Lynde is pretty skinny and Diana Barry's hair isn't exactly raven black, but other than that it doesn't look terrible.

Edited February 10, 2016 by SomeTameGazelle

[ulkis]

ETA: found this promo clip. Looks like Mrs Lynde is pretty skinny and Diana Barry's hair isn't exactly raven black, but other than that it doesn't look terrible.

 

At least Marilla seems skinny though? I forget what she's like in that bad 1934 movie but in both the Kevin Sullivan movie and the 75 BBC series she's large. Which, I love both actresses who played her but it's a nice change of pace to see an actress more to Marilla's description.

[stlbf]

In the case of the Sullivan '85 series, I don't think that the book's description of Marilla mattered one bit. They landed Colleen Dewhurst and she was just wonderful in my mind. I guess I will be waiting to see if PBS or some cable channel picks it up to air in the US. Me know if it is worth watching. I thank my lucky stars that I skipped the last reimagining of an Anne series.

[jah1986]

At least Marilla seems skinny though? I forget what she's like in that bad 1934 movie but in both the Kevin Sullivan movie and the 75 BBC series she's large. Which, I love both actresses who played her but it's a nice change of pace to see an actress more to Marilla's description.

Do you mean the 1934 movie with the actress who renamed herself Anne Shirley? That Marilla was kind of plump and Diana was a blonde if I recall correctly.

Edited February 12, 2016 by jah1986

[ulkis]

Do you mean the 1934 movie with the actress who renamed herself Anne Shirley? That Marilla was kind of plumb and Diana was a blonde if I recall correctly.

Yeah, I do. Thanks!

[SomeTameGazelle]

Melanie Fishbane gave it a really positive review at Cinefilles.

 

In the case of the Sullivan '85 series, I don't think that the book's description of Marilla mattered one bit. They landed Colleen Dewhurst and she was just wonderful in my mind.

 

 

It's not always wrong to cast differently from the book description, but it's also nice when the portrayal captures the mental image you have from the book. Ella Ballentine isn't a natural redhead but a lot of people would have a hard time if Anne weren't presented as one, especially since the fact is important to the hair-dyeing incident and to a lesser extent Gilbert's "Carrots!". Rachel Lynde's fatness isn't critical but if she's not fat then you can't keep the line in the scene when Anne insults her.

 

It turns out that the actress playing Mrs Lynde (Kate Hennig) is someone I saw recently onstage playing Tesman's aunt in Hedda Gabler. I wasn't crazy about the production but she was perfectly fine -- and she may not be as slender as I thought she was based on the promo, because upon reviewing it looks like it is Marilla in the foreground of the scene and Mrs Lynde off to the side a bit in the dark, so it's hard to tell.

[briochetwist]

I have a lot of issues with the 1985 Megan Follows version, so I am looking forward to this new version (airing Monday Feb 15 on YTV in Canada). With Martin Sheen as Matthew Cuthbert and Sara Botsford as Marilla.

 

Diane Wild at TV, eh? said she was disappointed in the low level of Gilbert (which actually makes sense to me in the context of the first book) and surprised at the amount of Matthew. I am concerned that Matthew won't seem shy enough, but am hoping that low expectations will lead to my being pleasantly surprised.

 

I'm completely the opposite, I couldn't love the 1985 version more. No one will ever replace Colleen Dewhurst and Richard Farnsworth in my heart as Marilla and Matthew. And Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe was the love of my teenage life. Nope. It was perfection, I don't know why they're messing with it.

[punkypower]

I'm with briochetwist. When I saw this thread, I was stunned. The PBS version and books were such huge parts of my childhood. RIP Colleen, Richard, and Jonathan.

 

I just can't with remakes, especially my loves. Can't.

[ulkis]

I don't think it's supposed to be a re-make though or messing with it. Just another adaptation of the book. Most classics have tons of adaptations. I am surprised Anne has so few, actually. But I never saw the movie as a kid, though, so I while I like it, I'm not super attached to it. 

 

In any case, I don't think it will displace the 1985 version at all. In fact, it will probably lead more people to it.

Edited February 15, 2016 by ulkis

[stlbf]

I don't think it's supposed to be a re-make though or messing with it. Just another adaptation of the book. Most classics have tons of adaptations. I am surprised Anne has so few, actually. But I never saw the movie as a kid, though, so I while I like it, I'm not super attached to it.

