Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story
Encyclopedia
Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story was a 2000 television mini-series that was highly anticipated among fans of Anne of Green Gables. It borrowed characters from the Anne of Green Gables
novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery
but not actual plot lines. Instead it served as a sequel to two mini-series produced by CBC Television
in the 1980s. It was the most controversial and heavily criticized of the three film adaptations written and produced by Kevin Sullivan.
The miniseries was criticized principally because unlike the 1985 Anne of Green Gables and its 1987 sequel Anne of Avonlea, the screenplay was not based upon Montgomery's works, but instead used Montgomery's much-loved characters in a largely original World War I
story by Sullivan and Laurie Pearson. Montgomery had written an Anne novel set in that same period, Rilla of Ingleside
, a story focusing on Anne's youngest daughter, and in which Anne was a mother whose three sons were fighting in Europe. The new storyline places a childless Anne in the role of a woman on a quest to find her husband, Gilbert Blythe, who becomes a doctor and disappears behind enemy lines.
The film was also criticised for introducing a continuity
problem. Following Colleen Dewhurst
's death in 1991, Marilla Cuthbert's death was written into the series Road to Avonlea
. At Marilla's funeral, Hetty King
refers to Gilbert and Anne Blythe, stating they were married. Anne does not appear in the Avonlea episode because she is sick with scarlet fever. The Continuing Story, which takes place five years later, attempts to resolve the discontinuity
by revealing that Anne had scarlet fever while she was teaching at an orphanage in Nova Scotia.
Megan Follows
returns to the role of Anne Shirley.
In New York, Anne is employed as a junior editor at a small publishing house, where she meets Jack Garrison, a writer and local sensation who becomes interested in Anne. Seeing her potential as a writer, he offers to become the editor for her new manuscript and use his influence to have it published under both their names. When the manuscript is accepted, Anne is outraged to learn that Jack has presented it as his own; she breaks off contact with Jack, who reveals he has fallen in love with her. Meanwhile, Gilbert is troubled by his work at the hospital - most of the doctors are more interested in prestige than saving lives. Disillusioned by life in New York, Anne and Gilbert return to Prince Edward Island.
Upon returning to Avonlea, Gilbert buys Green Gables from Mr. Harrison and they set about restoring the house as they plan their wedding. However, the couple find the effect of the war in Europe
to be much more present; Fred Wright, Diana's husband, eventually enlists in the war as his family life becomes increasingly strained. Increasing pressure results in Gilbert enlisting as medical officer and he convinces Anne to marry him before he leaves. When he is declared missing in action
, Anne leaves for Europe as a Red Cross volunteer in hopes of finding him.
Anne's desperate search leads to a chance meeting with Jack Garrison, along with his lover, Colette, and their infant son, Dominic. Jack, involved in dangerous espionage activities, leaves suddenly and asks that Anne take Colette and Dominic to London. However, Colette is killed in an explosion while Anne briefly sees Gilbert as his troupe is forced to abandon their field hospital. Anne promises Colette on her last breath to take care of Dominic and find his father. Left to care for Dominic, Anne finds an injured Fred and his arm must be amputated. They leave for London and reside in Jack's apartment until they can return to Canada; in that time, Anne works for a British newspaper office and becomes acquainted with Fergus Keegan, Jack's editor, and Maude Montrose, one of Jack's contemporaries and a fellow spy. When Jack arrives to make arrangements for his family, he learns of Colette's death and asks for Anne to care for Dominic should anything happen to him. Though Anne intends to return to Canada with Fred and Dominic, her connection to Jack as well as a resurfacing chance of finding Gilbert results in taking Dominic with her to France.
Disguised as a nun
and befriending entertainers Margaret Bush and Elsie James, Anne struggles to bring Dominic to Kit Garrison, Jack's aunt who has also become involved in war efforts. Reunited again with Jack, Anne travels with him in hopes for finding her husband. As Anne's search continues to be fruitless, Jack attempts to persuade her to return with him to the United States and form a family with him and Dominic; Anne refuses, determined to continue searching for Gilbert in Germany. When she encounters Margaret and Elsie again, she joins them in entertaining the soldiers; in the crowd is Gilbert and Anne is reunited with him at last. Jack arranges for them to leave immediately as the armistice to end the war approaches. However, Keegan's fear of being exposed as a traitor by Jack's group results in Jack being shot on the train; as he dies, he asks that Anne take care of his son. Once the armistice is declared, Anne and Gilbert attempt to find Dominic, but after finding Kit Garrison's cháteau empty, they are forced to return to Canada in hopes of finding the child from home.
