MovieChat Forums > Anne of Avonlea (1975) Discussion > Better Than the Canadian Version

Better Than the Canadian Version


Yesterday at Borders, I bought a DVD of the 1975 Anne of Avonlea. I had never seen this version before, up until now knowing only the later Canadian series. And much as I like the Canadian version, I must say that this earlier BBC production is a better, i.e. more faithful adaptation.

The Canadian "Anne of Avonlea" took far too many liberties with the original storyline. In fact, it basically REWROTE L.M. Montgomery. It deleted most of the original "Avonlea" plot in favor of more sensational episodes from the later Anne books. Many of Montgomery's characters were left out altogether, or renamed and changed beyond all recognition. Davy and Dora didn't even exist in the Canadian series! And neither did Philippa Gordon...and neither did Roy Gardiner, who was metamorphed into an entirely different, much older character. These changes detracted from the overall quality of the remake. And so, despite its higher budget and its fine cast of actors, the remake was deeply flawed.

But the BBC "Anne of Avonlea" closely followed L.M. Montgomery's books. It included all the important details: Marilla's adoption of the twins, Mr. Harrison and his parrot, Uncle Abe's storm, Echo Lodge, the A.V.I.S., Ruby Gillis' death from "galloping consumption," the girls at Patty's Place, the Roy Gardiner storyline, and of course the Anne-Gilbert romance. Watching this BBC version was a real pleasure, bringing to life all the characters and incidents that I loved reading about as a kid. And yes, it was relatively low budget, and the pseudo "Canadian accents" may have been all wrong, but still it rang true because it STUCK TO THE ORIGINAL STORYLINE. Producers should always remember to do that when they're dramatizing a classic.

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I've seen this BBC version recently, too, and you are absolutely correct in that it is a nearly accurate depiction of L.M. Montgomery's original storyline. So disappointed to know that its Green Gables version is lost.

However, Kevin Sullivan's "Anne of Green Gables" (the Canadian version) was well done, and Megan Follows played the part of Anne well. Those that read Montgomery's stories were disappointed in Sullivan's second and third projects ("The Sequel" and "The Continuing Story"). Roy Gardner was a belivable love interest for Anne; Sullivan's revision in the creation of Morgan Harris left those that never read the books confused (I heard, "He was too old for Anne"). Plus, there was no romantic connection with Morgan Harris - Montgomery's Anne would have never lacked that.

With he 100th anniversary of the original Green Gables publication, Anne fans hope that someone at the BBC will take Elaine Morgan's adaptation and try again.

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"With he 100th anniversary of the original Green Gables publication, Anne fans hope that someone at the BBC will take Elaine Morgan's adaptation and try again."

I believe I just experienced my first "thrill" as Anne would say. I hadn't even considered them doing a remake! I mean, I hoped for it deeply. But I never saw a reason for another remake. Now with the 100th anniversary, hopefully SOMEONE will get it right. I think we need a mixture of Sullivan's version and Morgan's version.

My problem with Sullivan's version was, yes, the fact that he did cut out a lot of material that make the Anne books what they are. But his movies had actors that knew how to act.

My only qualm with the BBC version was the actors. Kim Braden was irresistable as Anne. She is much more my version of Anne than Megan Follows. And her hair was a lot redder than Megan Follows, even though it did look a lot like a wig (which who's to say it wasn't?). But my-oh-my, Roy Gardiner! Where did they find him?! 'Cause they sorely need to put him back wherever he was found. And though I love Phil Gordon's character to pieces, the actress's voice nearly drove me insane! But the two characters (besides Anne) I think they got down perfectly were Aunt Jimsie and Miss Lavender. And Jonas, thought not remarkably well acted, was vert good, too.

Oh please, please, please let there be another remake that is near perfect, if not perfect.

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This version is invaluable for its faithfulness to the books, but as a film the Canadian version is better -- better cast and acted, better written, better directed. As film and books are two different mediums, it is not always advisable to stick close to the original storylines. For example, and I know they aren't classics, but see the first couple of Harry Potter films vs. the later books in that series, or the BBC version of The Secret Garden vs. Agnieszka Holland's glorious film.

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is it just better than candian version ? its 1000 times better than canadian version . love it

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The Canadian version is way better.

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The Canadian version has ZERO to do with LM Montgomery. Someone just took the name of the books and made up a new story that was perfectly awful. This version at least represents the books, except for Gilbert's ridiculous proposal BEFORE they even get to Redmond. Good Lord, take a breathtaking scene and turn it into a joke, why don't you? (Hey baby wanna come and clean my castle?) Well at least they didn't pull a Kevin Sullivan move and make the whole thing into a joke. Kim Braden is a FAR better Anne than Megan Follows. She captures some of the sweetness and spirit of Anne, although they still all seem to be play acting. And Marilla is horrible...she looks like Rachel is supposed to look and Rachel looks like her. Casting overall is pretty awful. Paul Irving made me cringe...and Stephen Irving gave me the creeps. Really?

I agree that the BBC needs to do this again, and do it right for once. But at least this version was better than the horrible mess they made of the books in Canada. Shame on us.

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I don't think the BBC version is better, despite the fact it was more faithful to L.M. Montgomery's works. It's not terrible, it really makes for a interesting comparison. Kim Braden and Barbara Hamilton did very well all things considered. The other actors left a lot to be desired, the accents for the most part were way off, it was extremely stagy (a fault with many BBC productions of the time), lack of chemistry between Anne and Gilbert, and very little to indicate that they had romantic feelings for each other.

It's a pity that the BBC version of "Anne Of Green Gables" no longer exists. It, like many other BBC programs and miniseries fell victim to the "wiping" practice which the company now deeply regrets. Maybe the relationships in "Anne Of Avonlea" would have made more sense if the original were available.

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