In any case, I don't think it will displace the 1985 version at all. In fact, it will probably lead more people to it.

The '85 series was what made me fall head over heels in love with the whole book series. Without watching the mini series, I highly doubt that I would've gone out and discovered the books. My 8th grade English teacher had it on tape and we watched it as a last week of school with nothing left to do, time killer. I will forever thank him for doing it. I truly do love the tv series. Megan Follows still is Anne for me. It is just too bad that Sullivan has done out and done his best to try and ruin everything else LMM written he decided to touch. Jane of Lantern Hill? Nothing as it should've been. I can't even talk about Anne 3.

And that last reimagining, of that Marilla lying about Anne's father? Refuse to watch it. Anne 3 is still only semi bleached from my brain.

Edited February 15, 2016 by stlbf

[SomeTameGazelle]

Just finished watching it. I liked Ella Ballentine a lot as Anne but overall it felt like there wasn't enough time to flesh out most of the characters outside Green Gables. Only a few of Anne's scrapes were covered and

they moved the decision to keep Anne at Green Gables to after the Christmas concert for extra drama including a desperate 11th hour rush to the train station.

If Gilbert is your favourite thing there is not enough of him and he's really just a kid. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see how it made Anne fiercely competitive at school -- in fact she makes some depressing remark about the pursuit of education no longer having meaning.

My understanding is that's all there is, which is a pity because there is a lot more story left in the first book,

[briochetwist]

If Gilbert is your favourite thing there is not enough of him and he's really just a kid. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see how it made Anne fiercely competitive at school -- in fact she makes some depressing remark about the pursuit of education no longer having meaning.

 

So he's no Jonathan Crombie then? Damn, I loved me some Jonathan Crombie...

[SimoneS]

 IP Colleen, Richard, and Jonathan.

 

Damn. I had no idea that Jonathan Crombie had died until I saw your post. He was so young. I loved him as Gilbert.

Edited February 16, 2016 by SimoneS

[Lilac2000]

We gave up pretty quickly...shortly after Marilla said her name was short for Amaryllis. That may very well be but LM Montgomery never wrote that. Really glad we didn't get to the train station scene. The first Megan Follows miniseries is practically perfect. Richard Farnsworth was Matthew hands down. The 2nd miniseries was pretty good (added love interest with daughter not withstanding). The 3rd one was a travesty. Road to Avonlea was a very sweet show if you just look at it as a show with some characters who happen to have the same names as The Story Girl and The Golden Road. But as I get older I just can't with these adaptations. I am very dubious about the impending series.

[stlbf]

Pretty sure that Marilla was just Marilla. Since that is what Anne and Gilbert call their youngest. Bertha Marilla. After Anne's mother and Marilla. And to think that Rilla wanted to go by her first name!

The lack of school rivalry sounds disappointing to me. Education for girls was usually a big thing in LMM's stories. It was one of the few ways for women to earn a respectable living. Which is why I really do love the Anne and Emily series.

Edited February 17, 2016 by stlbf

[biakbiak]

We gave up pretty quickly...shortly after Marilla said her name was short for Amaryllis. That may very well be but LM Montgomery never wrote that. Really glad we didn't get to the train station scene. The first Megan Follows miniseries is practically perfect. Richard Farnsworth was Matthew hands down. The 2nd miniseries was pretty good (added love interest with daughter not withstanding). The 3rd one was a travesty. Road to Avonlea was a very sweet show if you just look at it as a show with some characters who happen to have the same names as The Story Girl and The Golden Road. But as I get older I just can't with these adaptations. I am very dubious about the impending series.

The first miniseries is straight up perfection. It's isn't always true to the plot of the books but it always true to it's spirit, sometimes it improves on the plot. He doesn't get enough credit but Richard Farnsworth is Matthew and like his character in the books with only a few words he shows his love for his sister and his Anne-girl.

I understand that Anne as a child is iconic but I really don't get the need to recreate it. Push on into the books with the kids in the forefront and an Anne and Gilbert in the background so no one has to live up to expectations of past performances.

[ulkis]

We gave up pretty quickly...shortly after Marilla said her name was short for Amaryllis. That may very well be but LM Montgomery never wrote that. 

