Anne of Green Gables (1934)

In 1934, L.M. Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables was adapted for a second time as a black and white film, this time as a talkie by RKO Pictures. The 79-minute-long film was directed by George Nichols Jr. The screenplay was written by Sam Mintz.

The film starred an actress by the name of Anne Shirley. The actress Anne Shirley's given name was Dawn Paris, and she had previously used the stage name Dawn O'Day as a child actress. After starring as Anne in this film, she changed her professional name to Anne Shirley, and she continued to use the name Anne Shirley throughout her acting career.

Anne of Green Gables (1934) co-starred Helen Westley and O.P. Heggie as Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, the siblings who adopt Anne. It also featured Sara Haden as Mrs. Rachel Barry and Gertrude Messinger as Anne's bosom friend Diana Barry. Tom Brown played Gilbert Blythe.

In 1940, Anne Shirley returned to play Anne in a sequel to this film titled Anne of Windy Poplars.

Image credit:
Photograph of photo of Anne Shirley and O. P. Heggie as Anne Shirley and Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables (1934), RKO Pictures.

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Created May 20, 2002. Re-posted online April 17, 2021. Last updated April 17, 2021.
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Anne of Avonlea (1975)

On January 26, 1975, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) began airing the miniseries Anne of Avonlea. This production was a sequel to their 1972 adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Kim Braden returned to star as Anne Shirley, Barbara Hamilton returned to play Marilla Cuthbert, and Jan Francis returned as Diana Barry. Gilbert Blythe was portrayed by Christopher Blake, a different actor from the earlier miniseries. The production also featured Madge Ryan as Rachel Lynde, David Garfield as Mr. Harrison, and Anthony Forrest as Roy Gardiner.

Anne of Avonlea was based on L.M. Montgomery's novels Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island, and the story was dramatized for the screen by Elaine Morgan. Joan Craft returned to direct the sequel, and the miniseries was again produced by John McRae. The Anne of Avonlea miniseries aired in six parts and had a running time of 5 hours and 50 minutes.

Anne of Green Gables is one of the few BBC 1 Sunday Serials that is lost and no longer exists in the BBC archives. Luckily for us, Anne of Avonlea survived intact. The Anne of Avonlea miniseries was purchased by Strawberry Entertainment, and it was subsequently purchased by KOCH Vision. The long-awaited DVD was released on September 5, 2006.

Acknowledgements:
Thanks Paul for the information that the miniseries was purchased by Strawberry Entertainment.

External Links (will open in new windows):
Internet Movie Database - cast list for the series
Anne of Green Gables topic at www.missing-episodes.com (archived topic by Internet Archive)

Image credit:
Photograph of Kim Braden as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © BBC from the 1975 book cover by Penguin Books.

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Created May 12, 2002. Re-posted online March 20, 2024. Last updated April 16, 2024.
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Anne of Green Gables (1972)

On February 20, 1972, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) began airing an Anne of Green Gables miniseries as a BBC 1 Sunday Serial. The series starred Kim Braden as Anne Shirley, Barbara Hamilton as Marilla Cuthbert, and Elliott Sullivan as Matthew Cuthbert. Jan Francis played Diana Barry and Robin Halstead played Gilbert Blythe.

The Anne of Green Gables miniseries was based upon L.M. Montgomery's novel, and the story was adapted for the screen by Julia Jones. The series was directed by Joan Craft and produced by John McRae. The series was broadcast in five parts and was 4 hours and 40 minutes in length.

Unfortunately, Anne of Green Gables is one of the few BBC 1 Sunday Serials that is missing, and it no longer exists in the BBC archives. However, the BBC’s 1975 sequel Anne of Avonlea survived, and it was released by Koch Vision on September 5, 2006.

External Links (will open in new windows):
Internet Movie Database - cast list for the series
Anne of Green Gables topic at www.missing-episodes.com (archived topic by Internet Archive)

Personal Comments:
Unfortunately, I never saw this miniseries, and with its current "lost" status in the BBC archives, I am unlikely to see it in the future. If you have any knowledge about the miniseries, scans or images from the production, or if you have seen it and can tell me more about it, then please send me an e-mail, and I'll add the info to this site.

