Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Anne Of Green Gables - The Sequel



Great movie; Sullivan Entertainment can't do quality DVDs!!!
First of all, "Anne of Green Gables-- The Sequel" is merely the Canadian name for "Anne of Avonlea", as it was renamed in the States. I see a lot of reviews here which slam the third movie, but that was "Anne of Green Gables-- The Continuing Story". I won't argue with this slammage, but the Amazon DVD offering at issue here seems, by the title and the photo, to be "Anne of Avonlea/Anne of Green Gables-- The Sequel". So on to my review:

I think this movie is a gem; quiet intensity and charm. You can read a million reviews of that aspect here: I'm concentrating on the disc quality, since no one else seems to.

First of all: this disc is a "flipper" (you have to flip the DVD over in the middle of the movie), but people accustomed to changing tapes in the middle of the show on the old VHS version aren't going to whine that much when they have to do the DVD equivalent. I know I didn't.

That said, the picture quality is the worst I've ever seen. Yes, the *worst*. Worse even...

Equally as charming as the first one
"Anne of Avonlea" is a brilliant companion to the original "Anne of Green Gables." This sequel combines the next THREE novels in the series --- "Anne of Avonlea," "Anne of the Island," and "Anne of Windy Poplars." Several characters are combined to make ONE specific character, but the story still remains very much Anne's story.

Now a little older, having taught at the public school in Avonlea for a while, Anne decides to try her hand at teaching at a private school in Kingsport --- a wealthy town mainly run by a particular set, the Pringles. It's a new and daunting experience --- especially considering that she can't seem to win over the students or the school board --- but her stubbornnes won't allow her to give up, and she charges forward with her usual determination.

There are several new characters, but we still have appearances by the old ones. We meet Morgan Harris, his intelligent daughter Emmeline, his mother and his sister, and of course we meet...

I know you already own this, but you want the commentary
The original mini-series of "Anne of Green Gables" ended with Anne (Megan Follows) on speaking terms with Gilbert (Jonathan Crombie), but still the only person in Avonlea who does not know that the two of them are meant to live happily ever after. "Anne of Green Gables" is adapted by writer-director Kevin Sullivan from the second, third, and fourth novels in the series, drawing primarily on the last one, "Anne of Windy Poplars" for her experiences teaching at a girl's school. There is also a major subplot regarding a rich widower who seems to offer Anne everything she has ever wanted that is largely Sullivan's creation; Morgan Harris (Frank Converse) is much older than Anne's other beau in the series. The important thing is that he keeps the ending of "Anne of the Island."

I am sure most of you love all of the Anne books and the first two films, which means the issue is why you should also pick up the DVD versions. The answer is simply...

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