Anne of Green Gables (1934)

So much average

Pretty Good

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

What begins as a feel-good-human-interest story turns into a mystery, then a tragedy, and ultimately an outrage.

In cinematic terms, George Nicholls Jr.'s version of the classic tale is very much of its time. There is very little music, and the narrative unfolds in episodic fashion through long takes with characters moving through the frame. To film-goers brought up on more pacey forms of narrative, influenced by advertising, the film might seem slow, even static, but Nicholls' camera-work focuses on the characters' expressions, making us aware of their true feelings lurking beneath the surface. This is especially true of Marilla (Helen Westley), an actress famed for playing unattractive roles, but who lets the mask drop as the narrative unfolds, especially when Anne (Anne Shirley) is about to go away to school. Marilla's forbidding exterior is contrasted with her brother Matthew (O. P. Heggie) who is never without a twinkle in his eye.Thematically speaking ANNE OF GREEN GABLES makes fun of romanticism, especially in Anne's characterization. Having been brought up on a diet of dime novels, Anne is full of extreme emotions; she is not just upset but devastated; she is not happy but ecstatic. When she is reprimanded for being rude to Mrs. Barry (Sara Haden), she believes it is the end of the world; and she will "never" apologize to the older lady. Needless to say Matthew manages to persuade Anne to revise her judgment - not by force, but rather through appealing to her better nature. In a later sequence, Anne is so enamored of the idea of reciting Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott" in a rowboat that she doesn't realize the danger she is about to encounter; it is only through Gilbert's (Tom Brown's) timely intervention that she is spared a watery grave.This film is undoubtedly sentimental, advocating family values and love as life's raisons d'etre. Everything ends happily, even though Matthew has a life-threatening illness. In the central role, Anne Shirley thoroughly enjoys herself; she is very good at handling the central character's transition from gawky teenager to idealistic young woman, even if the hairstyles are a little incongruous (her ponytails are almost too pronounced).The ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is quite short - a "B" Picture length of only 75 minutes - but remains thoroughly entertaining.

Anne of Green Gables is directed by George Nichols Jr. and adapted to screenplay by Sam Mintz from the book of the same name written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It stars Anne Shirley, Tom Brown, O.P. Heggie, Helen Westley & Sara Haden. Story sees Anne Shirley as an orphan girl who is adopted by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla. That they were expecting a boy means it's quite a surprise, but in spite of Marilla's initial reservations, they accept her into the family home and a good family unit is formed. But can Anne ingratiate herself into school and the village way of life?Having not read the book I personally have no frame of reference in which to judge this film adaptation. What is there for its modest running time is a charming little picture capturing a time period long since past. The acting and English language is very correct, while the innocence of the story, including that of young love blossoming, has a simplicity that's hard to dislike. There's some nice country shots to sample as well, while O.P. Heggie's performance is worthy of investment on its own. Old time film making with old time values, it's a film easily digestible for the undemanding film fan. 7/10

I wasn't expecting much, and I wasn't expecting this film to be completely true to the book it was based on; but I guess I was expecting at least more than a passing resemblance to the book. People have mentioned that it mostly sticks to the book....I wonder which book they read. Although the first half hour of the film is pretty close to the novel, the rest of the film is made up almost completely out of thin air. *SPOILERS*The biggest change which I really hated, was that in the film, Matthew was supposed to have married Gilbert Blythe's mother (in the book, it was Marilla who was supposed to have married Gilbert Blythe's father). Because Gilbert's mother ran off with someone else and left Matthew, Marilla has an inexplicable hatred of Gilbert. Yea, that makes a lot of sense. She dislikes him so much, that when she finds out Anne and Gilbert are romantically involved, she schemes and lies to separate them--by telling Anne that she owes Marilla and Matthew too much to disobey them like this, and lies to Gilbert by telling him Anne doesn't love him. What in the world happened to the lovable Marilla and Matthew of the book? Although Marilla did have pain at seeing Gilbert in the novel, thinking he could have been her son, she certainly would have never schemed and lied to keep Anne and Gilbert separated. And she certainly wouldn't have tried to manipulate Anne into doing what she wanted by reminding her of what she "owed" to the Cuthberts because they took her in. As for the rest of the film, the actors who played Matthew and Gilbert aren't bad--although if I closed my eyes, I would have sworn Gilbert was being played by Mickey Rooney. Anne Shirley plays Anne even more hyper and obnoxious than I would have thought possible in the first half of the film; and then she suddenly morphs into a completely different character as she becomes a teenager and becomes a completely boring typical 1930s female.

I found this movie to be fair for a film made in the 30's. Though if you are a fan of the Anne books I do not reccomend it. Anne Shirley did play her character nicely, but it wasn't enough to satisfy me. She rushed things too much and babbled too much, even for the character. Though minor I did not like that Diana was a blonde, she was supposed to have raven hair. Another thing, Anne and Gilbert do not become friends until the end of the book, the love affair was Marilla's and Mathew dies. If you really like Anne of Green Gables the books I suggest that you do not watch this movie, but watch the 1985 version starring Megan Follows, she plays an ideal Anne. So for a closing comment it was a cute movie but not the Anne i knew from the books.