 

Is that supposed to be funny, I guess?

 

I don't think the 1985 mini-series is perfection at all, even though I like it a great deal so I'm open to other adaptations. The 1985 one goes a bit off the rails imo when Gilbert starts taking Anne buggy riding and Marilla gets all cranky about it.

 

I understand that Anne as a child is iconic but I really don't get the need to recreate it. Push on into the books with the kids in the forefront and an Anne and Gilbert in the background so no one has to live up to expectations of past performances.

 

I wish someone would do Anne of the Island or at least Anne's House of Dreams. Anne's House of Dreams is a bit ridiculously melodramatic, but I still think it would make a good tv film. I think it would be interesting if instead of

having Dick turn out to be George they let him stay Dick, the surgery improves him but they let Leslie divorce him

.

[BatmanBeatles]

 

The 1985 one goes a bit off the rails imo when Gilbert starts taking Anne buggy riding and Marilla gets all cranky about it.

I don't remember that.

[SomeTameGazelle]

I don't think the 1985 mini-series is perfection at all, even though I like it a great deal so I'm open to other adaptations. The 1985 one goes a bit off the rails imo when Gilbert starts taking Anne buggy riding and Marilla gets all cranky about it.

 

 

The niggling things I remember being annoyed about in the first series which was not as badly wrong as the second one included Diana retching in the garden after Anne gives her the currant wine. And when they are tearfully saying goodbye because Diana's mother has forbidden them to associate any more, Diana was made to stupidly misunderstand the word tresses when Anne asks for a lock of hair as a keepsake.

 

In the 2016 movie I looked askance at the part where they made Diana whimsical and bookish in order to make her more like Anne, since Diana in the books is always clearly different from Anne and mostly follows her lead. (For example Anne in the book lets Diana name the Birch Path even though she is clearly disappointed in how unimaginative a name that is.) In general I really missed the whole feeling of Avonlea and its various characters.

 

 

I wish someone would do Anne of the Island or at least Anne's House of Dreams. Anne's House of Dreams is a bit ridiculously melodramatic, but I still think it would make a good tv film. I think it would be interesting if instead of

having Dick turn out to be George they let him stay Dick, the surgery improves him but they let Leslie divorce him

.

 

I would rather see the melodramatic version if they want to claim they are doing an Anne story . . . although the alternative might make an interesting story in its own right. I would really love to see The Blue Castle if it could be done well and faithfully, and including Roaring Abel and Cissy Gray.

[ulkis]

I would rather see the melodramatic version if they want to claim they are doing an Anne story . . . although the alternative might make an interesting story in its own right. I would really love to see The Blue Castle if it could be done well and faithfully, and including Roaring Abel and Cissy Gray.

 

There's nothing wrong with melodramatic version per se, but I suspect Montgomery has

Dick turn into George because she probably would not have been allowed to get away with Leslie getting a divorce

 

I don't remember that.

 

It's towards the end of the first movie.

[stlbf]

There's nothing wrong with melodramatic version per se, but I suspect Montgomery has

Dick turn into George because she probably would not have been allowed to get away with Leslie getting a divorce

Yup. People in those times just didn't get a divorce. Look at Jane of Lantern Hill. Her parents were apart for years. Or half of couples in A Tangled Web.

And that book is a series just begging to be made. I love A Tangled Web. With the year time limit, all of couples, betrayal, pride and pettiness. I think it would be pretty easy to make into a mini series or even into a regular limited series.

[shipmate]

I wanted to like this.  I really did.  It just wasn't Anne of Green Gables to me.

[whatsatool]

Just saw the Thanksgiving double header with Pollyana. Are they both Edwardian or Victorian? So redheads were the Muslims of the turn of the century./sn

[JudyObscure]

The series starring Megan Follows and Richard Farnsworth as Matthew is one of my favorite things, so squeezing so much into 90 minutes seemed very rushed to me.  The scenery was beautiful though.

[SusanSunflower]

The reviews were rather baleful. I gave it a pass.  I'd rather remember Megan Follows and Colleen Dewhurst, rather than trifle with that memory. 

[jrlr]

I loved the books so much when I was a kid that I shy away from screen versions completely!

