First broadcast by the BBC on January,
26 1975, this "Anne of Avonlea" miniseries aired in 6 parts
(5 hours and 50 minutes). The sequel miniseries to "Anne
of Green Gables" was again directed by Joan Craft and produced
by John McRae and based on L.M. Montgomery's novels.
Kim Braden returned as Anne Shirley. It also featured Christopher Blake
as Gilbert Blythe, Barbara Hamilton as Marilla Cuthbert, Madge Ryan as
Rachel Lynde, David Garfield as Mr. Harrison and Anthony Forrest as Roy
Gardiner.
I was sent information on the status
of "Anne of Green Gables." Unfortunately, "Anne of Green
Gables" is of
of the few BBC 1 Sunday Serials which is
missing and no longer exists in the BBC archives. Luckily for us, "Anne
of Avonlea" is intact, was first purchased by Strawberry
Entertainment (Thanks Paul for this
information!), and was then subsequently
purchased by KOCH Vision. A few Anne
of Avonlea (1975) Videos from the series have been made by fans and shared
on YouTube.
The
long-awaited DVD was released on September 5, 2006.
You can follow the link to the right to order the item (and support
this
site).
My Review of Anne of Avonlea
For years, viewers had been hoping for the release of the BBC's
Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea miniseries. Although the 1972
Anne of Green Gables is now "lost" from the BBC archives,
its sequel, Anne of Avonlea, is intact. On September 5, 2006, Anne of
Avonlea (1975) was released by Koch Vision. This miniseries covers material
from L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island.
Having
sent emails to the BBC for the production's release and
after sharing many emails from fans who had watched the miniseries
all those years ago, I was excited to have a chance to view the miniseries
myself. I pre-ordered my copy when the news came out. Most of all,
I was glad to see Anne of the Island play out on the screen at last,
as it is my favorite novel of the Anne series. I enjoyed watching the
BBC's Anne of Avonlea very much, and am glad to now have the
DVDs as part of my collection of Anne adaptations.
The BBC production
of Anne of Avonlea is broken into six episodes, and follows the plotline
of L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea closely in the first four episodes. The final two episodes are derived
from Anne of the Island. The overall feel of the miniseries was realistic,
and included characters left out of the 1980s Sullivan miniseries,
such as Davy and Dora, Paul Irving, Miss Lavender and Mr. Harrison.
The plot of the miniseries did not stray far from the plot of the novels.
The
casting of the miniseries was well done. Kim Braden's Anne
was distinctly Anne-like, capturing many qualities of the beloved heroine
including her flighty ways and imagination. Diana was perfectly cast
with Jan Francis, who captured Diana's sincerity and loving ways.
I enjoyed her and Fred's relationship, and I liked the rivalries and
wit of the A.V.I.S. Equally well-cast was Ruby Gillis. Played by Kim
Hardy, Ruby was both Anne's rival and friend, and went from flippant
to heartbreaking. Marilla, played by Barbara Hamilton, was also very
sweet and captured Marilla's humor in a low-key manner. Hamilton
later returned to an Avonlea role playing Eulalie Bugle in Kevin Sullivan's
Road to Avonlea series. Gilbert Blythe, as portrayed by Christopher
Blake, was stoic and patient and did not attract much attention from
either Anne or the viewer. Davy and Dora, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst
and Annabelle Lanyon were bratty and troublesome, providing some chaos
to the household at Green Gables. Dora playing a greater role than
in the novel, where she is entirely ignored and shunned at Davy's
expense. Davy and Paul Irving were just as irritating as they are in
the novel. It always surprises me how Anne favors them. The actors
captured the characteristics of their novel-counterparts well. Anthony
Pye was a scary little guy, who certainly gave Anne good reason to
be nervous! I enjoyed Anne's friends at Redmond, especially Philippa,
played by Sabina Franklyn, who I also enjoyed in the novel.
Anne's dealings with the irate Mr. Harrison and his parrot were
amusing, as is her run with Diana in the field after "Dolly." Anne's
first days as a teacher and her Jonas day were faithful to the novel.
Other scenes from the novel, such as the A.V.I.S. canvassing, painted
blue barn, and the ordeal where klutzy Anne is stuck in the roof were
all featured in the miniseries. I enjoyed Uncle Abe's prediction
of the storm coming true and his reaction, though the storm did not
seem nearly as frightening as it should have been. The story of Charlotta
the 4th, Miss Lavender and Paul and Stephen Irving felt rushed, as
it did in the novel, where some of Anne's friends just come and
go, with new ones to replace them. Gilbert and Anne had a bit of a
spark by the end of the series, and I liked when they went to Bollingbrook
together, which was an interesting change from the novel.
On the whole,
in terms of L.M. Montgomery adaptations, I find some viewers overly
critical over any small departure from the novel. Far
from the narrow attitude of these LMM "purists,"; I enjoy
comparing and viewing different adaptations of L.M. Montgomery's
novels and I enjoy aspects of all of them.
While some aspects of the
BBC production were wonderful, there were a few downsides. The most
major is the absence of the earlier 1972
Anne of Green Gables. I don't see how this miniseries was destroyed
and lost from the archives. Its absence makes watching Anne of Avonlea
choppy at first, since there is no real opening and you are thrown
into the story. For viewers who have never read Anne of Avonlea, this
is especially confusing, since the characters are introduced with little
preface. For all outdoor scenes, the footage was shot on film. Meanwhile,
all indoor scenes were shot on video and have a stage-like quality,
often with unconvincing lighting (ex. candlelit rooms with a spotlight
on the actors face). These shifts are abrupt to the viewer. Some may
also have trouble ignoring the British and Irish accents of some of
the cast, but they did not bother me.
Subject to my endless amusement
were the freckles drawn on Anne's
face, the opening theme of harmonica music, Steven Irving's moustaches,
and the romantic dinner where Roy nearly sets the table on fire and
Anne lets out an unscripted giggle. Diana and Fred's make-out
scene in the woods was humorous, and Paul Irving declaring in his British
accent that he is from the United States also gave me a laugh.
The miniseries
was enjoyable, and I was pleased to finally view it. Each adaptation
provides a new dimension and perspective to Anne's
story. The BBC Anne of Avonlea was entertaining and fun, and long awaited.
Useful External Links (will open in new windows):
Full cast list of
Anne of Avonlea at the
Internet Movie Database.
Anne
of Green Gables topic at www.missing -episodes.com
BBC
I Sunday Serial topic at www.missing -episodes.com
Avonlea
Message Board topic on the UK Anne of Avonlea miniseries
Last Updated 07.27.07
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