Image credit:
Photograph of Kim Braden as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © BBC

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Created May 11, 2002. Re-posted online March 19, 2024. Last updated April 16, 2024.
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Chronicles of Avonlea

Facing the demand for more tales of Anne Shirley and Avonlea, L.M. Montgomery gathered old short stories she had previously published to produce Chronicles of Avonlea in 1912. Originally, these stories bore no mention of Anne or Avonlea, but Montgomery edited them to bring the stories into familiar territory. This collection contains the following 12 stories:

"The Hurrying of Ludovic"
"Old Lady Lloyd"
"Each in His Own Tongue"
"Little Joscelyn"
"The Winning of Lucinda"
"Old Man Shaw's Girl"
"Aunt Olivia's Beau"
"The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's"
"Pa Sloane's Purchase"
"The Courting of Prissy Strong"
"The Miracle at Carmody"
"The End of a Quarrel"

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Created March 12, 2002. Last updated March 13, 2021.
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Anne of Green Gables (1919)

In 1919, L.M. Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables was made into a silent, black and white film. Mary Miles Minter starred as Anne Shirley. The cast also included Paul Kelly as Gilbert Blythe, Marcia Harris as Marilla Cuthbert, and Frederick Burton as Matthew Cuthbert.

The story was adapted for the screen by Frances Marion, a highly acclaimed female screenwriter, who was the first writer to win two Academy Awards. The film was directed by William Desmond Taylor and produced by Realart Pictures, Corporation (Paramount Pictures). Filming took place in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA in August through October 1919. The film was released later that fall in November 1919. Minter received critical acclaim for her performance as Anne Shirley, and the production received favorable reviews.

Today, there are no known surviving copies of the film, and it is considered "lost."

Created March 3, 2002. Re-posted online April 1, 2021. Last updated April 1, 2021.
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Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An

Anne of Green Gables aka Akage no An (translated to English as "Red-Haired Anne") is a beautifully animated television series that was based on L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables. The plotline closely follows that of the novel and begins when Anne meets Matthew at the train station in Prince Edward Island. The anime series was produced by Nippon Animation in Japan in 1979 as part of the World Masterpiece Theater series (1). The series is 50 episodes long, and it first aired on Fuji Television from January 7, 1979 to December 30, 1979.

Anne of Green Gables was written and directed by the acclaimed screenwriter and director Isao Takahata, who is known for directing Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). In 1985, Takahata founded the treasured Studio Ghibli together with Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki. Studio Ghibli is admired for its artistry, creativity, and beauty in storytelling. Hayao Miyazaki created the settings and layouts for episodes 1 to 15 of the Anne of Green Gables anime. Miyazaki is the beloved anime director of Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (1984), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), and Spirited Away (2001). In 1990, Takahata edited the first six episodes of Anne of Green Gables into a film for theatrical release (1).

Yoshifumi Kondo was the character designer for the vibrant Anne Shirley. Anne’s voice was portrayed by the Japanese actress Eiko Yamada. She provided the voices of several other characters in the World Masterpiece Theater series, including Jo in Tales of Little Women and Little Women II: Jo's Boys. The opening and closing theme songs (“Kikoeru kashira” and “Samenai yume”) were composed by Akira Miyoshi and sung by Ritsuko Ohwada.

Anne of Green Gables aired in several countries throughout the world. It was broadcast in Canada in the mid-1990s under the title Anne...La maison aux pignons verts by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and dubbed in French (1, 2). In addition, the anime aired as Anna dai capelli rossi in Italy, Ana de las Tejas Verdes in Spain, Ana dos Cabelos Ruivos in Portugal, and Anne mit den roten Haaren in Germany. The series was also dubbed in English and broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation and by Japan Entertainment Television in Taiwan.

In 2009, an anime prequel to Anne of Green Gables (1979) premiered called Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables (translated to English as “Hello Anne: Before Green Gables”).


Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An. © Nippon Animation

References:
1. Helen McCarthy. Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press. 1999. 223.
2. Team Ghiblink. Nausicaa.Net http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/wmt/index.html (2001).

Purchase and watch Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An (Note: Most official Akage no An Blu-Ray/DVD sets are available for Region 2 (Japan), and they are not officially available in all region formats yet):



Created March 1, 2002. Re-posted online March 4, 2023. Last updated January 20, 2024.
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Anne of Green Gables (1985)

Anne of Green Gables is a made-for-television miniseries that first aired on CBC TV in 1985. Sullivan Entertainment loyally adapted L.M. Montgomery's novel of the same name for the screen.

Directed by Kevin Sullivan, Anne of Green Gables starred Megan Follows as Anne Shirley, Colleen Dewhurst and Richard Farnsworth as siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, Jonathan Crombie as Anne's rival Gilbert Blythe, and Schuyler Grant as Anne's bosom friend Diana Barry. The film's music, composed by Hagood Hardy, is distinctive and memorable. Filmed in both Ontario and on Prince Edward Island, the beauty of the Canadian scenery is candy for the eyes.

The movie was highly acclaimed for its script, cast, and loyalty to the novel's character. The Toronto Star glowingly described Anne of Green Gables as, "Cult phenomenon. Cultural ambassador. Canadian heroine."
 
The miniseries earned countless awards in 1986, including nine Gemini Awards and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program. Kevin Sullivan received the George Peabody Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting for his work in bringing the film to life.

Image credit:
Photograph of Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © Sullivan Entertainment.

