Anne Of Green Gables - 1985 - 2 Parts

The 1985 television adaptation of Anne of Green Gables , produced by Kevin Sullivan

for the CBC, is widely regarded as the definitive on-screen portrayal of L.M. Montgomery’s classic 1908 novel. This two-part miniseries originally aired on December 1 and 2, 1985, and remains the highest-rated drama program in Canadian history. Core Narrative The story follows Anne Shirley

(Megan Follows), a talkative and fiercely imaginative 13-year-old orphan mistakenly sent to the elderly siblings on Prince Edward Island. (Colleen Dewhurst) and

(Richard Farnsworth) had requested a boy to help with farm work at Green Gables

, but they are quickly won over by Anne's vibrant spirit and "kindred" nature. The miniseries is split into two major segments:

The 1985 television miniseries directed by Kevin Sullivan is widely regarded as the "Gold Standard" adaptation. It captures the "spirit" of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1908 novel through a two-part epic that remains a cultural touchstone. 📽️ Key Production Insights

The Search for Anne: Production involved a year-long search through 3,000 girls before choosing Megan Follows.

Creative Shifts: Sullivan moved the setting from the Victorian to the early Edwardian period (early 1900s) to create a more dynamic cinematic world.

The "Front" and "Back" of Green Gables: The iconic house was actually two different locations near Toronto; the interior was a soundstage.

Casting Hepburn's Niece: Katherine Hepburn turned down the role of Marilla but successfully campaigned for her niece, Schuyler Grant, to play Diana Barry. ✨ Critical Analysis & Reflections

The 1985 version is considered a "kindred spirit" to the text. Anne is often highlighted as a proto-modern woman. Colleen Dewhurst's performance as Marilla is praised.

Costume designer Martha Mann won 6 Gemini Awards for using clothes to tell a story of growth. 📌 Notable Blog Reviews Anne of Green Gables - 1985 - 2 Parts

The Film Rewind explores five reasons why it is a masterpiece.

Laina Has Too Much Spare Time provides a detailed breakdown of Part 1.

The Official Anne of Green Gables Blog features behind-the-scenes looks at production locations.

💡 Key Takeaway: This adaptation is celebrated for balancing whimsy with emotional realism while retaining intellectual depth. Consider the following for more information: Details on the 1987 sequel. A list of filming locations you can visit. Analysis of Anne vs. Gilbert's relationship arc.

The Genius of Casting

No article about this miniseries is complete without praising the holy trinity of casting: Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, and Richard Farnsworth.

Megan Follows (Anne Shirley): She was 16 when filming began, playing an 11-year-old. The risk of a teenager playing a child is high (annoying, cutesy), but Follows delivered a raw, volatile, and deeply intelligent performance. Her Anne is not sweet; she is fierce. When she screams about her red hair or weeps over Matthew’s death, there is no acting—there is only feeling. She made Anne’s verbosity charming, not exhausting.
Richard Farnsworth (Matthew Cuthbert): The American cowboy actor seemed an odd choice for a shy PEI farmer. Yet Farnsworth’s Matthew is the heart of the film. His shy smiles, his trembling hands, and his silent, unconditional love for Anne break every viewer. When he buys her the puff-sleeve dress, you will weep.
Colleen Dewhurst (Marilla Cuthbert): Dewhurst played Marilla not as a strict spinster, but as a woman who has buried her heart to survive. Over the course of six hours, we watch that ice melt. Her Marilla is dry, sarcastic, and occasionally cruel (the “carrot” comment), yet when she finally allows herself to say “I love you” to Anne, it is earned and monumental.

Anne of Green Gables (1985) — 2 Parts

Anne of Green Gables (1985) is a two-part television adaptation of L.M. Montgomery’s classic 1908 novel, produced for television and directed by Kevin Sullivan. Set on Prince Edward Island, it follows the spirited, imaginative red-haired orphan Anne Shirley after she’s mistakenly sent to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, an elderly brother-and-sister who intended to adopt a boy to help on their farm, Green Gables. The series captures Anne’s coming-of-age as she transforms the quiet Avonlea community with her warmth, mischief, and fierce imagination.

