User blog:Eikakou/L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables review

It's been a few months since it aired on YTV, but I'm wondering if anyone has seen L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables and would like to discuss it? I did see it and wanted to share some thoughts (and I'll hope you'll forgive me if my memory is off - this was way back in February). Please be warned - there's probably spoilers (I don't know what counts for spoilers, so consider this my warning).

While I'm going to admit I was probably (at least subconsciously) compare it to the 1985 miniseries, I was watching the movie to see it on its own merits and how it would compare to the events in the book. I'm also going to say that I haven't read Before Green Gables, but I didn't feel like there were many parts in the film that needed the audience to have actually read the prequel.

Overall, it's visually very nice. Green Gables, Avonlea - it looks very beautifully shot. I was a bit surprised (in a good way) to see how different the school house compared to the 1985 series (drat, a comparison already!). Everyone looks the part.

Ella Ballentine's Anne is an enthusiastic girl who appreciates the beauty around her (her joy at eating ice cream, seeing Green Gables) and is imaginative and adventurous, even as the film eludes to the darker times in her life at the orphanage. There's a dark undertone to this Anne, who doesn't brush off her past as much as she conceals it under comments like "I'm sure she was just doing the best she could" (in reference to her previous guardians). She's not mature (she throws tantrums, speaks with a thoughtless nonchalance when she tells Rachel she hates her), is both innocent and ignorant of social expectations. While Ballentine was able to capture the child aspects of Anne, there were parts I felt where it was very... flat. For example, her falsified amethyst brooch confession to Marilla and then her nonchalant expectation that she would be allowed to go to the picnic simply because she made a confession made me wonder if Anne had a sense of consequence (it didn't seem to occur to her at all that Marilla would like it even less if she thought Anne had stolen and lost the brooch). The reconciliation of the Amethyst brooch incident felt flat as well.

Most of the other actors performed well in their roles - it's just... I found their interactions to be lacking in one way or another. Marilla and Matthew's relationship came across quite well, and I think most of Anne's interactions with them when they're doing domestic tasks (like when they're chatting in the kitchen) are fine. But there's scenes that feel a bit too forced, like a rather dramatic moment late in the film when Matthew has to rescue Anne and he repeatedly calls her "kindred spirit" to encourage her. Anne and Diana were very cute together. There's very little of Gilbert aside from the slate scene, him trying to get her to forgive him (by chasing after her and Diana after school - that seemed very silly - and Anne's declaration to Diana that she would never forgive Gilbert didn't seem to have the conviction I'd imagined), and then him being helpful to her at Christmas (and she pretends she dislikes him, but then knowingly smiles when he can't see her). Mr. Phillips has a completely different... aura to him. He's just a strict teacher, maybe a bit snobby, but no apparent adverseness to Anne or favouritism towards any student. Josie numbers among Anne and Diana's friends, even though she's still on the snobby side. Rachel's a lot... calmer, I think.

I think a lot of the film suffered because of the length - two hours isn't long enough for everything the story wants to cover. The pacing was very abrupt (Anne's pretty much been at Green Gables for a week before she's off to school and the Cuthberts' comment that she's been with them for months, with little change in the environment to show the passing of time) and there's little in character to development, even for Anne. She finds friends and develops a very strong attachment to Green Gables early on (though it's also implied that for her, any place is better than the orphanage, it's just Green Gables is exceptionally better), but how she grows as a person might have been too subtle for me to notice. One of the key plot points is whether or not she can stay at Green Gables - Marilla holds fast to letting her stay only until a better placement comes up (a family who will take care of Anne as a member of their family rather than treat her like household help). The ending is the result of Marilla's decision when that better placement comes up, whether or not she wants Anne to stay with them or go.

I can see how the film would have done much better if it had been a multi-episode series, as it was originally planned. It had a lot of good ideas, but had so little time to develop any of them. It's nice to watch, might be a good intro to Anne of Green Gables or just a casual watch for fans, but I think my expectations might have been too high.

I'm wondering if anyone else watched it and what they thought? Was there anyone who felt the same as I did? Or someone who really enjoyed it and would like to share why? It'd be great to hear from you.

Eikakou (talk) 01:27, May 3, 2016 (UTC)