External link:
Anne of Green Gables: The Official Website

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Created April 17, 2001. Re-posted online March 18, 2021. Last updated March 18, 2021.
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Anne of Green Gables Series Chronology

What is the order of the Anne of Green Gables series?

L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series includes eight novels. These books follow Anne Shirley's life in the following chronological sequence:

1) Anne of Green Gables
2) Anne of Avonlea
3) Anne of the Island
4) Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Windy Willows)
5) Anne’s House of Dreams
6) Anne of Ingleside
7) Rainbow Valley
8) Rilla of Ingleside

You might be surprised to learn that L.M. Montgomery wrote and published the Anne of Green Gables series in a different order. Learn more about the publication sequence of the Anne novels here.

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Created September 1, 1999. Re-posted online March 9, 2021. Last updated April 28, 2022.
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Rilla of Ingleside

Rilla of Ingleside (1921) is the eighth and final novel in the Anne of Green Gables series. The novel is rare in that it is the only book about the Canadian World War I home front written contemporaneously from a female perspective.

The novel's protagonist is Anne and Gilbert's youngest daughter Bertha Marilla Blythe, who is known by her nickname "Rilla." Rilla is a fun-loving, fifteen-year-old girl. Like most her age, Rilla has not yet gained an awareness of the wider world around her. As the story opens, World War I begins, and Rilla's eldest brother Jem and childhood friend Jerry enlist. Rilla must adapt and mature to her changing world. She organizes a Junior Red Cross for young girls at her mother's suggestion when Anne tells her, "We will all have to do a great many things in the months ahead of us that we have never done before, Rilla."

Eventually Rilla's brother Walter enlists, although he is afraid of war and death, and her youngest brother Shirley heads to the front when he comes of age. Along with worrying about her brothers, Rilla fears for Kenneth Ford. Before leaving for the war, Kenneth kisses Rilla for the first time and asks Rilla to promise not to kiss anyone else until he returns. With her brothers, childhood friends, and sweetheart all at war, Rilla does her part for the war effort. She keeps track of war news and eagerly awaits letters from those she loves until the war comes to an end.

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Created September 1, 1999. Re-posted online March 8, 2021. Last updated March 8, 2021.
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Rainbow Valley

Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery is the seventh novel in the Anne of Green Gables series. Published in 1919, the focus of this book shifts away from Anne Shirley Blythe to her six children: Jem, Walter, Nan, Di, Shirley, and Rilla. As the story begins, Anne and Gilbert have just returned home from a three-month trip to Europe.

Upon her arrival home, Miss Cornelia gives Anne the gossip that the church has settled on a new minister. His name is John Meredith, and he's a widower with four children: Gerald ("Jerry"), Faith, Una, and Thomas Carlyle ("Carl"). The Blythe and Meredith children grow close, playing together in little valley behind a maple grove that they call "Rainbow Valley."

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Created September 1, 1999. Re-posted online March 7, 2021. Last updated March 7, 2021.
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Anne of Ingleside

Anne of Ingleside (1939) is book 6 in the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. The plot of this novel falls between Anne’s House of Dreams (1917) and Rainbow Valley (1919), both of which were published 20 years earlier. This novel was the last that L.M. Montgomery published during her lifetime.

After leaving their "House of Dreams," Anne and Gilbert moved to a home they call "Ingleside." As the story begins, Anne Shirley Blythe is the mother of five children: James Matthew ("Jem"), Walter, twins Anne ("Nan") and Diana ("Di"), and Shirley Blythe. During this story, Anne gives birth to her youngest daughter Bertha Marilla, known as "Rilla." The focus of the novel shifts in part to Anne's children's adventures, but Anne still plays a role. The family must cope with a visit from Gilbert's unpleasant aunt. Later in the novel, Anne begins to worry that Gilbert has become distant and no longer loves her.

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Created September 1, 1999. Re-posted online March 6, 2021. Last updated March 6, 2021.
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Anne's House of Dreams

L.M. Montgomery's Anne's House of Dreams was first published in 1917. This novel is the fifth book in the Anne of Green Gables series. The story begins as Anne Shirley marries Gilbert Blythe at Green Gables. The newlyweds then move to a home on the shore at Four Winds Point, and Gilbert begins his work as a doctor in the nearby village of Glen St. Mary. Anne calls their new home her "House of Dreams."

Anne and Gilbert's new neighbors include Captain Jim, a storytelling lighthouse keeper, who was formerly a sailor, and Miss Cornelia, a woman with strong opinions. Anne also tries to befriend the embittered Leslie Moore. During their time living in their House of Dreams, Anne and Gilbert experience both joy and sorrow as they begin their married life together.

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Created September 1, 1999. Re-posted online March 5, 2021. Last updated March 5, 2021.
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