After a year of living back in Avonlea, Anne and Gilbert arrive at the local train station to collect Dominic, whom they are adopting as their own. They decide to leave Green Gables to Diana and Fred while they "make a new life, but built on all the old foundations" and "build a good home, and raise a family, with lots of scope for the imagination."
television series and the previous two Anne of Green Gables
films) into a time period when each character was faced with personal turmoil as a result of World War I
. Sullivan’s portrayal of Anne and Gilbert in this third film does not coincide chronologically with Montgomery’s novels; Rilla of Ingleside
portrays Anne's sons going off to fight in World War I while Anne and husband Gilbert witness the War from the home-front of Prince Edward Island
. (Rilla, the youngest daughter, raises someone else's little boy for a few years; he is referred to by the family as "Rilla's war-baby" and he was presumably the inspiration for Dominic in Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story.)
While The Continuing Story was set in New York
, England
, France
and Germany
, it filmed almost entirely in studio or on locations in southern Ontario
, Toronto
and Montreal
.
, and is preceded by Anne of Green Gables
and Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel.
In fall 2008, another film in the series, Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning
was released and documents Anne as an older woman looking back at her life as a child before her arrival at Green Gables.
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...
novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE , called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success...
but not actual plot lines. Instead it served as a sequel to two mini-series produced by CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
in the 1980s. It was the most controversial and heavily criticized of the three film adaptations written and produced by Kevin Sullivan.
The miniseries was criticized principally because unlike the 1985 Anne of Green Gables and its 1987 sequel Anne of Avonlea, the screenplay was not based upon Montgomery's works, but instead used Montgomery's much-loved characters in a largely original World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
story by Sullivan and Laurie Pearson. Montgomery had written an Anne novel set in that same period, Rilla of Ingleside
Rilla of Ingleside
Rilla of Ingleside is the final book in the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, but was the sixth of the eight "Anne" novels she wrote. This book draws the focus back onto a single character, Anne and Gilbert's youngest daughter Bertha Marilla "Rilla" Blythe...
, a story focusing on Anne's youngest daughter, and in which Anne was a mother whose three sons were fighting in Europe. The new storyline places a childless Anne in the role of a woman on a quest to find her husband, Gilbert Blythe, who becomes a doctor and disappears behind enemy lines.
The film was also criticised for introducing a continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
problem. Following Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Rose Dewhurst was a Canadian-American actress known for a while as "the Queen of Off-Broadway." In her autobiography, Dewhurst wrote: "I had moved so quickly from one Off-Broadway production to the next that I was known, at one point, as the 'Queen of Off-Broadway'...
's death in 1991, Marilla Cuthbert's death was written into the series Road to Avonlea
Road to Avonlea
Road to Avonlea was a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with CBC and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada.It was adapted from...
. At Marilla's funeral, Hetty King
Hetty King
Winifred Emms , best known by her stage name Hetty King, was an English entertainer who played in the music halls over a period of 70 years.-Birth:...
refers to Gilbert and Anne Blythe, stating they were married. Anne does not appear in the Avonlea episode because she is sick with scarlet fever. The Continuing Story, which takes place five years later, attempts to resolve the discontinuity
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
by revealing that Anne had scarlet fever while she was teaching at an orphanage in Nova Scotia.
Megan Follows
Megan Follows
Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows is a Canadian/American actress. She is most known to international audiences for her role as Anne Shirley in the acclaimed 1985 Canadian television miniseries Anne of Green Gables and its two sequels.-Biography:Follows was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as the...
returns to the role of Anne Shirley.
