"Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing
Story" first aired by the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation in 2000. This third miniseries, produced by Sullivan Entertainment
continued the Anne stories of L. M. Montgomery,
taking liberties with the telling of the tale.
Directed by Stefan Scaini, the miniseries starred Megan Follows
who returned to play Anne Shirley. Jonathan Crombie, Schuyler
Grant, Patricia Hamilton and others also returned to play their old
roles of Gilbert Blythe, Diana Barry and Rachel Lynde respectively.
Additionally, the miniseries introduced a number of new characters,
including Cameron Daddo as Jack Garrison.
The plotline of the miniseries substantially deviates from Montgomery's
works, setting the storyline during the first World War, and having Anne
travel
across Europe, rather than staying on Prince Edward Island.
I enjoyed seeing the characters return, and I looked forward to this
miniseries more than any other I've watched, but in a lot of ways I
was
disappointed by the distance it removed itself from the first two
chapters of Anne's story. This miniseries did lead to friendships
with many Anne fans the world over, so I must thank Kevin Sullivan for
that.
The following is a review of Anne 3 by my friend
Dave (DAK). He posted it on the
Anne3.com Forum in June 2001, and was kind enough to let me use it
here for this webpage. Thank you.:
"Looking at "Anne of Green Gables-The Continuing Story" as
its own entity, then you have yourself a very good film. It's pretty
well
written and directed, and the performances are top notch, especially
Megan Follows. It hits its marks with the drama of home life as a war
rages on outside of the small life in Avonlea, and also hits its marks
with the hardships of war on the battlefields.
It keeps the suspense going when Anne gets involved with Jack Garrison's
underground work, and Anne's undying passion to find Gil.
It's not without its problems. Although, all in all it was well written,
some plot points did need some punching up, but no film is ever perfect.
And as I've said in my earlier review (which has been wiped clean from
this site), I felt Crombie was kind of flat in this film, but that may
have been the material's fault or even the director's, not his.
Now as a continuation from the first two films, yes this film is a major
disappointment. That special spirit of the first two is nowhere to be
seen. The humor that underlies them is gone, but then again this was
about World War I, and I don't know where humor could be placed in this.
As an Anne film, the story is way farfetched. Anne running through the
battle fields was just way out there. Since PBS/Disney had renamed the
second film to "Anne of Avonlea" for American audiences, they might as
well have done the same for this and called it "Anne Goes to War". I
think she survived more than Rambo did in Rambo 2 and 3. And the scene
when she and the USO tour woman are captured and then escape, I kept
thinking, "You go Anne "MacGyver!".
Why was Anne3 made this way? As I have said on numerous occasions, I
think Kevin Sullivan had been watching "Saving Private Ryan" way
too many times. But, as I put more thought into that, I think that needs
for
clarifying.
I figured that Sullivan wanted to make some sort of war time epic, but
the problem with that thinking, is that he did not direct this film.
If
he really wanted these great battle scenes, going with the "auteur
theory", he would have directed this film.
Now, I know Sullivan had a falling out with the L.M.M. estate, so maybe
their lies the answer to why the books were not used as even a source.
But here is my reason that I believe Anne3 was the way it was. Sullivan
made this film from the thinking of a producer, always bad in my
opinion. George Lucas made the same mistake with Episode I.
So, Sullivan thinks, "My Sullivan Entertainment Company needs a big hit.
Ahh, perhaps I should resurrect Anne again. They've always been
successful. Hmm, what else is popular out there...Ahh, "Saving Private
Ryan" and "The Thin Red Line". Ah ha, I've got it. I'll
have Anne Shirley go off to war."
Also another thought, PBS (as far as I know) did help fund the first
two films with the CBC, but did not on the third one. Perhaps without
the
PBS people, Sullivan had more freedom to do what he wanted. And the CBC
would not care what they got, because they are just looking for a hit.
That of course can all be a big stretch of course.
Will there be an Anne part 4? My opinion, no. I do not know what the
ratings for this film were in Canada, the U.S., or elsewhere outside
of
North America. The theory goes, if it makes money, then you'll see a
sequel, but I don't think that will happen.
I honestly think Sullivan is tired of Anne and Avonlea and wishes to
move on. You cannot fault him as he has spent all this time either
writing, directing, or producing three films, a TV series, and the new
animated series. I think he's all Anned out.
The chances of getting Megan Follows back look grim. I know that during
Anne2, she and Sullivan had a falling out, I think over the material
but
I'm not sure. Money, no doubt, brought her back for part 3. Now when
it first came out, she said how great it was to be back in the role,
which
no doubt she really meant. But later on, she went on to say that the
film was severely lacking. I don't know if Megan Follows and Kevin
Sullivan could ever set things straight again.
If they do an Anne 4, Megan Follows has to have some involvement in it.
Hopefully she would take on a large role, but if not, then perhaps a
smaller role would not be bad for the film, though Dave would be sad
not to see her as the star again.
If she took a lesser role this time, then the film could be about her
children and also Diana's and all the scrapes that kids can get into.
That maybe able to infuse some of that old spirit of the first two films
back into the series.
If she took the large role again, yeah Dave is happy, then the
possibilities are endless. A film about the married relationship between
Anne and Gil, and Anne trying to raise however many kids. Anne as a
mother may bring back some of that spunkiness that was sorely missed
in part three.
So, there you have my opinions on "Anne of Green Gables-The Continuing
Story"...
But always remember, whether you like or dislike the film, you can
always go back to the beginning and pop "Anne of Green Gables" into
your VCR or DVD player."
Links related to Anne3 (external links open in
new windows):
IMDB -
Full credits
Sullivan Entertainment's
Anne3.com - This site includes lots of information on the films,
photos, Anne's Diary, a special effects gallery, scenes cut from the
film, and my favorite: the
The Anne3.com
Forum
The Sullivan Boutique -
you can buy Anne movie items here.
Anne3 Review © DAK (used with
permission)
"Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story" Image © Sullivan
Entertainment (used with permission)
Last Updated 09.25.07
© An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page and TickledOrange.com
