The first season of Northwood Entertainment’s series Anne with an “E”, which had successful run on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in March and April, launches today in the rest of the world on Netflix under the title Anne with an E.
Fittingly, Anne has made the news numerous times in anticipation of its worldwide release. Here are some highlights:
- “The Other Side of Anne of Green Gables,” by Willa Paskin (The New York Times)
- “Anne with an E Is the Best Kind of Adaptation,” by Sophie Gilbert (The Atlantic)
- “Why the 1980s Anne of Green Gables is Such a Hard Act to Follow” (Vanity Fair)
- “The Sisterhood of Anne of Green Gables Is Ready for Anne’s Next Chapter,” by Katie Calautti (Vanity Fair)
- “How Not to Adapt Anne of Green Gables,” by Sarah Larson (The New Yorker)
- “Why You Need to Watch the New Anne Series—Yes, I’m Talking to You, Fellow Purists,” by Sarah Bessey
- “Who Is Anne with an E Star Amybeth McNulty?” by Eleanor Brey Griffiths (Radio Times)
- “Netflix’s ANNE Bridges the Divide between Us and Our Childhood Dreams,” by Mishka Hoosen (The Ploughshares Blog)
- “A ‘Breaking Bad’ Writer and Producer Is Behind a New Anne of Green Gables,” by Erin Blakemore (Smithsonian)
UPDATED
- “Lush, Sad and Perfect: At Last, TV Gives Us an Anne of Green Gables for Our Times,” by Chitra Ramaswamy (The Guardian)
- “Anne with an E Offers a Winning, Darker Take on a Familiar Tale,” by Gwen Ihnat (The A.V. Club)
Zero interest in a “dark” Anne.
As usual, the dance school graduates of the political-entertainment complex miss the point entirely.
You might give this new series a try, Michael. Although I haven’t liked all of the writer’s choices, overall I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how compelling each episode is. And if you prefer a more light-hearted adaptation, you might try the trilogy of movies from Breakthrough Entertainment, which are very enjoyable also.
Michael: many watchers of this series are finding that it reflects that darkness and abuse they were able to read in the novel as children and young adults. It largely depends on experience. There is nothing politically-surged about it.
Very much agree with the New Yorker assessment. LMM seemed to prefer pine woods to pig sties for a reason, and the new adaptation is not only untrue to that vision, but is painfully unaware of its value. And I hate that they aged Anne to 13 — she is 11 in the book and that two-year difference is important and planned, I believe.
I agree with you, Grayelf, that bumping up Anne’s age changes some of the dynamics in terms of the character. But the actor portraying Anne is excellent, and it would not have been believable for to be playing someone younger than 13.
And PS any less-than-casual lover of LMM knows she preferred to be called Maud!
Agreed!
i disagree that it is “painfully unaware”. her canon and her life writing hint to the fact that were she not restricted by her publisher and the rigid structure afforded women of her time period, she would more likely write something in this vein than a piece appropriated (not her intent) by children. there are SO many moments of light and pine cones and hope and beauty; but for the first time it takes Montgomery seriously–not just “anne of green gables” but her tradition, her world and the context of her life, her life writing and its prescient meaning. i stand by my belief that this would be the adaptation (out of all Anne adaptations and other incarnations of her work on stage and screen) that she would most enjoy. this adaptation mines nuance and depth from her characters and gives them a dimension beyond the episodic connect-the-dots-of-iconic moments that the Sullivan adaptation did. i think she would be delighted, as i am, that we are mining fresh and more deeply realistic material from this Anne. in fact, it has made me appreciated the book even more. everything i know from decades long study of montgomery’s life and world indicates she would be beguiled by this realistic character piece.
agreed! she gets so much right and knows so much about Montgomery and her life and world, that this is just sloppiness.
After reading the review in The Atlantic I feel like I will give it a pass also. I have read those books more than once or twice along with other books of LMM. I loved Follows in the role. I understand that Anne’s life was not ‘easy’ before Green Gables but I prefer to love the books and Sullivan’s version I think.
When I saw PTSD, trauma, violent beating, flashback and oh my god FUGUE state I just shook my head. I also chuckled because apparently today’s families or viewers cannot watch something without a psychological catch phrase/label or two.
Thanks for your comment, Merricat. The vast majority of the coverage for the series has been quite positive overall. You might want to read through Sarah Bessey’s blog post “Why You Need to Watch the New Anne Series—Yes, I’m Talking to You, Fellow Purists,” if you haven’t already—food for thought.
Benjamin thank you and I will. I always keep an open mind 🙂