Key elements

Format: Television miniseries in two parts.
Setting: Early 20th-century Prince Edward Island, Avonlea.
Main characters: Anne Shirley; Marilla Cuthbert; Matthew Cuthbert; Diana Barry; Gilbert Blythe.
Tone: Wholesome, nostalgic, humorous, and sentimental with dramatic moments.
Themes: Identity and belonging, imagination and storytelling, friendship and rivalry, coming of age, family found rather than born.

Part structure (two-part summary)

Part 1 — Arrival and Adjustment: Introduces Anne’s backstory, her arrival at Green Gables, and the initial shock and eventual softening of Marilla and Matthew. Shows Anne’s early misadventures at school and in Avonlea, the development of her close friendship with Diana Barry, and the beginnings of conflict and eventual rivalry-turned-respect with Gilbert Blythe.
Part 2 — Growth and Trials: Follows Anne through more mature challenges—academic ambitions, personal losses, social misunderstandings, and tests of character—leading to reconciliations, community acceptance, and an affirmation of Anne’s place at Green Gables.

Why it stands out

Faithful spirit: Keeps the novel’s warmth and humor while expanding scenes for television drama.
Strong performances: Particularly noted for the portrayal of Anne (Megan Follows), whose energetic and nuanced performance became iconic.
Production: Period costumes, scenic Prince Edward Island locations, and a memorable musical score cultivate an evocative, timeless feel.

Suggested one-paragraph blurb (for a program guide) When an imaginative, talkative orphan named Anne Shirley is mistakenly sent to siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, the quiet life at Green Gables is transformed. This two-part 1985 adaptation follows Anne’s journey from troublesome newcomer to beloved member of Avonlea, blending humor, heart, and the small-town charm of early-1900s Prince Edward Island.

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The 1985 television adaptation of Anne of Green Gables , produced and directed by Kevin Sullivan, is the most celebrated film version of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic 1908 novel

. Originally aired as a two-part miniseries on CBC in December 1985, it remains the most-watched television program in Canadian history. Cast and Production

The miniseries is defined by its iconic casting and lush production values: Megan Follows (Anne Shirley):

Follows won the role out of 3,000 girls for her ability to portray Anne’s fiery temper and vulnerability. Colleen Dewhurst (Marilla Cuthbert):

Initially advised against the role, Dewhurst provided a performance that humanized the stern Marilla. Richard Farnsworth (Matthew Cuthbert):

His portrayal of the shy, kind-hearted brother is widely regarded as a definitive performance. Jonathan Crombie (Gilbert Blythe):

Cast after being spotted in a high school play, Crombie’s Gilbert became a legendary "first crush" for a generation of viewers. Visual Style: Prince Edward Island

and in Ontario, the film used an Edwardian-era setting to create a "softer, brighter" visual feel. Part 1: The Arrival The first part covers Anne’s arrival at Green Gables and her struggle to belong:

Title: The Heart of Avonlea: A Story of the 1985 Classic

The year was 1985. In living rooms across the world, families gathered around television sets, captivated not by spaceships or detectives, but by a small, red-headed girl with a temper as fiery as her hair and a vocabulary far beyond her years. The Genius of Casting No article about this

This is the story of Anne of Green Gables, the landmark two-part miniseries that defined a generation.

Awards

Gemini Awards (Canada): Best Mini-Series, Best Direction, Best Actress (Megan Follows), Best Supporting Actress (Colleen Dewhurst)
Emmy Award (US, 1986): Outstanding Children’s Program
Peabody Award (1986): For excellence in children’s programming

The Legacy: Why “Kindred Spirits” Still Matter

The phrase "kindred spirit" has entered the lexicon entirely due to the popularity of this 1985 adaptation. It describes a friend who understands your soul without explanation.

