Excellent but underrated film

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

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.

This production of Anne of Green Gables Is a Hollywood take on a much loved story about a fictional Canadian girl whose story has made her beautiful home province a popular tourist destination. The quality of the film I saw on TCM is excellent. I expected a grainy-looking movie with background static. The production, like many 1930's movies, seems like a theatrical play transferred to the screen with excellent acting and perfect diction. Anne Shirley (name taken from the main character), Helen Westley as Marilla, O.P. Heggie as Matthew and Tom Brown as Gilbert are excellent as the main characters. One notable omission I noticed is that the ride by horse wagon through the "Avenue" is ignored in the script, amid the lovely scenery. In the book, Anne enthuses about it. The sets are prettified with perfect houses and English country gardens, unlike the reality of rural Prince Edward Island in the early 20th century. Hairdos are the style of the 1930's celebrity set and are totally out of place for the setting. Anne Shirley plays her role like an older version of Shirley Temple and the ending does come on very abruptly with significant parts left out of the story. Still, for all its flaws, the movie played a role in establishing this iconic Canadian character and the best selling book on which the story is based has become a Canadian classic.

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

Director: George Nichols Jr., Novel: Lucy Maud Montgommery, Script: Sam Mintz, Cast: Anne Shirley, O.P. Heggie, Tom Brown, Helen Westley I bought this film mostly out of curiosity because we have the 1985 Keven Sullivan version which my wife and I both enjoy so we wanted to see what this early version was like. Although the 1985 version is better, this is better than I thought it would be. I haven't had a chance to read the book so I don't know how either film relates to the book but the 1934 version is only about 80 minutes long whereas the 1985 one is 3 hours long. Consequently, much is cut out in this earlier film. Ann's friendship with Diana Berry is way underdeveloped and before you know it, she is already in college! The 1985 version is much more of a coming of age film. A lot of time is spent on the relationship between Ann and Diana.The acting is pretty good in this film. It doesn't really compete with the 1985 film because that has an absolute perfect cast but they were good here also. Much of the lines in this film are the exact same as the 1985 version. O.P. Heggie and Helen Westly did a fine job as Matthew and Marilla. Their perceived characters are much like Richard Farnsworth and Colleen Dewhurst in the 1985. Anne Shirley was played by--well--Anne Shirley. Her birth name was Dawn O'Day. She changed it to Anne Shirley after this film. She had a cute personality in this film. If you are a fan of the 1985 version, you might want to get this also. The shorter length is another reason to buy this DVD. The 1985 version is of epic length so watching it is more like an event. So this one is good if you want just a small dose of Anne. IMDb also lists a silent version from 1919 but it is stated that there are no known prints of the film. That is a shame.