Anne of Green Gables

Movies are a lot more than just simple short-term sources of entertainment. They can be things that we bond over with friends and family, and sources of comfort when we are lonely. Movies can also be integral parts of our own personal life stories and provide us with many precious memories. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood and teenage years are of watching a movie with my mum or my whole family. My mum and I have many movies that are special to us both because we both love them, and we really enjoyed watching them together over and over again as I was growing up. One example is the Anne of Green Gables movie series. As you probably know, Anne of Green Gables is a much-loved series of novels by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. There have been, and continue to be, many films and TV shows based on the novels. The film adaptations that my mum and I love are two movies, and the first, which was released in 1985, is simply called Anne of Green Gables. The second, released in 1987, is called Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel. This film was actually followed in 2000 by another sequel, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. However, this film is so utterly terrible that I prefer to pretend that it doesn't exist.

The Anne of Green Gables movies follow the story of Anne Shirley, a chatty red-headed orphan girl who has a difficult childhood being moved from orphanage to orphanage, family to family. She is treated like a slave by those who take her in. Despite the terrible situations she is forced to endure, her spirit is not broken but rather her strong imagination runs wild. One day it seems that all her dreams have come true as she is told that she is being sent from the orphanage to a family who live on the breath-taking Prince Edward Island. She can hardly contain her joy and excitement when she arrives. However, to her dismay, she soon discovers that there has been a miscommunication, and the family actually wanted a boy not a girl. The family, which includes an elderly brother and sister who have both never married, decides to keep her rather than sending her back to the orphanage. They first keep her on a trial basis but ultimately adopt her and they enjoy days with colour, adventure, joy and romance. While a lot of drama, trouble and accidents surround her, she becomes a precious and important part of the family and the local community.

The Anne of Green movies really are so wonderful. Anne's character is amusing, fascinating and inspirational. It is so special to watch as she builds strong bonds with the family who takes her in. It is so hilarious to watch as she gets up to all sorts of trouble. Overall, the Anne of Green Gables movies are so heart-warming and refreshing, and it is this, along with the characters and relationships, that make these movies very re-watchable. I am so thankful that I could enjoy watching these movies so many times with my mum when I was younger. Maybe, I will watch them with her again when I visit Australia next time!

Belinda

Vocabulary
integral (adjective) – necessary to make something complete
utterly (adverb) – completely; extremely
chatty (adjective) – liking to talk a lot in a friendly, informal way
endure (verb) – to suffer (something painful or difficult) patiently
run wild (phrase) – to behave in a natural, free, or uncontrolled way
dismay (noun) – the feeling of being very worried, disappointed, or sad about something surprising or shocking that has happened