[howiveaddict]

Did not care for this version.  Hated all the giggling by Anne.  That was not her character.  Also, too rushed.  Have to watch the old series again.

[mehtotheworld]

On 2/20/2016 at 8:02 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

I would really love to see The Blue Castle if it could be done well and faithfully, and including Roaring Abel and Cissy Gray.

Someone please get on this! Just not whomever was in charge of this adaptation, because it had none of the charm, warmth, heart, etc., of the original Sullivan productions. My god, what a bore. I'm not too upset because it just seemed so lazy. It's what I would expect to see in a cheap, straight to DVD release. I'm just going to ignore that this thing ever aired.

[Shanna Marie]

I DVRed it. Should I just delete it and preserve my memories of the One, True Anne?

[chitowngirl]

It was a lot of book to put into 90 minutes. They hit the highlights.  It was Anne of Green Gables light.

[chitowngirl]

There was a lot of book to put into 90 minutes. They hit the highlights. It was Anne of Green Gables light.

[mehtotheworld]

13 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

I DVRed it. Should I just delete it and preserve my memories of the One, True Anne?

See if you can get through the first 10 minutes without wanting to just delete and pull out a copy of the original Sullivan miniseries. I forced myself to slog through it to see if there was anything memorable, but it was all blah to me.

[Suzysite]

I kept thinking that this is like Return to Oz in comparison to the original.   Too gritty and dirty.  No warmth or fun.   I prefer my Anne to be light and sweet and not so full of depressing realism.   And Martin Sheen just isn't Matthew. 

[HoodlumSheep]

Having never read the books or watched the original (and most beloved) series, I thought it was decently cute.

I'm not unspoiled to the series though, because the story's so famous.

Having said that, you could tell they were rushing through stuff at hyper speed. Heck, they completely skipped autumn, save for a quick flash of orange leaves! I don't know if anything important happens in autumn though. *shrugs*

Did they really have to draw freckles on Anne??? And some of the camera work was questionable.

i was expecting to see more gilbert though, and I don't think I like his casting.

And even though I know this doesn't happen in the books, I was waiting for Matthew to have a heart attack right on the ice with Anne still in the freezing water. I suppose that would have been too traumatizing though. 

I liked Marilla though. 

I'm game for a part 2 if we get it. I know people are super attached to the 80s series, but I'm one of those people who love getting lots and lots of different versions of these kind of books.

So like the zillion different versions of the Jane Austen books. Each version has pros and cons and different things that I like and don't like, but it's fun to compare and analyze them.

And now I'm patiently waiting for a good remake of little house on the prairie. It's time. I want to see little town on the prairie and these happy golden years adapted faithfully (or more faithfully than what the show gave us). I want my laura  & almanzo courting fluff. 

Anyways, I'm totally ready for Green Gable part 2. Bring it. 

Edited November 27, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[Red Bridey]

Martin Sheen was miscast, and I do love Martin Sheen, but he was NOT Matthew.  Richard Farnsworth was much better.  I thought Marilla was fine.  I thought Anne was fine.  Didn't like the look of Gilbert, but was glad because he really didn't have a large part in the book, as Anne ignored/ghosted/"sent him to Coventry" for much of her childhood.  I always loved that, because I'm redheaded Irish and can hold a grudge for decades (What's Irish Alzheimer's?  You forget everything but the grudge!)  And it missed a huge amount of the academic rivalry that drove Anne to beat Gilbert, but for ninety minutes, I guess it was okay.  Anne Lite indeed!

[SlovakPrincess]

I wanted to give this a real shot, because ... well, Martin Sheen.  And the young Anne actress surely gives it her all.  But the whole time I was just itching to pull out my DVD of the 1980s version.

The 1980s version tapped into what was both lovable and aggravating about Anne, and the subtle humor of the characters around her being both drawn to and exasperated by her.  There was also a very warm, cozy feeling to that version and the way it was filmed.

The only humor in this one was, I guess, the weird and pointless scene where Matthew falls into a puddle of pig shit and has to change his clothes.  Drunk Diana was so not funny in this version, either - big disappointment!  Everybody looked sort of beaten down by life in this version, especially Rachel and Marilla (both of whom were actually a source of subtle humor in the earlier version).

