The Classics Club: Flash Reviews 1-5

Goodness, this blog had been lacking posts of late. And the problem is, I seem to say that practically every time I post something. :P One of these days I'll give myself a challenge of posting every day for a week or two...

Anyways. When I first started The Classics Club I planned to write a paragraph or so about every book rather than actually reviewing them all (that's too daunting) and then group them together and post every five books. But I did do some separate reviews since then, of JA re-reads and Charles Dickens stuff and N&S, so it's only now that I finally have five to toss out there at once and some of them have been languishing in a Word document for some time. But anyways, here they are! 

Title: Anne of Windy Poplars

Author: L.M. Montgomery

Date: September 25, 2012

My thoughts: Delightful! Of course, it’s an Anne book, so that’s kind of duh. But I did enjoy it very much. And here I go again—it’s another book that I’ve been meaning to read for simply ages. Well technically I’ve been meaning to read the whole series for simply ages, and I only got as far as Island, and that was a few years ago, so I almost feel like I should reread the first few books too… but I intend to read the ones I’ve never read before I do that. ;) Anyway, having seen the first two Anne movies far too many times to count, it was very amusing for me to spot all the quotes and situations that came from this book that went into Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel. In the movie it’s all sort of shuffled and combined, but I must say I think they shuffled and combined in quite a masterly manner, and kept the spirit of Anne and so many of the quotes, even if they were in a very different context, were delightfully exact. Another thing that made me giggle was a couple of the characters who said things that sounded suspiciously like Mrs. Bennet with her poor nerves and nobody knowing what she suffers, but then she never complains. (Cough.)

Title: Pygmalion

Author: George Bernard Shaw

Date: February 24, 2013

My thoughts: This was fun! I was actually surprised to see how much of My Fair Lady came straight from the original play. It did have a whole lot less of the teaching period… and I must say, pretty much all the things that were changed in My Fair Lady I think were for the better. Sorry, George. But just the same, you can understand the story even better from reading the play, and it’s a pretty short read and a fun one.

Title: The Elusive Pimpernel

Author: Baroness Orczy

Date: April 10, 2013

My thoughts: It was very good.  It had been about a year since I’d read TSP, so it was definitely time to read another one. ;)  I have to admit, though, I was not liking Sir Percy most of the time.  I know the Leaguettes will not kill me for saying so, because after all, I make no attempts at murder when they say disparaging things about Mr. Darcy, so all is fair. :P

Anyways. It definitely kept my attention—but it did irritate me how right when you want to know what happens next, it goes into long descriptions about stuff you really don’t care to know the details of. Sigh. And also, these books always seem to start out rather slowly. (Well, this is only the second one I’ve read, haha, but anyways.) And it was so suspenseful the whole time, and then doesn’t spend too much time winding it down at the end. Those kind of books kind of leave me feeling a bit drained, which is probably why I’m think it will be a while again before I get to El Dorado. (But I’ll read it eventually. I promise.)

This is how I felt some of the time while reading the above. :P

Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Brontë

Date: May 28, 2013

My thoughts: Well, this was my second reading of this book, and this time I was reading it along with Amy which made it even more delightful. J My original review is here, and if you skip down to the part with “my sentiments”… well, they are pretty much still the same, so, you know, I don’t want to repeat myself here. Of course rereads are always different… so I’m trying to think if there’s anything in particular that struck me this time. Uh… well, I was even MORE annoyed by St. John. That dude drives me NUTS, and I thought it rather a pity that the entire book ends with a quote from him. Charlotte, what were you THINKING? Heehee. And the only times I don’t like Jane is when she’s sort of under St. John’s power. :P Well, not exactly, but if you’ve read the book you’ll know what I mean.

Anyway. I definitely recommend this to everyone. And if you haven’t seen any of the movies yet either… read the book first. I didn’t. But you should. :D

Title: Anne’s House of Dreams

Author: L.M. Montgomery

Date: June 11, 2013

My thoughts: Delightful! Just what I said about Windy Poplars, I know, but that’s the word that seems to describe the Anne books for me. Just purely delightful. Of course, the whole thing wasn’t happy (heh), but everything just has a sort of light-hearted feeling that I love. Another thing was that reading this book for me it was like getting to a clean, new portion of snow that hasn’t been walked on yet and experiencing the mixed pleasure and regret of doing it yourself. Having seen the movies, I knew at least parts of the stories of the first four books, but as this is the fifth it was all completely new for me—and I’d always sort of looked forward to it at the same time since... well, once you know you know and then it’s not new anymore. ;) But anyways, it was a lot of fun getting whole new stories and characters. You can really grow to love Leslie Moore even though you may not at the beginning… Miss Cornelia is absolutely hilarious and I know I will be quoting her forever with her “Isn’t that like a man?”, “believe me.” Oh, and Captain Jim! Ahhh! He was great, besides for having a low opinion of women writers. (Of course, it was a woman writer who made that up, so whatever. Haha.) And I finally get the context of the race that knows Joseph, after having had it quoted at me a lot. ;) (I still don’t know why Joseph, though. Am I being dense? Can anybody enlighten me?) 

