"Anne of Avonlea" (also known as known
as "Anne of Green Gables: the Sequel") first aired by the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1987 for awaiting audiences. This second
miniseries, produced
by Sullivan Entertainment
continued the Anne novels of L. M. Montgomery,
taking attributes from three of her novels to create the miniseries'
plotline and characters.
Again, directed by Kevin Sullivan, the miniseries starred Megan Follows
who returned to play Anne Shirley. Additionally, Colleen Dewhurst, Jonathan
Crombie,
Schuyler Grant, Patricia Hamilton reprised their
Anne of Green Gables miniseries roles. Additionally, the miniseries
introduced a number of new characters, including Frank Converse as Morgan
Harris and Dame Wendy
Hiller as Mrs. Harris.
The plotline of the miniseries combines attributes from three of L. M.
Montgomery's novels on Anne: Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island and Anne of Windy Poplars.
As such, though not entirely loyal to the novels, the spirit of the miniseries,
for me, is
true to Anne Shirley and Montgomery.
In terms of the plot, the character of Emmeline Harris seems to be in
part based upon Little Elizabeth of Anne of Windy Poplars, and
certainly, the struggles Anne faces as a teacher in Kingsport are
heavily based upon this Anne's Summerside teaching experience in the
novel. Morgan Harris, again in part, derives aspects from Royal
Gardiner in Anne of the Island, though now aged and with a child.
Interestingly enough, though Anne of Windy Poplars is my least
favorite of the Anne novels by Montgomery, Sullivan's reshaping of the
story made the plot more palatable for me. Perhaps this was also
due to the infusion of Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island elements.
The plot is nearly entirely from Anne of Windy Poplars. The
aspects retained from Anne of Avonlea (the novel) include the
jersey cow chase, the Rolling's Reliable writing contest and the short
time Anne spends teaching in Avonlea, but the miniseries doesn't include
Davy, Dora, Paul Irving, Miss Lavender and many of Anne's adventures
in Avonlea. Aspects taken from Anne of the Island include the
romantic aspects, substituting Morgan Harris for Royal Gardiner as
Anne's suitor, and Anne's refusal of Gilbert. Instead of her
challenging and friend-filled life at Redmond that Montgomery depicted
in Anne of the Island, the miniseries has Anne complete her
degree by correspondence, erasing, very unfortunately, a great book from
the visual miniseries records.
Still, the Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel is true to Anne Shirley's
spirit, her optimism, her romantic ideals and her character. It
is a beautiful re-presentation of three of Montgomery's novels.
Links related to Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel
(external links open in new windows):
IMDB -
Full credits
Sullivan Entertainment's
Anneofgreengables.com - This site includes lots of information on
the making of the Anne miniseries, cast biographies, and an F.A.Q. on
the
three
miniseries.
The Sullivan Boutique you
can buy Anne movie items here.
The
Anne of Green Gables Message Boards
"Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel" image © Sullivan Entertainment
(used with permission)
Created 04.22.02, Last Updated 09.25.07
© An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page and TickledOrange.com
