If you already know the story, then there's a very good chance you'll love this movie. It's a reasonably faithful adaptation of the novel. Purists might have reason to complain about the liberties that were taken and they would have a point. But all in all the producers done Lucy Maud Montgomery proud.
If you don't know the story and you're trying to figure out if you'll like this movie, don't go by what some reviewers are complaining about it. They might say that the script was horrible, that the characters spout Shakespearean lines in totally inappropriate situations.
What they don't get is that the young Anne Shirley is characterized as being heavily influenced by the literature she reads. She reacts to the misery in her life by losing herself in the romance of the works by the great literary masters. She sees tragedy on a grand scale where somebody else might see a moderate inconvenience. She's _supposed_ to overreact to things, because she's an impressionable young girl who projects the grandness of literature into her own humdrum life. The entire charm of the story comes in seeing how this poor girl interacts with the people around her with intelligence and with imagination -- perhaps TOO MUCH intelligence and imagination -- to the point of appearing to the "normal" townsfolk as being a weirdo, and of how the others come to appreciate her ways and how she learns how to deal with the real world.
Present that story in a package full of beautiful scenery, delightful performances, and a wonderful score and you've got the makings of a thoroughly entertaining movie.
I'll concur a bit on the comments about the acting. Some of the minor parts weren't acted very convincingly. But that's a small quibble. The major roles and most of the supporting roles were perfectly cast and perfectly executed.
Get to know the story for what it is and you're in for a treat. Young and old, male and female (I'm a male in my late thirties) ... just being a human being with feelings and with an appreciation for the beautiful little things in life should qualify you as a Kindred Spirit.
Get it. You'll love it!
My rating: 10/10 (take away a few points for a few of its flaws but put them right back in because of its overall charm)
If you don't know the story and you're trying to figure out if you'll like this movie, don't go by what some reviewers are complaining about it. They might say that the script was horrible, that the characters spout Shakespearean lines in totally inappropriate situations.
What they don't get is that the young Anne Shirley is characterized as being heavily influenced by the literature she reads. She reacts to the misery in her life by losing herself in the romance of the works by the great literary masters. She sees tragedy on a grand scale where somebody else might see a moderate inconvenience. She's _supposed_ to overreact to things, because she's an impressionable young girl who projects the grandness of literature into her own humdrum life. The entire charm of the story comes in seeing how this poor girl interacts with the people around her with intelligence and with imagination -- perhaps TOO MUCH intelligence and imagination -- to the point of appearing to the "normal" townsfolk as being a weirdo, and of how the others come to appreciate her ways and how she learns how to deal with the real world.
Present that story in a package full of beautiful scenery, delightful performances, and a wonderful score and you've got the makings of a thoroughly entertaining movie.
I'll concur a bit on the comments about the acting. Some of the minor parts weren't acted very convincingly. But that's a small quibble. The major roles and most of the supporting roles were perfectly cast and perfectly executed.
Get to know the story for what it is and you're in for a treat. Young and old, male and female (I'm a male in my late thirties) ... just being a human being with feelings and with an appreciation for the beautiful little things in life should qualify you as a Kindred Spirit.
Get it. You'll love it!
My rating: 10/10 (take away a few points for a few of its flaws but put them right back in because of its overall charm)