Synopsis
Anne Shirley returns to Avonlea after five years of teaching at an orphanage in Nova Scotia while separated from her fiancé, Gilbert Blythe, who was finishing medical school. After catching up with Diana Barry and other old friends, Anne is reunited with Gilbert on the island. However, instead of settling down immediately, Gilbert asks Anne to move to New York since he has been offered a staff position at a prestigious medical institution. Her reluctant agreement comes with the promise of being published and that they will return to Prince Edward Island to raise their family.In New York, Anne is employed as a junior editor at a small publishing house, where she meets Jack Garrison, a writer and local sensation who becomes interested in Anne. Seeing her potential as a writer, he offers to become the editor for her new manuscript and use his influence to have it published under both their names. When the manuscript is accepted, Anne is outraged to learn that Jack has presented it as his own; she breaks off contact with Jack, who reveals he has fallen in love with her. Meanwhile, Gilbert is troubled by his work at the hospital - most of the doctors are more interested in prestige than saving lives. Disillusioned by life in New York, Anne and Gilbert return to Prince Edward Island.
Upon returning to Avonlea, Gilbert buys Green Gables from Mr. Harrison and they set about restoring the house as they plan their wedding. However, the couple find the effect of the war in Europe
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to be much more present; Fred Wright, Diana's husband, eventually enlists in the war as his family life becomes increasingly strained. Increasing pressure results in Gilbert enlisting as medical officer and he convinces Anne to marry him before he leaves. When he is declared missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
, Anne leaves for Europe as a Red Cross volunteer in hopes of finding him.
Anne's desperate search leads to a chance meeting with Jack Garrison, along with his lover, Colette, and their infant son, Dominic. Jack, involved in dangerous espionage activities, leaves suddenly and asks that Anne take Colette and Dominic to London. However, Colette is killed in an explosion while Anne briefly sees Gilbert as his troupe is forced to abandon their field hospital. Anne promises Colette on her last breath to take care of Dominic and find his father. Left to care for Dominic, Anne finds an injured Fred and his arm must be amputated. They leave for London and reside in Jack's apartment until they can return to Canada; in that time, Anne works for a British newspaper office and becomes acquainted with Fergus Keegan, Jack's editor, and Maude Montrose, one of Jack's contemporaries and a fellow spy. When Jack arrives to make arrangements for his family, he learns of Colette's death and asks for Anne to care for Dominic should anything happen to him. Though Anne intends to return to Canada with Fred and Dominic, her connection to Jack as well as a resurfacing chance of finding Gilbert results in taking Dominic with her to France.
Disguised as a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
and befriending entertainers Margaret Bush and Elsie James, Anne struggles to bring Dominic to Kit Garrison, Jack's aunt who has also become involved in war efforts. Reunited again with Jack, Anne travels with him in hopes for finding her husband. As Anne's search continues to be fruitless, Jack attempts to persuade her to return with him to the United States and form a family with him and Dominic; Anne refuses, determined to continue searching for Gilbert in Germany. When she encounters Margaret and Elsie again, she joins them in entertaining the soldiers; in the crowd is Gilbert and Anne is reunited with him at last. Jack arranges for them to leave immediately as the armistice to end the war approaches. However, Keegan's fear of being exposed as a traitor by Jack's group results in Jack being shot on the train; as he dies, he asks that Anne take care of his son. Once the armistice is declared, Anne and Gilbert attempt to find Dominic, but after finding Kit Garrison's cháteau empty, they are forced to return to Canada in hopes of finding the child from home.
After a year of living back in Avonlea, Anne and Gilbert arrive at the local train station to collect Dominic, whom they are adopting as their own. They decide to leave Green Gables to Diana and Fred while they "make a new life, but built on all the old foundations" and "build a good home, and raise a family, with lots of scope for the imagination."
Cast
- Megan FollowsMegan FollowsMegan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows is a Canadian/American actress. She is most known to international audiences for her role as Anne Shirley in the acclaimed 1985 Canadian television miniseries Anne of Green Gables and its two sequels.-Biography:Follows was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as the...
- Anne Shirley Blythe - Jonathan CrombieJonathan CrombieJonathan Crombie is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Gilbert Blythe in CBC Television's 1985 telefilm Anne of Green Gables and its two sequels. He was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for his role in the Canadian Stage Company's 1997 production of Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia...