Overall, I think trying to pack it into one short installment, increase Matthew's scenes to showcase Sheen, and do only a surface level review of Anne's emotions and relationships was a big mistake.  It felt so rushed.  What was so special about the books and the 1980s version was Anne coming of age, developing her talents as as student and storyteller, and learning to rein in her more melodramatic impulses -- that was missing here. 

[limecoke]

I love all the books and adored the Megan Follows version so, no, I didn't care for this.  Marilla was ok, but that just was not Matthew.  Sheen is a fine actor but he talked too much and was a far cry from the Matthew of the books.  The kid was cute enough but the fake freckles and giddiness didn't work for me.  Megan came the closest to Anne of the books so it will always be the definitive version of the story.  

Edited December 3, 2016 by limecoke

[LiveenLetLive]

I just looked up Megan F.'s age--48!!! wow where did time go>

[jah1986]

So what was this mess? Is it supposed to be a mini-series? I'm honestly confused, they're not stopping there are they? It just seemed so rushed and like the producers said let's be sure to get in all the "big events" Anne getting Diana drunk, Marilla's missing brooch, cracking slate over Gilbert's head etc. It was like paint by numbers and I found I didn't care about anyone.

[stlbf]

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd I think I'll be keeping my decision to skip this new movie version. 

Anne lite is not what I want to watch. AoGG is a hard book to condense down to 90 minutes. Closest comparison I can name off hand would be Harry Potter. And that still cut a lot of stuff out. The main difference in my mind being that HP had a ton more characters in each book. AoGG is truly about a girl growing up in the country, in a small farming village. It is about her growth and adventures with her limited number of folks in her life. So it is damn near impossible to do the story justice in 90 damn minutes. Ninety minutes might be ok to use as a set up for a series. But for the book? Nope.

[McManda]

On 11/26/2016 at 5:43 PM, chitowngirl said:

There was a lot of book to put into 90 minutes. They hit the highlights. It was Anne of Green Gables light.

I finally understand why people hate the Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice. My mom loves the BBC version with Colin Firth and while I've seen it once and thought it was fine, she complained that the Keira Knightley version was too abridged, too bastardized, and just didn't live up to the book or the miniseries she loves.

That was this version of Anne for me. Maybe I'd like it if I didn't love  the Sullivan version and have read the books over and over. It was too short, too compressed, and didn't feel like the Anne that I love.

Also, I know that Anne is young in the first book but I couldn't get past how -young- she was in this version. They did a good job taking Megan Follows from a kid to a young woman as the story progressed. Just another thing that didn't quite hit the mark in this one-on-one I suppose.

Also, that ending? Blah. 

[stlbf]

On Wednesday, December 07, 2016 at 9:42 PM, McManda said:

I finally understand why people hate the Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice. My mom loves the BBC version with Colin Firth and while I've seen it once and thought it was fine, she complained that the Keira Knightley version was too abridged, too bastardized, and just didn't live up to the book or the miniseries she loves.

That was this version of Anne for me. Maybe I'd like it if I didn't love  the Sullivan version and have read the books over and over. It was too short, too compressed, and didn't feel like the Anne that I love.

Also, I know that Anne is young in the first book but I couldn't get past how -young- she was in this version. They did a good job taking Megan Follows from a kid to a young woman as the story progressed. Just another thing that didn't quite hit the mark in this one-on-one I suppose.

Also, that ending? Blah. 

Yup. When dealing with true classic books, it is really hard to cut down the stories for time constraints.  P&P has that problem. I absolutely love the Firth mini series. I actually don't mind the old Greer Garson/Olivier movie version.  Even the Keira Knightley/Matthew McFadden version was ok. But a mini series just gives you so much time to that you can practically show every damn word on screen. It gives depth to the storylines. It is really unfair to compare movies vs mini series.

The thing with AOGG is that it is the life of young girl. We see Anne from age 11 to about 16/17 when she graduates early from Queen's with her teaching certificate. I don't think that any film could do the book justice with even 2 hours. Much less 90 minutes.  Harry Potter took 2 hours+ for each school year. So giving Anne's 45 minutes for telling of her adventures in each of those 5/6 years seems about right.

