The final DVD in the 3-DVD set my husband purchased for me that Christmas is Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story, which is often referred to as Anne 3.
Sullivan Entertainment totally departs from Lucy Maud Montgomery's books in the third installment of the Anne of Green Gables series. In Montgomery's books, it would be Anne and Gilbert's sons who go off to fight in World War I; but using the reasoning that the original movie and its sequel were set in later time periods than the books, Sullivan puts Anne Shirley (Megan Follows) and Gilbert Blythe (Jonathan Crombie) right in the middle of the fighting.
Anne returns to Avonela for the first time since Marilla Cuthbert's death. She is horrified to find her beloved Green Gables in total disrepair. After being accepted by a prestigious hospital in New York, Gilbert convinces his fiancee, Anne, to go to New York with him. While there, she gains employment at a large publishing house, where she meets Jack Garrison, a dashingly handsome and talented American writer played by Cameron Daddo.
Disullusioned by life in the city, Gilbert and Anne return to Avonlea, where they begin planning their wedding. But the Great War soon steals any joy they might have. Anne's childhood friend, Diana Barry Wright (Schuyler Grant) unhappy in her marriage to Fred, played now by Greg Spottiswood, finds that Fred has enlisted, leaving Diana and their two children behind. Pressure from the community and seeing the wounded at an area hospital, leads Gilbert to ask Anne to marry him quickly so that he, too, can enlist.
Fred Wright is listed as missing in action and presumed dead. When all of Anne's letters to Gilbert are returned, Anne heads off to Europe, determined to do all she can to find him. While there she is reunited with Fred, who is badly injured, and Jack Garrison, who is working as a war correspondent. Little did Anne know what she would get herself into when she decided to go searching for Gil.
This is by far my least favorite of the Anne of Green Gables series. While it is wonderful to see Follows and Crombie together again, the plot just does nothing for me. And because of the war scenes, this installment has a PG rating instead of a G rating like the first two movies. Granted, Anne and Gilbert are older now, but if they didn't choose to send Anne off to Europe to find Gilbert, they might have been able to keep it a family film.
Considering the time that has passed between the second and third movies, it's not realistic for viewers to think only a few years have passed since Anne and Gilbert were in Avonlea. Even Green Gables appears not to have been maintained for decades. Both Follows and Crombie, though still young, don't look like twentysomethings; Grant might have been able to pull it off, but even that is a stretch.
I was also disappointed that Diana and Fred's marriage was in such trouble. Diana was barely likable in this movie until the very end. The one character that I truly enjoyed was Jack Garrison, though the viewer has more reasons not to like him, he was the one that rang true to me.
My final complaint is Jack and Anne's relationship. Jack, who has been in love with Anne since they met in New York, helps Anne in her search to find Gilbert. When they go to a hospital where they find Gilbert had been months before, it looks like Gil might be dead. Jack tries to convince Anne that they could go back to the States once the war is over, and with his son, Dominic, become a family. Jack kisses Anne, and she accepts. The Anne I know and love wouldn't betray Gilbert that way. In addition, toward the end of the movie, when they are on a train, Anne tells Jack that we all have unfulfilled dreams and kisses him gently on the cheek. This is soon after they found Gilbert. I was just appalled by how they changed Anne's character in these scenes.
Considering that when Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story came out, Executive Producer Kevin Sullian said this would be the last Anne film, I was left disappointed. Of course, now we know there is an Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning, which has none of the original actors, but has been even less well-received than the third Anne movie.
When I think of Anne of Green Gables, I only think of the first two movies. Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story is a movie that I take out and watch only one scene: Anne and Gilbert's reunion. I truly wish Sullivan Entertainment had stuck closer to Montgomery's books if he wished to continue Anne's story.
Director: Stefan Scaini
Writers: Lucy Maud Montgomery (characters)
Laurie Pearson (writer)
Kevin Sullivan (writer)
Rated: PG
Runtime: 185 min
Region: Region 1
SRP: $24.99
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