Since 1908, Anne of Green Gables has captivated the hearts of readers
young and old.
Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery took inspiration from her own childhood
on Prince Edward Island in creating Anne Shirley and the fictional town of Avonlea.
Anne of Green Gables became a huge success,
so much so that Montgomery went on to write a series of sequels over the next several decades.
Anne has become the subject of numerous television and film adaptations
so let's dive right in with four notable versions of her story.
This is Anne of Green Gables: By the Book.
("Wiener Blut" by Johann Strauss II)
"Carrots.
Carrots."
"You mean, hateful boy!"
"Ow!"
"How dare you!"
RKO Pictures released one of the earliest film adaptations of
Anne of Green Gables in 1934, starring Dawn O'Day.
As part of a publicity stunt,
the actress legally changed her name to Anne Shirley for the rest of her career.
The film starts off adhering to the overall plot,
from the beginning of the novel leading up to chapter 15.
"How dare you say I'm skinny, and how dare you say I'm redheaded?
You're an impolite, rude, unfeeling woman, and I hate you!"
At the halfway point in the film, it starts veering away from the book
and focuses on setting up the relationship between Anne and Gilbert.
Once we get to the incident at the pond,
the film completely diverges from the novel in true Hollywood fashion.
"I want you to be my girl."
Matthew gets a new backstory in the form of a fiancee who had run away with Gilbert's father.
This turns Anne and Gilbert's relationship into a sort of
star-crossed romance, especially when Marilla forces Anne to break up with Gilbert.
After Anne goes off to college, she later finds out that Matthew is ill
and that they can't afford the medical specialist,
who Gilbert just so happens to be studying with.
Can you guess how this ends?
Matthew does not die in the film and Marilla gives her approval
of Gilbert and Anne's relationship.
With these major plot changes,
other modifications in the film seem minor in comparison,
like the amalgamation of Rachel Lynde and Mrs. Barry into one character.
Ultimately, the film focuses on how Anne finds a family and a home at Green Gables.
Rather than trying to fit in all of her adventures,
it cherry-picks a few moments from the novel
and then adds in a host of new scenes to fit their romantic storyline.
Montgomery herself commented on this production saying:
"On the whole, it is not a bad picture. At least the first two-thirds.
The last third is a silly sentimental commonplace end
tacked on for the sake of rounding it up as a love story."
"Hey, carrots. Carrots!"
"How dare you!"
The immensely popular 1985 TV film adaptation of Anne of Green Gables
originally aired on CBC as a two-part miniseries.
Starring Megan Follows, this adaptation is one of the most beloved screen versions of the novel
and has been seen in more than 140 countries.
The director, Kevin Sullivan, initially faced the pressure of remaining faithful to the novel
while also creating a version of the story that would connect with the modern-day audience.
For the most part, the characters are true to how they are described in the novel
but the director does take some liberties for dramatic effect.
Fans of the adaptation will be familiar with the scene where Matthew works up the courage
to buy Anne a dress with puffed sleeves.
In the novel, however, Matthew originally gives up at the store and ends up asking Mrs. Lynde for help.
The scene where Anne tries on the dress and races out to the barn to embrace Matthew
is also a change from the novel, as well as the dress being light blue instead of brown.
This adaptation also takes inspiration from the 1934 film
particularly in emphasizing Gilbert's role in the story.
In the novel, Anne's rivalry with Gilbert pushes her to excel academically.
In the adaptation, Gilbert is shown to be a catalyst for many of Anne's actions.
Anne is repeatedly shown to make decisions based on Gilbert's opinion of her,
whether it concerns her appearance, behavior, or academic standing.
"Of course you would take the long route when you sprained your ankle."
"I wouldn't think of giving Gilbert Blythe the satisfaction of helping me."
Tennyson's poems are also used as a way to introduce Anne as a romantic heroine
and parallel her relationship with Gilbert.
"Anne Shirley."
At the beginning of the film, Anne is already seen reciting the Lady of Shalott,
which isn't mentioned in the novel until much later.
This scene also gives us a glimpse of Anne's life before Green Gables.
The 1985 adaptation accentuates the romance aspect of the coming-of-age story.
In creating this version of Anne of Green Gables,
the director tried to stay true to the core story and characters while creating a new interpretation that
inspired others to emulate the passionate, intelligent, and imaginative Anne.
"Ding-dong.
Well, hello there, carrots."
"How dare you?"
"Hey, hey, don't go haywire.
I was only trying to get your attention."
"You are a mean and hateful boy and I won't ever forgive you."
Over 30 years later, Anne's story was brought to life again in the YTV adaptation
with Montgomery's own granddaughter as the executive producer.
Starring Ella Ballentine as Anne Shirley, this adaptation actually encompasses three films.
The first film centers on the question of whether the Cuthberts will keep Anne or not.
The second film focuses more on Anne's friendships,
minimizing her competitiveness and making her friends with Gilbert instead
"You saved me."
"My honor to oblige, Miss Shirley."
"Anne will do."
This seems to cause a lack of continuity with the third film,
in which Anne goes to college.
"I read the wrong book. Let go of me!"
"I didn't mean to."
"No, you didn't mean to, you're just so competitive!"
Aimed at a younger audience,
the films include a load of new scenes intended to add more humor and drama.
Although the adaptation is true to the novel at times,
it unexpectedly makes major changes,
like cutting short the scene where Anne climbs up on the roof
and adding a new scene where Anne walks out on thin ice.
The main characters are also quite different from how they are described in the novel.