[M. Darcy]

It was not good.  They made Matthew silly - and Matthew is not silly.  And, nothing against the kid playing Gilbert but he wasn't good looking enough.  Gilbert is supposed to be really really good looking (to quote Zoolander) and he was just cute.

[SomeTameGazelle]

The sequel to this version (Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars) is going to air on YTV in Canada on February 20. I wasn't crazy about the first one but I'm going to give it a try anyway.

I also noticed that a new forum has been added for the upcoming CBC version (just plainly called Anne) coming March 19. There's a thread set up for discussing "other adaptations" as well as the books.

[Camera One]

On 12/5/2016 at 9:43 PM, stlbf said:

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd I think I'll be keeping my decision to skip this new movie version. 

Anne lite is not what I want to watch. AoGG is a hard book to condense down to 90 minutes. 

This movie only covered 1/3 of the book.  They plan to drag out one book into three movies, which is almost the opposite problem.  That's why this first movie didn't have Marilla agree to adopt Anne until the very end.

Edited February 19, 2017 by Camera One

[Camera One]

Did anyone watch "Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars" (the second movie)?  

My PVR cut it off right before the end, when Matthew was helping Marilla who was in bed with a cold compress on her forehead.  Did anything happen after that?  Thanks.

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 2/22/2017 at 0:41 AM, Camera One said:

Did anyone watch "Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars" (the second movie)?  

My PVR cut it off right before the end, when Matthew was helping Marilla who was in bed with a cold compress on her forehead.  Did anything happen after that?  Thanks.

I thought it was only 2 hours, and mine cut off as Anne was drifting away on her Lily Maid raft. I understand there is a third installment airing this summer, so likely they will play this one again sometime before then?

Well. I found this installment a tough slog. Kept stopping and doing something else. Eventually I got so that I was fast-forwarding through anything with Gilbert in it. At this point Anne should still be giving him the complete silent treatment and holding her Carrots grudge amazingly, not being gratified by his attentions to the point where Diana is jealous. The Elaine rescue is supposed to be just the first turning point, after which she starts to regret having put herself in a position where she isn't on good terms with him. And I think it was wrong for many reasons to turn the dramatic game the girls were playing into an actual show that the entire town turned out to see, especially since none of the adults raised any alarm bells when Anne was put out in the swollen water on a raft (while apparently the rest of the play was going to continue for the audience as Elaine disappeared from view?). Having such a crowd seemed to make it more implausible that only Gilbert took any action to rescue her.

I am not actually clear on which of Anne's girl friends other than Diana is who -- the one I think looks like a Ruby Gillis appears to be Josie Pye, but none of them seem to have any particularly defined character traits. And Diana is still too imaginative. One of the points where I had to stop and recover myself before continuing was where Diana accused Anne of daydreaming about Gilbert, and when Anne said that no, she was worrying about the cake she planned to make, Diana assured her that she knew it would be delicious because a fairy had told her. In the book at about the same point, Anne says something whimsical about a dryad and Diana says that dryads aren't real.

At this point I don't feel particularly inclined to bother watching the third one. There were a lot of things I was disappointed in (not getting to see Anne's hair shingled (oy, that hat), Matthew's attack of dementia or whatever, too much dwelling on Mr Phillips' hurt feelings, Marilla thinking wistfully about John Blythe, not enough petty small town gossip and prejudice, Aunt Josephine actually preventing Anne from walking the ridgepole!) and nothing I can think of that gladdened my heart. I mean, I guess I liked the colour of Mrs Allan's blue dress?

[Camera One]

17 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I thought it was only 2 hours, and mine cut off as Anne was drifting away on her Lily Maid raft. I understand there is a third installment airing this summer, so likely they will play this one again sometime before then?

You saw even less than me, then.  I've posted on several forums trying to find out what happened at the end, but it seems like very few people watched this movie.  Did you see the raft go down some waterfalls?  You missed a most ridiculous part.  Gilbert saves Anne, and Anne sees Diana looking jealously, and Anne tells Gilbert, "I can't be such good friends with you anymore.  I'm sorry, Gilbert".  Then, Gilbert says "If you do that, I'll NEVER speak to you again."  The next scene is night-time and Matthew is helping Marilla to bed because she has a headache and then it cut out.  YTV is airing the movie again in March.

