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In a departure from L.M. Montgomery's book series, this third TV movie jumps ahead to World War I and puts Anne and her beloved Gilbert smack in the middle of it. Instead of marrying Gilbert after her teaching days--as she does in the books--Anne spends a disillusioning year with him in New York City, and then the couple quickly marries before the good doctor ships out to France. (In the book
Rilla of Ingleside, Anne's sons go to war and her youngest daughter is separated from her sweetheart.) Impetuous as ever, Anne joins the Red Cross and crosses the pond to track down her husband when his letters are returned unread. What follows is an adventure that takes her through battle zones--where the bodies pile up faster than you can say
Saving Private Ryan--and on to London with a half-orphaned baby, her best friend's injured husband, and a tangle of international intrigue. Fans of the 10-book series may balk at the divergences and the fact that very little time is spent on Prince Edward Island. But the book's unrestrained romanticism and unapologetic sentimentality remain intact, as well as the surviving cast of the prior two movies, most notably Megan Follows as Anne and Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert. This movie, produced in 2000, clocks in at 185 minutes and is suitable for ages 9 and older.
--Kimberly Heinrichs
Synopsis
Megan Follows, who literally grew up before the viewers' eyes as star of the Canadian TV series Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, returns to the role of Lucy Maud Montgomery's plucky Canadian lass Anne Shirley in this four-hour TV miniseries. In the second decade of the 20th century, all grown up and a professional schoolteacher, Anne returns to Prince Edward Island after the death of her mentor, Marilla Cutherbert (played by the late Coleen Dewhurst in stock-footage flashbacks). Soon thereafter, Anne heads to New York City, intending to marry her physician fianc, Gilbert Blythe (Jonathan Crombie), and, hopefully, to find success as an author. Alas, Anne's first manuscript is stolen by charming scoundral, Jack Garrison Jr. (Cameron Daddo), while Gilbert is defeated by the internal politicking and red tape of a big-city hospital. The couple is about to relocate to their native Canada when WWI breaks out, whereupon Gilbert dutifully signs up for military service. When word arrives that Gilbert is missing in action, Anne courageously heads off to wartorn France in hopes of finding her husband -- only to become mixed up in an espionage plot that also involves the redoubtable Jack Garrison. Originally telecast in Canada beginning March 5, 2000, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story was seen in the United States courtesy of PBS on July 23 and 30, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
DVD ~ Megan Follows
DVD ~ Megan Follows
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