The Anne of Green Gables – 1985 – 2 Parts miniseries endures because it offers something increasingly rare in modern media: a patient, gentle, deeply moral story without cynicism. It celebrates intelligence (especially female intelligence), loyalty, and the courage to be different.

When you watch Part One, you are watching a child learn to trust. When you watch Part Two, you are watching a young woman learn to love. And by the time the final credits roll over that white cottage in Cavendish, you realize you have not just watched a story—you have visited old friends.

Whether you are a lifelong fan introducing it to a new generation or a first-time viewer curious about the hype, the 1985 two-part epic remains the essential adaptation. It is, in Anne’s own words, "ever so much more than a film." It is a piece of our shared cultural heart.

Final Verdict: If you search for only one version of L.M. Montgomery’s classic, make it Anne of Green Gables – 1985 – 2 Parts. Pour a glass of raspberry cordial (the non-alcoholic kind), find a quiet Sunday afternoon, and prepare to meet your kindred spirit. She is waiting for you on the shores of Prince Edward Island.

Here is the complete, detailed breakdown of the 1985 television mini-series Anne of Green Gables, originally broadcast in two parts.

4. Cast and Performances

Key Scenes That Define Part One

The Train Station: The first time we see Megan Follows as Anne is a masterclass in acting. Her wide eyes, her chapped lips moving a mile a minute, and the desperate plea, "But if you won’t take me back, what will I do?" are heartbreaking. This scene establishes the central conflict: imagination vs. stark reality.
The Slate Incident: The iconic "Carrots" insult hurled by Gilbert Blythe (Jonathan Crombie) leads to the fateful slate breaking over his head. In the 1985 version, the chemistry between Follows and Crombie is instantaneous—a perfect mix of loathing and latent attraction.
The Raspberry Cordial: In one of the most purely comedic sequences of Part One, Anne accidentally gets her friend Diana Barry drunk on what she thought was raspberry cordial (but was actually currant wine). The frantic apologies, the horrified Marilla, and Anne’s subsequent banishment from Diana’s house are played for both laughs and pathos.
The Puffed Sleeves: Perhaps the most emotionally resonant moment in Part One is not a tragedy, but a triumph. When Matthew secretly buys Anne the dress with puffed sleeves he knows she has always wanted, the silent actor Richard Farnsworth communicates more with a crooked smile and a brown paper parcel than a page of dialogue could. For a child who has never owned anything beautiful, that dress is freedom.

Part One ends on a high note. Anne wins the Avery scholarship, earning her way to college. But she stays home to care for Marilla after Matthew dies of a heart attack. The final shot is not despair, but quiet resolve. It is a complete arc: an orphan becoming a beloved daughter.

Why Two Parts Work Better Than One

Modern streaming adaptations (looking at you, Netflix’s Anne with an E) often try to deconstruct or darken the material. The 1985 miniseries does not. It trusts the original story’s emotional gravity.

Part 1 is the story of belonging—a child finding a home. It is fast-paced, witty, and full of childish mistakes (the liniment cake, the drunken raspberry cordial).
Part 2 is the story of maturity—a young woman choosing sacrifice over ambition. It is slower, more melancholic, dealing with death, duty, and delayed romance.

Together, they form a complete bildungsroman. You watch Anne grow from a scrap of a girl who talks too much into a woman of grace, without ever losing her core spirit.

A Kindred Spirit Forever: Why the 1985 Anne of Green Gables (Parts 1 & 2) Remains the Definitive Adaptation

For millions around the world, the name “Anne Shirley” does not conjure the black-and-white typeface of L.M. Montgomery’s 1908 novel, but the fiery red braids, wide grey eyes, and boundless chatter of a Canadian television miniseries. Released in 1985 and split into two feature-length parts, Anne of Green Gables is more than a faithful adaptation—it is a cultural touchstone. Nearly forty years later, the sweeping score, the pastoral landscapes of Prince Edward Island, and the iconic performance of Megan Follows remain the benchmark by which all other versions are judged.

RAYACADEMY. IAS