- Gilbert Blythe - Schuyler GrantSchuyler GrantSchuyler Grant is an American actress best known for supporting roles in television, including the popular Anne of Green Gables mini-series.-Family ties:...
- Diana Barry Wright - Patricia HamiltonPatricia HamiltonPatricia Hamilton is a Canadian actress, perhaps best known as "Rachel Lynde" in Anne of Green Gables, its sequels: Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story, and Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning and several Anne of Green Gables related films...
- Rachel Lynde - Greg Spottiswood - Fred Wright
- Cameron DaddoCameron DaddoCameron Peter Daddo is an Australian actor, musician and presenter. He is the brother of Andrew Daddo and Lochie Daddo.-Australian television:...
- Jack Garrison Jr. - Sonia LaPlante - Colette
- Shannon Lawson - Elsie James
- Victoria Snow - Margaret Bush
- Janet-Laine GreenJanet-Laine GreenJanet-Laine Green) is a Canadian actress, director, producer and teacher, active for over 25 years. Best known for her roles in She's the Mayor, Seeing Things and This is Wonderland, this Toronto-based film and television personality has also been a voice actor for animated series such as Jacob...
- Maud Montrose - Martha HenryMartha HenryMartha Henry, is a Canadian stage, film, and television actress, who is best known for her appearances at the Stratford Festival.-Background:...
- Kit Garrison - Nigel BennettNigel BennettNigel Bennett is an English actor/director/writer who has been based in Canada since 1986. He is best known for playing the vampire patriarch Lucien LaCroix in the TV series Forever Knight, for which he won the Canadian Gemini Award for best supporting actor in a dramatic series.-Life and...
- Fergus Keegan - Douglas Campbell - Dr. Powell
- Colette Stevenson - Mrs. Findlay
- Zack WardZack WardZack Ward is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Ward was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the son of actress Pam Hyatt and the brother of Carson Foster....
- Moody Spurgeon - Miranda de Pencier - Josie Pye Spurgeon
Production
The third Anne film was a completely original concept that brought Anne and the other Avonlea characters (from both the Road to AvonleaRoad to Avonlea
Road to Avonlea was a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with CBC and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada.It was adapted from...
television series and the previous two Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...
films) into a time period when each character was faced with personal turmoil as a result of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Sullivan’s portrayal of Anne and Gilbert in this third film does not coincide chronologically with Montgomery’s novels; Rilla of Ingleside
Rilla of Ingleside
Rilla of Ingleside is the final book in the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, but was the sixth of the eight "Anne" novels she wrote. This book draws the focus back onto a single character, Anne and Gilbert's youngest daughter Bertha Marilla "Rilla" Blythe...
portrays Anne's sons going off to fight in World War I while Anne and husband Gilbert witness the War from the home-front of Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
. (Rilla, the youngest daughter, raises someone else's little boy for a few years; he is referred to by the family as "Rilla's war-baby" and he was presumably the inspiration for Dominic in Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story.)
While The Continuing Story was set in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, it filmed almost entirely in studio or on locations in southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Prequels and Sequels
Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story is the third film in Sullivan's Anne of Green Gables trilogyAnne of Green Gables (1985 film)
Anne of Green Gables is a 1985 television movie based on the novel of the same name by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The film was produced and directed by Kevin Sullivan for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It was released theatrically in Israel, Europe and Japan.The film aired on...
, and is preceded by Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)
Anne of Green Gables is a 1985 television movie based on the novel of the same name by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The film was produced and directed by Kevin Sullivan for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It was released theatrically in Israel, Europe and Japan.The film aired on...
and Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel.
In fall 2008, another film in the series, Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning
Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning
Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning is the fourth film in the Anne of Green Gables film series. It was released as a television film in 2008 on CTV. Before the broadcast, CTV had recently acquired the rights to the entire Anne catalogue including the 1985 miniseries.The film stars 14-year-old...
was released and documents Anne as an older woman looking back at her life as a child before her arrival at Green Gables.
External links
- Official page on the Sullivan Anne trilogy
- An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page - excellent resource on L.M. Montgomery and her legacy in film
- The L.M. Montgomery Research Group This scholarly site includes a blog, a bibliography of reference materials, and a complete filmography of all adaptations of Montgomery texts. See, in particular, the page for Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story.