JohnHowardReid NOTES: This is a re-make of the 1919 version directed by William Desmond Taylor, which starred of course Mary Miles Minter, whose mother is alleged by some Hollywood insiders to have murdered the director on the night of 1 February 1922. The murder - second only to the Roscoe Arbuckle case as Hollywood's most sensational true-life scandal - is still officially listed as unsolved. Until quite recently, I'd never seen a film directed by William Desmond Taylor. You'd think his notoriety alone would guarantee frequent airings on TV. But Unknown Video have now come to the rescue with a fine Kodascope copy - condensed to 5 reels, of course, but tinted - of Tom Sawyer (1917) starring a too-old-for-the-role but otherwise highly plausible Jack Pickford.Anyway, getting back to this movie, it was Big Box-office everywhere in 1935, and did particularly well in city and urban areas. PRINCIPAL MIRACLE: After avoiding this movie for years, I found it quite charming.COMMENT: Refreshing! One of the most remarkable things about the film is that it has dated very little. Montgomery's central idea of making her orphan-sent-by-mistake a dreamy chatterbox, is a strong one. And when that little heroine is so winningly played by an accomplished actress who can manage the transition from girlhood to womanhood with such ease, this movie certainly starts with much in its favor. Aside from Tom Brown who as usual is a bit of a pain, Miss Shirley receives solid support all the way down the line from the beautifully judged portraits delivered by Helen Westley and O.P. Heggie to Sara Haden's irredeemably nosy Rachel and Charley Grapewin's surprisingly brief cameo as a rustic physician. For the most part, the obligatory sentimental scenes are both dramatically effective and commendably restrained. Although production values are moderate, technical credits are extremely able. George Nicholls leads the way with his forceful but almost wholly unobtrusive direction, his skill revealed in such sequences as the introductory close-ups of the wagon wheel turning which serve to punctuate and break up Anne's chattering, the long tracking shot with Anne and Tom, and a few crane shots above the stairs. Deft film editing in which steady patterns of long shots, two-shots and close-ups are not allowed to grow monotonous, must also be commended. As must Lucien Andriot's accomplished lighting which gives the photography such an attractive sheen. Max Steiner's melodious score which the composer cleverly uses to underline selected scenes rather than to drown out the sound track at every opportunity, is yet another major asset of this restrained but movingly realistic play.

wes-connors Because they are getting older, practical Helen Westley (as Marilla Cuthbert) and her quiet brother O.P. Heggie (as Matthew Cuthbert) decide to adopt a boy from an orphanage in Canada. They expect the lad will help work on their farm "Green Gables". Instead of a boy, Mr. Heggie is presented with spirited 14-year-old Dawn O'Day (as Anne Shirley), a precocious red-haired girl. Determined and fast-talking, she endears herself to Heggie and even thaws Ms. Westley's cool exterior. In school, O'Day meets handsome young Tom Brown (as Gilbert Blythe) and a romance begins. Although she does talk too much, O'Day is endearing. The young actress professionally changed her name to "Anne Shirley" with the release of this film. The popular 1908 novel, by Lucy Maud Montgomery, became a successful "silent" feature film in 1919, starring Mary Miles Minter and directed by William Desmond Taylor. That version appears to be lost, unfortunately, but this one captures the bygone setting beautifully.******** Anne of Green Gables (11/23/34) George Nicholls Jr. ~ Anne Shirley, Tom Brown, Helen Westley, O.P. Heggie

CranberriAppl Didn't know this version existed until catching it on TCM last night. I read the book first in elementary (my 2nd grade teacher had cassette tapes and we read along with our own books) and have read it many times since then. I remember when the Megan Follows version used to air during the WETA telethons and I used to watch it over and over. Although I wasn't as dramatic as Anne as a child, I could relate to her awkwardness, insecurities, etc. That's just an indication of how great of a writer Montgomery was.Fast forward to this afternoon (day after Thanksgiving laying about), I watched the Dawn O'Day/Anne Shirley version. I thought I recognized the actress, so when I looked her up, I recognized her from 'Stella Dallas' with Barbara Stanwyck. I had assumed that the name Anne Shirley was a coincidence, but she actually changed her name after playing Anne. I guess the role had a major impact on her. Anyway, she's competent as Anne. As in 'Stella Dallas,'she plays drama queen quite well, but it's a very in-your-face style. I would say Megan Follows was much more nuanced in her performance whereas I could tell Anne Shirley was acting. The adaptation is just average. I wouldn't consider myself a purist, but I was disappointed that many key parts of the book were left out. In this version, Mrs. Lynde is now Mrs. Barry and Diana's mother. They left in the scene where Anne gets cross with Mrs. Barry/Lynde, but they took out the Diana getting drunk story as well as many other charming bits. The raspberry cordial scene and the aftermath is highly identifiable and I was shocked it was missing. The movie runs about 90 minutes, so I guess they couldn't get a lot of stuff in, but honestly, the missing parts make me glad I that I've seen it, but less likely to watch again. Don't get me wrong, it's not a completely different story, but it is a severe cliff's notes version. I usually go for original versions, but in this case, the TV version is far superior, so I would recommend this movie if you have time to kill or are interested in other adaptations.

whpratt1 Never viewed this film and consider it a great Classic with great veteran actors. In the period that this film was made, people in America were different, there was no TV or all the modern things we have today, except the Radio and the starting out of great films being made in Hollywood. Sweet innocent tales of young romance between a young girl or guy was viewed differently than it is today. Ann Shirley,"Murder My Sweet",'44 played a young orphan gal who was called Carrot Top because of her red hair and found herself being taken into a home of two elderly folks, who were like two wise owls and watched over Ann Shirley. It was a small town and everyone knew everyone and if anything happened, the entire town found out about it within minutes. It is a down to earth film with nice decent people trying to help each other in a very very simple way of living. Today, it seems very corn ball and stupid, but believe me, this was the way people were in America during the 1920'. & 30's and they were a great generation that loved good family films.