Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2008)

Anne, now a middle-aged woman, is troubled by recent events in her life. Her husband, Gilbert, has been killed overseas as a medical doctor during World War II. Her two daughters are ... See full summary »

Director:

Kevin Sullivan

Writers:

Lucy Maud Montgomery (characters), Kevin Sullivan

Stars:

Barbara Hershey, Rachel Blanchard, Shirley MacLaine

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Hershey	...	Older Anne Shirley
Rachel Blanchard	...	Louisa Thomas
Shirley MacLaine	...	Amelia Thomas
Ron Lea	...	Gene Armstrong
Bernard Behrens	...	Gabriel Blake
Hannah Endicott-Douglas	...	Young Anne Shirley
Natalie Radford	...	Bertha Shirley
Ben Carlson	...	Walter Shirley
Joan Gregson	...	Hepzibah Leach
Kyra Harper	...	Nellie Parkhurst
Mike Beaver	...	Doctor Thomas
Vivien Endicott Douglas	...	Violetta Thomas (as Vivien Endicott-Douglas)
Tyler Stevenson	...	Jock Thomas
Aiden Locke	...	Keith Thomas
Rex Southgate	...	Reverend Jones

Storyline

Anne, now a middle-aged woman, is troubled by recent events in her life. Her husband, Gilbert, has been killed overseas as a medical doctor during World War II. Her two daughters are pre-occupied with their own young families and her adopted son Dominic has yet to return from the war. When a long-hidden secret is discovered under the floorboards at Green Gables, Anne retreats into her memories to relive her troubled early years prior to arriving as an orphan at Green Gables and being adopted by the Cuthberts. Still haunted by her early childhood, the impact of this difficult period has a far-reaching effect on this older woman, once she discovers the truth about her real parents. She begins a delicate search for her birth father. It is a journey through a past fraught with danger, uncertainty, heartache and joy. In the parade of humanity Anne encounters she also faces the root of her desire to find true "kindred spirits", an inspired imagination and the impetus to use her talents as a...

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Plot Keywords:

anne shirley | place name in title | color in title | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Official Sites:

CTV Site Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 2008 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Ana de las Tejas Verdes: un nuevo comienzo

Filming Locations:

Dundas, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anne Prequel Productions, Sullivan Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben Carlson who plays Walter Shirley is the real life son of actress Patricia Hamilton, who plays Rachel Lynde.

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Quotes

Anne Shirley: I wonder if trees sleep. And if they do, if they dream.

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Connections

Follows Anne of Green Gables (1985)

User Reviews

Anne: The End

Mr. Sullivan does not have a good track record in terms of his faithfulness to Mongtomery's books. The first movie was his closest and best adaptation. Anne the Sequel, though a well done movie, strays greatly from the original text. By the time we enter into the third movie all is lost. Hard to believe they would keep going, even after Anne: The Continuing Store was critically and publicly panned!

There is not a shred of Anne Shirley's character in Barbara Hershey. And although a fine actress, she struggles to bring merit to the character. The younger Anne comes closer, but her over acting (probably due to poor direction and terrible writing) renders her a mock-up of Megan Follows.

Even worse, Mr. Sullivan completely disregards Anne's back story, told in the first novel. He turns Anne into a liar and Marilla's moral judgment is jeopardized by a cheap subplot! The backdrop of Green Gables is always enchanting, but as a devoted fan I was distracted by the reused footage from previous movies and several episodes of Road to Avonlea. Who do they think they're kidding? It is too bad the powers that be do not listen to what Montgomery fans want and deserve. Movies that would have followed the novels more closely would have been more cherished than this invented drivel, only produced to make an easy buck.

The only redeeming quality is a brief glimpse of Mrs. Rachel Lynde at the very tail end of the movie. Her presence reminds us of what could and should have been.