Customer Reviews

Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you watch the opening scene of "Anne of Avonlea" (or the "Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel" or "Part II" or whatever it is being called this time around) you will see Anne Shirley bicycle by Dalvay by the Sea, the "White Sands" hotel from the "Avonlea" series. I mention this because I stayed at the hotel for a couple of days at the start of my vacation here on PEI, where I picked up both of the "Anne" DVDs after seeing the musical version of the first novel in Charlottetown. 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 the director's commentary. There are a few missing scenes, several of which are alternative takes, and some behinds the scenes still photographs, but the chief charm here is listening to director Kevin Sullivan talk to the film's editor about the production (she does not have much to say; I think she was there to give Sullivan a real person to talk to during the almost four hour film). From this commentary you will learn where many of the scenes were shot on PEI but mostly around Toronto (I intended to track down several of them on the journey home from PEI), what he took (and why) from the three Lucy Maud Montgomery novels this film was based on, Dame Wendy Hiller's accident that almost made her quit the film and the scene she insisted Sullivan shoot for her, and loads of other fascinating little details about the production and the performances. This is certainly an above average commentary track and fans of the film will not be disappointed. It would be nice if the DVD features closed-captioning, which I like to turn on while doing the director's commentary, but despite this rather odd omission, I think fans will enjoy this addition to their collection. Besides, it is not like we have not already pretty much memorized the entire show.

I watched ANNE OF AVONLEA again last night; it is beautiful beyond words. I am particularly moved by the title character's kindness and her ability to touch and even transform the lives of those around her. One of my favorite episodes in the movie involves the relationship between Anne and Miss Katherine Brooke, the headmistress of the school at which Anne teaches English literature. Miss Brooke is a bitter woman who is rude to Anne at first; Anne does not like Miss Brooke much either but tries to be kind to her anyway. Finally, Miss Brooke accepts Anne's invitation to stay at Avonlea over the summer, and in Avonlea she finally begins to find peace and to accept Anne's friendship. All of this happens because Anne does not really believe that anyone is beyond redemption, even an embittered person like Miss Brooke. These scenes are made all the more efffective by the superb acting of Megan Follows as Anne and of Rosemary Dunsmore as Miss Brooke. There is so much more to say about ANNE OF AVONLEA; it has so many interesting and important characters and so many great themes. I don't exaggerate when I say that the movie has changed my life.

Once again Kevin Sullivan has transformed our Anne from paper to the screen without leaving her spirit out. Megan Follows continues to shine in her portrayal of Anne. The DVD a most have for Anne fans with bonus material that only Avonlea fans can appreciate.

Salut, alors voilà... Étant une grande fan d'Anne la maison aux pignons verts. Pour avoir rêvé et enregistré tous les épisodes quand j'étais toute jeune... Je suis extrêmement heureuse de me les procurer enfin et ce en dvd. J'ai enfin le «Total package».

Alors avis aux francophones, Québécois, qui veulent se les procurer mais ne savent pas si les 3 dvd d'anne sont en français... Hey bien OUI! FRANÇAIS, ANGLAIS et ESPAGNOL. Et que dire de l'économie, près de 30-40$ comparativement à l'achat en ville. Et que dire du service de livraison, même celui qui est gratuit, est rapide. De 3 à 4 jours pour la livraison. Allez, Fan inconditionnel, n'attendez plus!

Thanks, enjoyed the viewing of the sequel to Anne of g.g.
The video was in great condition. will order from same company again.

As a young girl I was captivated by the character of Anne with an "e". Now it's fun to watch my daughter enjoying the same movie. I like being able to watch a movie as a family without having to fastforward any questionable scenes.

Anne of Avonlea, also called Anne of Green Gables the Sequel is a wonderful movie and just as good as the first movie! In this movie Anne leaves home to take a job teaching English to some snotty rich girls who give her a hard time but she soon wins them over and soon Morgan Harris the father of one of her students falls for Anne and courts her. The father played by Frank Converse is quite a bit older then Anne and my aunt kept rooting for him but having read the books and knowing who Anne's true love is I of course rooted for her beloved Gilbert. Megan Follows once again gave a wonderful performance as Anne and I highly recommend this movie and also the first movie. The only movie in this series that I was disappointed in was the third movie the Continuing story but the first two movies are very good! I could be wrong but I don't recall the character Morgan Harris being in the books and I think he may have been an added character to the movie. I do think that the actor playing him was quite handsome in a rugged sort of way but Jonathan Crombie who played Gilbert was cute too.

I would rate this sequel with 5 stars... I have the set on VHS and it was starting to show signs of wear! However, the coloring from the transfer is a bit exaggerated--greens and orange skin tones dominate this film in many of the scenes (but not all of them.) I suspect it's just a factor of the quality of the transfering company. Another disappointment is the inability to jump from chapter to chapter... but these are minor details. It's easy to overlook these flaws and just enjoy the film!

Ever since I read the Anne books and saw the movies when I was small, her stories have been such a wonderful comfort. I have always wanted to be like Anne, evious of those with red hair. While it is not exactly like the books, the script stays close enough that the essence of the stories are still there, and the changes, if anything enhance the story. I think this is my favorite of the three movies. I really like the part of the story where Anne is teaching at Kingsport Ladies' College. And the romance between Anne and Gilbert is wonderful. The first movie is also very good. It's so much fun laughing along with Anne over all of the scrapes she gets herself into. The third movie is my least favorite of the three, because it is the least like any of the books. But it still manages to move me to tears, frustration, anger, and happiness, which is a sure sign of a good movie.
So to anyone who is considering this movie, and you haven't seen it before, wait no longer. To those who liked the first or read the books- you wont be disappointed!!

Anne of Green Gables, and its corresponding movies all touched my heart like no other movies ever have before. You could watch this movie and never bore of Anne's wittiness and Gilbert's everlasting love for her.

What's especially nice is that the movies are filmed in the same place, and appropriately. Also, I think it's fun to see Anne and Gilbert and the rest of the crew grow older. It makes you feel like you really know Anne and the people of Avonlea. This makes it a better movie to watch with family and friends.
The books have become classics, and hopefully these movies will too!

Although the movies don't follow the books all the way through, they are still definite must-see movies. I am actually suprised that no one walked away with any awards for these movies...