"I've never heard you be so loquacious."
"Lo-what?"
"You talk too much, finish your stew."
We see an energetic and talkative Matthew, while Marilla seems more motherly than stern.
Many of the behaviors and interactions between the characters
are more reminiscent of today's teen sitcoms.
Subtle moments from the novel are over-explained in the film.
In the book, for instance,
Matthew gets a dress for Anne after noticing that
she is dressed more plainly than the other girls.
In the film, Anne basically asks Matthew for the dress,
which diminishes the emotional impact of the gift.
"Remember the dress I was telling you about?
Diana already sent away for one just like it."
This retelling of the original story is definitely a contemporary one,
even if the clothes and dialogue are from the turn of the 20th century.
In the end, the three films that make up this adaptation focus on Anne's friendships as she grows up,
with more emphasis on the connections formed between Anne, Matthew, and Marilla.
"Carrots."
"I'm not talking to you!"
"You just did."
Around at the same time as the previous adaptation,
Netflix and CBC started working on a darker reboot of Anne of Green Gables.
Starring Amybeth McNulty, the first season of Anne with an E debuted in 2017 to mixed reviews.
Some criticized the reinterpretation of Anne as a traumatized and abused child,
while others appreciated how the series depicted more realistic situations and addressed current social issues.
A radical departure from the sunny and optimistic tone of the original novel,
the series starts off with harrowing flashbacks that show Anne's troubled past,
only to be followed by more tragedy.
In the first two episodes, Anne experiences additional emotional trauma
when Marilla sends her away after the assumed theft of the infamous brooch.
Matthew literally races against time to bring Anne back, getting a concussion in the process.
None of this happens in the book.
Once Anne is back at Green Gables, however, things can't stay happy for long.
The issues of bullying, misogyny, and prejudice are introduced
through major changes to the characters and the plot.
"If the girl doesn't want to go to school, then she shouldn't go.
She should stay home and learn proper housekeeping until she marries."
Although Anne finds a friend in Diana, she is immediately targeted on her first day of school.
Gilbert, of course, is one of the few nice students in school
and makes his first appearance when he comes to Anne's rescue in the woods.
Unlike the character in the novel, this Gilbert is less mischievous and teasing
but rather more suave and seems older than his years.
"I don't care where she's from. A cute girl is a cute girl."
As his father's caretaker, we don't see too much of Gilbert before the series kills off John Blythe.
Instead of becoming academic rivals, Anne and Gilbert now bond over their losses.
In one of the biggest twists of the series, Gilbert eventually leaves Avonlea
to work on a steamer ship and ends up in Trinidad before returning home.
Anne also finds a friend in Jerry,
the hired boy that helps Matthew with farm work around Green Gables.
His existence is true to the novel, but he gets a completely new storyline.
We've already established Anne to be intelligent and resourceful,
but the series takes it a step further with new scenes
like Anne running into a burning house to help put out the fire.
Marilla and Matthew also get their share of flashbacks to their past.
Matthew's character is fundamentally changed with a sad backstory and a new love interest.
His suicide attempt might be a nod to the author who tried rewriting her past
but in reality, suffered from depression and may have taken her own life.
The show departs even further from the novel in season two,
especially with the addition of completely new characters and events.
These changes to the plot and characters paint a bleak picture
of what life would have been like growing up in the Edwardian era.
Anne with an E ventures into new territory,
turning the originally cozy story into a gritty drama that discusses feminism, diversity,
puberty, and the unconventional lifestyles of the early 20th century.
Despite the different approaches of these adaptations,
there's no doubt that each rendition of Anne Shirley is pretty easy to recognize.
Lucy Maud Montgomery often described her characters in great detail.
At the beginning of the novel, Anne Shirley is about 11 years old
and has "two braids of very thick, decidedly red hair."
"Her face was small, white and thin, also much freckled."
Her big eyes "were full of spirit and vivacity."
By the end of the novel, Anne's red hair has darkened to auburn
and although she becomes a little less talkative, she's still as contemplative as ever.
Marilla Cuthbert is all angles and straight lines with a wry sense of humor
and a loving heart underneath her stern exterior.
By the end of the novel, we see Marilla become more mellow and expressive.
Matthew Cuthbert is 60 at the beginning of the book.
"He was an odd-looking personage with an ungainly figure and long iron-gray hair
that touched his stooping shoulders."
Despite his shy nature, he doesn't hesitate to show kindness and love to Anne.
Diana Barry is the same age as Anne and has black eyes and hair, rosy cheeks, and a merry expression.
When Anne first meets Diana, she is sitting on the sofa reading a book.
A true friend and kindred spirit, Diana loyally supports Anne through all of their misadventures.
Gilbert Blythe, Anne's academic rival and eventual love interest,
is two years older and as Diana says, "aw'fly handsome."
"He was a tall boy, with curly brown hair, roguish hazel eyes, and a mouth twisted into a teasing smile."
Anne and Gilbert become friends by the end of the first novel.
Throughout the many adaptations of Anne of Green Gables,
from films to animated TV shows to musicals,
one thing is clear: this simple innocent story still resonates with audiences.
Each director and screenwriter took inspiration from the source material
to inform their own perception of Anne but no matter the interpretation,
the core story is about a girl who appreciates the little things in life,
who works hard and speaks her mind, who looks for the beauty in the world,
and believes that anything is possible with enough confidence, persistence, and scope for imagination.
Which adaptation of Anne of Green Gables is your favorite?
Thanks for watching!