And that's it for now. (You can see my Classics Club page here.)

Anne of Green Gables & The Sequel

Anne of Green Gables (1985)



Mistreated in homes and not wanted at orphanages, Anne Shirley comforts and amuses herself with her excellent and dramatic imagination. She tries to imagine difficulties away and lives her own life, the way she wants it, in her head. When she finds herself in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, on her way to a new home with a quiet old man named Matthew Cuthbert, she can hardly believe it is real. When they arrive at Green Gables, she learns from Matthew’s spinster sister Marilla that they were expecting a boy, and she must go back. Anne’s happiness melts to despair as the beautiful dream is shattered. Marilla’s hasty decision to send Anne back is hindered, and she decided to let Anne stay “on trial”. Anne finds the “bosom friend” she’s always dreamed of, a girl named Diana Barry. 

Rachel Lynde, a gossipy woman who speaks her critical mind and Gilbert Blythe, a boy at school who teases get the better of Anne’s short temper – not difficult to achieve, when her red hair is remarked upon. However, in spite of – or because of – her peculiar ways, with Matthew on Anne’s side the whole way, she finds her way into Marilla’s heart, and Green Gables becomes her permanent home. As few years pass, and Anne excels in her studies, has Gilbert as a constant but unwelcome admirer (and rival), and all along keeps finding herself in numerous mishaps and difficult situations (which, to the onlooker, can prove quite hilarious.)

Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987)

(Also known as Anne of Avonlea, when sold by Disney.)Now 18, Anne Shirley is a teacher at the Avonlea school. She is an aspiring authoress, but discouraged first by a rejection letter from a magazine and then by the surprising (and horrifying) publication of her story for a baking powder company. Gilbert proposes, but convinced that she feels only friendship for him, she refuses – much to his distress. Her best friend Diana marries, and Mrs. Rachel Lynde, at the loss of her husband, comes to live at Green Gables. Anne’s old teacher and friend writes to her about a need for an English teacher at a private school for young ladies, and Anne accepts the position, leaving Avonlea. She arrives in Kingsport, where she finds an abundance of prejudiced Pringle families, who want desperately to see her lose her position and a sour, sarcastic spinsterly teacher who is always out of humor.

Anne finds a kindred spirit in one of her students, 13-year-old Emmeline Harris, who lives with her crabby old grandmother. Emmeline's dashing widower father Morgan takes an interest in Anne, and she, in turn, is charmed by his romantic ways - but it ends with her realizing that handsome and melancholic isn't everything. After a very interesting and eventful year, she is happy to return to Avonlea, which, to her, is the best place -with the dearest people- on earth.

I love both these movies, they have been favorites of mine for more than half my life. They are light-hearted and highly entertaining, comical and romantic. Here are a few things I particularly like:

The heroine. Anne Shirley must be one of the most interesting and amusing heroines in literature: there is no one else quite like her. She is bright and hilarious as a child; entertaining and elegant, and still very likeable as an adult. Her imagination, her love of reading, and her use of big words have always delighted me.

The music. Superb acting, authentic costuming and settings, and a good soundtrack make up a large part in the success of a ‘period drama’. The music has a large part in determining the feel of the movie and the mood of the story. I have always loved the soundtrack, especially the theme song. It is so beautiful and well-written; Hagood Hardy was a talented composer.
The scenery is sometimes breathtakingly beautiful.

The time era. These movies are set in the late 1800s. I love late Victorian fashions – the long, floor-sweeping elegant gowns, lacy shirts, poufy hairstyles – everything so delicate and feminine.

The characters. L. M. Montgomery is one of those authors who knows just how to create a variety of highly amusing characters.

Accuracy to the books

   Anne of Green Gables is based on the book (of the same name) by L. M. Montgomery. There are a number of differences – one being: in the book, Anne was 11 when she came to Green Gables, and in the movie she was 13. The Christmas ball was not in the book – if I remember correctly, it was some sort of concert (not just music, but other performing arts as well.) Many things were from the book, though, and it stayed faithful to the story and characters.

   Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel is based on Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, and Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery. There is a lot of content in all three of those books, so making them into one movie took a lot of combining. In Anne of Avonlea, Anne is teaching at the Avonlea school. Her neighbor, a grumpy old man who eventually takes a liking to Anne was the one with the jersey cow, and the one who said her story had ‘high-faultin’ mumbo-jumbo’, etc. They took some of his quotes and gave them to Mrs Lynde and Gilbert Blythe.

    In Anne of the Island, Anne and a couple others from Avonlea are attending a university, where she meets the dashing Roy Gardner, where they must have gotten the idea for Morgan Harris. Roy is a younger man than Morgan, and of course does not have a daughter.

   In Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne is teaching at a high school, where there are a lot of families with the last name of ‘Pringle’. So that’s where Kingsport Ladies College came from. However, they got some ideas for teaching experience there from Anne of Avonlea – such as snakes in desks and firecrackers in woodstoves. I gather Windy Poplars must be the book where Mrs. Harris, Pauline, and Emmeline originated, but I have not read the whole book.

   While so many changes were made, they managed to keep the characters faithful to the books. I was rather annoyed, though, that they had Gilbert become engaged to Christine – in the book, nothing close to that happened.

Quotes

I love the quotes from these movies, and there are so many! I will try to narrow them down.

(Anne 1)

Marilla: Well, what's your name?

Anne: Would you please call me Cordelia?

Marilla: Call you Cordelia?

Anne: Don't you think it's a pretty name?

Marilla: Is that your name?

Anne: Well, no, it's not exactly my name, though I would love to be called Cordelia.

“You can punish me any way you like. You can lock me up in a dark dungeon inhabited by snakes and toads, and feed me on bread and water. I won't complain. But I cannot ask Rachel Lynde to forgive me. –Anne

Anne: Don’t you ever imagine things different from what they are?

Marilla: (emphatically) No.

Anne: Oh, Marilla! How much you miss.

“Let us not have tears; partings are a natural part of life.” –Mr. Phillips
“My life is an open book, I see. Who told you that?” –Anne

Mrs. Allan: How are you, Anne?

Anne: Well in body, although considerably ruffled in spirit, thank you.

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I was never able to believe it. A rose just couldn't smell as sweet if it was a thistle or a skunk-cabbage.” –Anne

(Anne 2)

Marilla: Now, you come downstairs and see if a good cup of tea and some of those plum puffs I made today don't hearten you.

Anne: (Tearfully) Plum puffs won't minister to a mind diseased in a world that has crumbled into pieces.

“I'm afraid to speak or move for fear that all this wonderful beauty will just vanish - like a broken silence.” –Anne

“I don’t eat my lunch with anyone. I’m not a raggle-taggle gypsy, take me in! Take me in!” –Mrs. Harris

“Good grief! You know how to try one’s patience, don’t you?” –Anne

Josie Pye: You wore that sweet old dress to Fanny Emerson's wedding last year, though, didn't you, Anne? You know what they say, "Twice a bridesmaid, never a bride".

Anne: That's three times, not twice, Josie. But then you're so fortunate; the only thing you've had to wear twice, is a sour expression.

Marilla: What is to be will be, Rachel.

Mrs. Lynde: And what isn’t to be sometimes happens.

Info, links, etc.

Actors…

Anne: Megan Follows

Gilbert: Jonathan Crombie

Marilla: Colleen Dewhurst

Diana: Schuyler Grant

Length: Anne 1: 3 hrs. 19 min.

             Anne 2: 3 hrs. 50 min.

My grade: A+

Trailers:

~I cannot very well review both Anne 1&2 without even mentioning 3&4.

Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (2000) was, in my opinion, a failure, and Sullivan Films should have stopped while they were ahead. Their big mistake: this movie was not based on the books. At all. The time period was inconsistent, too – it takes place during WWI, and in the books, Anne had a son who was old enough to fight; in this movie, she’s not even married at the beginning. For another thing, the characters themselves were not presented the same way at all – and it was not an improvement. ‘Twas quite sad to see Anne’s character so altered!

Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2008) was a complete and utter disgrace. They should have stopped while they were behind. I don’t know much about it, but enough to know that it pretty much changes the whole of Anne’s story – and, of course, it was all completely made-up (it didn't even have characters from the books, except a younger Anne.)

The scripts, some soundtrack samples, and a bunch of other information can be found here: http://greengables.tripod.com/ (It’s also where I got some of the pictures.)