Product Details

• Actors: Anne Shirley, Tom Brown, O.P. Heggie, Helen Westley, Sara Haden
• Directors: George Nichols Jr.
• Writers: Lucy Maud Montgomery, Sam Mintz
• Producers: Kenneth Macgowan
• Format: Black & White, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Aae Films
• VHS Release Date: December 5, 2001
• Run Time: 78 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000G0IF
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,754 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Anne of green gables

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars charming 1934 version of L.M. Montgomery's classic novel, March 18, 2005

By 

Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Anne of Green Gables (Classic 1934) (DVD)

This rare 1934 version of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is completely charming, and more than complements the range of miniseries done by Kevin Sullivan (with Megan Follows as Anne).

In this version Dawn O'Day (who later turned her legal name to Anne Shirley) plays the spirited orphan who comes to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert (Helen Westley and O.P. Heggie) at their Green Gables farm on Prince Edward Island.

Anne quickly makes friends with Diana Barry (Gertrude Messinger)...and makes enemies with Gilbert Blythe (Tom Brown) when she famously breaks a slate over his head! Their childhood rivalry soon turns into love, as Gilbert and Anne confess their real feelings for each other.

This version stays pretty close to the L.M. Montgomery novel...for the most part. Purists will object to certain liberties taken with the story (Anne and Gilbert's blossoming love almost reaches 'Romeo and Juliet'-style proportions with Marilla trying her best to keep them apart), and the ending seems rushed and in no way follows the timeline of the novel (for instance, Matthew dies in the book wheras he lives here).

Anne Shirley (or Dawn O'Day) gives a splendid performance as Anne, Helen Westley (best remembered for her roles in several Shirley Temple movies) is a fantastic Marilla and O.P. Heggie beautifully downplays the role of thoughtful Matthew. Tom Brown and Gertrude Messinger provide good support as Gilbert and Diana, with Sara Haden as Diana's mother Rachel (the movie combines the roles of Rachel Lynde and Mrs Barry into one character).

The lovely music is provided by the one and only Max Steiner. The print for this DVD seems to have been culled from a well-worn Public Domain (TV broadcast) print.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible Transfer to DVD, January 25, 2004

By 

Jonathan P. Saltzman "bookdesign" (Provo, UT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anne of Green Gables (Classic 1934) (DVD)

This transfer to DVD is terrible. There are horizontal grey-scale bands moving up the screen the entire movie, as though they had "filmed" this straight off a video monitor and not from a 35mm print. A wonderful movie spoiled by this annoyance.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very good adaptation, March 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Anne of Green Gables [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a very good adaptation of the classic L.M. Montgomery novel and it's worth having this black and white classic version as well as the classic 1986 version. So Marilla caught Anne and Gilbert smooching in the woods, that didn't bother me at all and I would hardly call it a bad adaptation because Anne kissed Gilbert in the woods! If you get a chance to watch this movie take it and if you have an open mind and small changes don't annoy you than you won't be disappointed as afterall they also made small changes in the 1986 adaptation.