Quote

Well. I found this installment a tough slog. Kept stopping and doing something else.

Oh good.  It wasn't just me then.  Though I watched without fast-forwarding.

Quote

At this point Anne should still be giving him the complete silent treatment and holding her Carrots grudge amazingly, not being gratified by his attentions to the point where Diana is jealous.

This was a huge change to Anne's character.  Since they claimed to be faithful to the book, I was quite appalled.

Quote

I am not actually clear on which of Anne's girl friends other than Diana is who -- the one I think looks like a Ruby Gillis appears to be Josie Pye, but none of them seem to have any particularly defined character traits.

Almost every supporting character is unmemorable.  Sometimes, I had trouble identifying which one was Diana.  Josie Pye is the blond.  Practically her only line was daring Anne to walk on the ridgepole.  Miss Stacey and Aunt Josephine might as well have been extras.

Quote

And Diana is still too imaginative.

That bothered me too.  And everyone in the room knew how to spell the word except Anne in that spelling bee.

Quote

At this point I don't feel particularly inclined to bother watching the third one.

They filmed Movie 2 and 3 back-to-back, but Anne still looks like she's 12, so I don't see how they can believably portray her studying at Queen's.

Edited February 25, 2017 by Camera One

[SomeTameGazelle]

24 minutes ago, Camera One said:

You saw even less than me, then.  I've posted on several forums trying to find out what happened at the end, but it seems like very few people watched this movie.  Did you see the raft go down some waterfalls?  You missed a most ridiculous part.  Gilbert saves Anne, and Anne sees Diana looking jealously, and Anne tells Gilbert, "I can't be such good friends with you anymore.  I'm sorry, Gilbert".  Then, Gilbert says "If you do that, I'll NEVER speak to you again." 

 

What the -- ? Wow. I could tell based on the ominous shots of the water flowing over the falls during the preparation for the play that the danger was going to be much more dramatic than in the book. And I figured that since Anne and Gilbert had been on speaking terms for a while their interaction wasn't going to have the same emotional impact for me. But it had not occurred to me that Anne and Gilbert were going to "break up" immediately after the rescue because of Diana's jealousy. (Who was Gilbert's friend meant to be, anyway? Charlie Sloane? Fred Wright? Moody Spurgeon McPherson?)

Did Anne at least get herself from the raft onto a bridge pile before being rescued, or was she helplessly about to be swept over the falls when Gilbert saved the day? Perhaps the raft went over the falls and Anne managed to grab a log and dangle perilously in mid-air until Gilbert came for her?

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Miss Stacey and Aunt Josephine might as well have been extras.

Miss Stacy was more modern and progressive than I had envisioned her. Aunt Josephine wasn't sharp enough. On the whole Avonlea society is very vague and amorphous.

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They filmed Movie 2 and 3 back-to-back, but Anne still looks like she's 12, so I don't see how they can believably portray her studying at Queen's.

And looking at the book, there's not a lot else to cover. (Visit to Aunt Josephine, college prep study, college, home to Green Gables . . . ) Anne's only 16 at the end of the book of course, but I don't think Ella Ballentine can have been more than 15 while they were filming and she does look young. She's still dressed very plainly so maybe doing her clothes and hair differently might make her look slightly more mature.

[Camera One]

She did in an interview in a more grown-up garb and hair but she still looked 12.  

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Did Anne at least get herself from the raft onto a bridge pile before being rescued, or was she helplessly about to be swept over the falls when Gilbert saved the day? Perhaps the raft went over the falls and Anne managed to grab a log and dangle perilously in mid-air until Gilbert came for her?

The small waterfalls occur early in the sequence, then it's a flatter portion again as everyone starts running along the riverbank (though Matthew clamors down closer to the water level).  Eventually, Anne grabs onto some tree branches and suspends in midair, just as Gilbert arrives in his rowboat.  There was no bridge.  I think that's what happened... it's all a bit hazy after 2 hours.

The third movie has 9 chapters to cover.  This movie also did 9 chapters (Ch 19-28, minus Ch 25 on puffed sleeves).  They clearly found enough extra stuff to fill the time, so they'd probably do the same for the third movie.  Maybe a drawn-out reason why Diana can't go with them to Queen's?  More dementia?

Edited February 25, 2017 by Camera One