Anne of Avonlea

I think this movie is a gem; quiet intensity and charm. You can read a million reviews of that aspect here: I'm concentrating on the disc quality, since no one else seems to.

First of all: this disc is a "flipper" (you have to flip the DVD over in the middle of the movie), but people accustomed to changing tapes in the middle of the show on the old VHS version aren't going to whine that much when they have to do the DVD equivalent. I know I didn't.

That said, the picture quality is the worst I've ever seen. Yes, the *worst*. Worse even than when Sullivan put the original miniseries out on DVD. The transfer is exceptionally grainy, and the opening credit montage, with seaside vistas of shoreline and ocean, has horrible compression-artifact induced pixellation: there are hideous globs of blocky-looking areas in the ocean, in the rock, even on Megan Follows' face. It is sad that a beautiful picture like this has been marred by such an unprofessional transfer.

My advice is not to buy this disc. Sullivan Entertainment fooled me once when they sold me the first version of Anne of Green Gables "Digitally Restored" on DVD and it looked awful. Shame on them. They fooled me twice when they put out a "Collectors Edition", and I assumed that they were so embarrassed by the look of the original that surely they *must* have remastered it. Shame on me. They fooled me a third time with Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, which is supposedly "Digitally Restored", too, but honestly looks more like an MPEG-1 VCD than a DVD. And all three releases are for the ridiculous price ...to us Stateside fools.

I was a trusting fool. Don't be fooled like I was. Keep your VHS tapes, no matter how worn. Avoid this release like the bubonic plague, and hope that a video distributor like Buena Vista with *some* standards for quality gets the rights to this film, and is able to do it right. I am very disappointed, and Sullivan Entertainment will *never* again get any more of my cash.


I know you already own this, but you want the commentary   October 3, 2003
Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)
85 out of 88 found this review helpful

The original mini-series of "Anne of Green Gables" ended with Anne (Megan Follows) on speaking terms with Gilbert (Jonathan Crombie), but still the only person in Avonlea who does not know that the two of them are meant to live happily ever after. "Anne of Green Gables" is adapted by writer-director Kevin Sullivan from the second, third, and fourth novels in the series, drawing primarily on the last one, "Anne of Windy Poplars" for her experiences teaching at a girl's school. There is also a major subplot regarding a rich widower who seems to offer Anne everything she has ever wanted that is largely Sullivan's creation; Morgan Harris (Frank Converse) is much older than Anne's other beau in the series. The important thing is that he keeps the ending of "Anne of the Island."

I am sure most of you love all of the Anne books and the first two films, which means the issue is why you should also pick up the DVD versions. The answer is simply the director's commentary. There are a few missing scenes, several of which are alternative takes, and some behinds the scenes still photographs, but the chief charm here is listening to director Kevin Sullivan talk to the film's editor about the production (she does not have much to say; I think she was there to give Sullivan a real person to talk to during the almost four hour film). From this commentary you will learn where many of the scenes were shot on PEI but mostly around Toronto (we tracked down several of them on the journey home from PEI, including THE BRIDGE), what he took (and why) from the three Lucy Maud Montgomery novels this film was based on, Dame Wendy Hiller's accident that almost made her quit the film and the scene she insisted Sullivan shoot for her, and loads of other fascinating little details about the production and the performances.

This is certainly an above average commentary track and fans of the film will not be disappointed. It would be nice if the DVD features closed-captioning, which I like to turn on while doing the director's commentary, but despite this rather odd omission, I think fans will enjoy this addition to their collection. Besides, it is not like we have not already pretty much memorized the entire show. Final Note: If you watch the opening scene of "Anne of of Green Gables: The Sequel" or whatever it is being called this time around) you will see Anne Shirley bicycle by Dalvay by the Sea, the "White Sands" hotel from the "Avonlea" series. I mention this because I stayed at the hotel for a couple of days at the start of my honeymoon on PEI, where I picked up both of the "Anne" DVDs after seeing the musical version of "Anne of Green Gables" in Charlottetown.


Equally as charming as the first one   August 10, 2005
Laura Bellamy (Greensboro, NC United States)
61 out of 61 found this review helpful

"Anne of Avonlea" is a brilliant companion to the original "Anne of Green Gables." This sequel combines the next THREE novels in the series --- "Anne of Avonlea," "Anne of the Island," and "Anne of Windy Poplars." Several characters are combined to make ONE specific character, but the story still remains very much Anne's story.

Now a little older, having taught at the public school in Avonlea for a while, Anne decides to try her hand at teaching at a private school in Kingsport --- a wealthy town mainly run by a particular set, the Pringles. It's a new and daunting experience --- especially considering that she can't seem to win over the students or the school board --- but her stubbornnes won't allow her to give up, and she charges forward with her usual determination.

There are several new characters, but we still have appearances by the old ones. We meet Morgan Harris, his intelligent daughter Emmeline, his mother and his sister, and of course we meet countless girls who go to Kingsport Ladies College. But Rachel Lynde and Marilla Cuthbert are still around, Diana Barry remains a wonderful friend, and of course there is the wonderful Gilbert Blythe --- more in love with Anne than ever.

This is one of the best sequels I have ever seen, it fits perfectly with the original movie and does a decent job of remaining as faithful as possible to the books, in spite of everything that was altered. I love this movie. To this day, my family occasionally has "Anne Weekends," in which we watch "Anne of Green Gables" one night and "Anne of Avonlea" the next!


Anne of Avonlea   September 24, 2002
Zack Davisson (Seattle, WA, USA)
38 out of 40 found this review helpful

"Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel" DVD contains the series known on VHS as "Anne of Avonlea."

Here, we seen many changes in Avonlea. Diana Barry is getting married and Gilbert Blythe leaves for medical school. Anne also leaves Prince Edward Island to teach at a girls school. Here, she meets the combatative Pringle clan and the dashing Morgan Harris. Being Anne, she is soon in the thick of mischief and intrigue leading a life of poetry and romance. All the while charming tears from stones with her honesty and pluck.

The cast does it's usual excellent job and "Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel" is every bit the equal to the original "Anne of Green Gables." The scenery is plush, and the dialog is full of wit and wisdom.

The DVD itself is not of superior quality, but it is no worse than a VHS tape (minus one star for DVD quality). I did not find my enjoyment of the story to be affected in anyway. It is nice to have the entire series on a single DVD. This series is a classic to be handed down and enjoyed.


Movie confusion   April 25, 2002
34 out of 36 found this review helpful

First off, I did enjoy this movie. It veers from the books much more than Anne of Green Gables did, but it was still enjoyable. However, Anne of Green Gables-the Sequel is not the third installment, as the reviews on here indicate, it is the second; on VHS it was titled Anne of Avonlea. This movie covers the period when Anne leaves Prince Edward Island to teach school and ends with her and Gilbert finally getting engaged. The heinous third installment, when everyone enters the twilight zone and time-warps to WW1, is titled Anne of Green Gables-the Continuing Story. (I don't recommend it--can you tell?)