Anne of Green Gables
Reviewed by Gordon Kearns
I started watching Anne of Green Gables fully expecting to be dulled out by three hours of a sweet cutesy Pollyanna clone sort. Anne Shirley ("That's 'Anne' with an 'e'," she insisted) was no one's Pollyanna. Sure, she was a dreamer, a hopeless romantic (we first see her coming home from the market reading her secret copy of "The Lady of Shalott"), and a determined optimist. She was open, honest, and frank with her opinions - for which she got into trouble more than a few times, just as her fiery temper often landed her in hot water. And not one bit shy about expressing herself. There was no hidden secret in her soul. All her hopes, fears, dreams, angers were laid out in the open in front of god and everybody. Which presented quite a challenge for Megan Follows, who played Anne. What subtleties are left? But for all of Anne's self-confident, tough, hopeful mien, Megan beautifully projected her desperate need for love and acceptance. The heart of Anne is exposed in an early scene with Mathew Cuthbert (Richard Farnsworth). Anne had been ordered by Matthew's sister to apologize to a cruel-mouthed neighbor for reacting so angrily to the neighbor's insults. Anne refuses, saying she'd prefer being sent back to the hated orphanage. The soft-spoken Matthew comes to her, asking her if she can just sort-of apologize, because he doesn't want her to leave. Realizing that she is wanted is all Anne needs to accept doing what she must do to stay. A beautiful, tender, revealing scene. The movie tells the story of Anne from her last days at the orphanage at thirteen, to when she was sixteen, readying for teachers' college. In those days the lot of an orphan was not in any way charming. In the institution, one had to press tooth and nail for the attention he/she wanted. Beat, or be beaten. Older girls like Anne were assigned to homes needing the free labor of that age girl (housework, taking care of children, etc.). The reputation of orphans would have kept a real Daddy Warbucks well away from his Orphan Annie. Anne herself is finally freed from the institution and assigned to a brother-sister couple on Prince Edward Island (Mathew and Marilla Cuthbert); mistakenly so assigned, because they had asked for a boy to help with farm chores. Anne doesn't take being pushed away easily, and pulls out all her tricks to make sure she stays. She's not so much taken in by the couple as she inserts herself into their life. Tough, she may be, but it's that genuine honesty and openness, and her intelligence, and those unflagging positive romantic dreams of hers that win Anne their love ... and the love of many others whose paths cross hers on Prince Edward for the next three years. It wasn't an easy accomplishment for her: the prejudice against orphans and redheads was a powerful force back then. It's more than just the story of Anne, however. It's the story of the community and its regular-people inhabitants (no stereotypical quaint folk here; even the busybody xxx has a heart); and of Marilla and Mathew Cuthbert, the lonely people who took her in; and of Anne's beautiful and lasting friendship with the diffident Diana, her polar opposite; and of a teacher who recognizes Anne's potential; and Diana's influential aunt, who realizes the priceless value of such a human. Excellent acting all around. Tight direction. Fabulous cinematography (what a beautiful place that island must be). I've added Anne (with an "e") to my list of favorite characters ever.
Directed by Kevin Sullivan
Megan Follows as Anne
Colleen Dewhurst as Marilla
Richard Farnsworth as Mathew
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