The Gazette - November 30, 1985

"Keep a hankie handy for Anne of Green Gables: A two-part four-hour mini-series"
Sue Johnston

She's such an interesting little thing.

That was how Matthew Cuthbert, a kindly old gentleman of few words, described the sensitive red-headed waif who captured his heart with her overactive imagination and her curious nature.

Anne Shirley has captured more hearts than Matthew's since she was brought to life almost 80 years ago in Lucy Maud Montgomery's delightful novel, Anne of Green Gables. Her irrepressible energy has survived translation into 30 languages and has interested so many readers that there are more than eight million copies of the book in print.

Anne has become even more interesting this year. She's coming to television in a four-hour mini-series which airs Sunday at 8 p.m. and Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the CBC network. The $3.4-million film based on the book reflects with tenderness some of the touching, hilarious, embarrassing and exciting moments of childhood.

Colleen Dewhurst and Richard Farnsworth play Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, the elderly brother and sister who decide to adopt this strange little orphan, even though a boy would have been more useful around their Prince Edward Island farm. Megan Follows portrays Anne.

"I AM Anne Of Green Gables," said the notes Follows stuck all over the house when she was auditioning for the part. "I knew the story and, after reading the screenplay, I was really fascinated by the role. I saw how much range there was and what there was to do. I had to do it."

After auditioning more than 3,000 young actresses, producer-director Kevin Sullivan concluded that Follows, with her talent and substantial film and TV experience, was perfect for the demanding role of this "quintessential Canadian heroine."

The 17-year-old actress, whose credits include last year's CBC special, Hockey Night, admits she had some fears at the beginning "because so many people have an opinion of what Anne should be like. But I knew if I made it work for me, it would maybe work for other people."

In order to get hold of Anne's character, Follows read and re-read the book, keeping it handy to consult during the filming last summer in southern Ontario and Prince Edward Island. "I'd go back to it for every scene to get a stronger feel of where Anne was at."

In keeping with the wishes of the L.M. Montgomery estate, the script is true to the book, with only slight variations. "Sometimes the dialogue would be cut shorter," says Follows. "Where I ramble on in the film, she really rambles on in the book."

"And while the book tends to be episodic, moving from story to story," Sullivan says, "we tried to weave all the stories into one."

The green-hair scene may come a lot earlier than those familiar with the book had expected, but it's there, with all its horror. So is the mouse in the pudding, the wine in the cordial bottle, the surprise appearance of Great Aunt Josephine and the slate that's smashed on Gilbert Blythe's head when he teases Anne about her carrot curls.

Present, too, are the good people of Avonlea and area: Mrs. Rachel Lynde (Patricia Hamilton), Diana Barry (Schuyler Grant), Mrs. Evans (Jackie Burroughs), Miss Stacey (Marilyn Lightstone), Aunt Josephine (Charmion King), Rev. Allan (Cedric Smith) and Gilbert Blythe (Jonathan Crombie), though Gilbert Blythe does more in the film than he ever did in the book.

Still, the central characters in Anne's life are Marilla and Matthew. As the tale unfolds, Anne warms the heart of the starchy and proper Marilla whose kindness turns to care and then to love. And Matthew, the old dear, is a "kindred spirit" to the end. Follows's scenes with Dewhurst and Farnsworth express great depth of affection - in fact, some are so moving it's wise to have a hankie handy.

Source: The Gazette