Elizabeth Vargas on Anne of Green Gables

I love finding fans of Anne of Green Gables. My most recent discovery is that Elizabeth Vargas, the American television journalist and anchor and correspondent for ABC News, is a fan of Anne.

In an interview with SheKnows, Joel Amos asked Elizabeth Vargas, "What were some of those books that were so wonderful for you that when they ended you cried?"

Elizabeth Vargas mentions several books, including the Winds of War, War and Remembrance, and Charlotte’s Web, that deeply moved her. She also mentioned Anne saying, "I loved the Anne of Green Gables series. That was just as a girl, I loved those books. It’s a trilogy. When I read the last one, I was devastated that were no more coming up."

I really hope Elizabeth Vargas finds out that there are eight Anne of Green Gables novels and has a chance to enjoy them all.

Reference:
Amos, Joel D. (July 16, 2009). Elizabeth Vargas Gets Inside JK Rowling’s World. SheKnows. Retrieved from: https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/809857/elizabeth-vargas-gets-inside-jk-rowling-s-world/

Image credits:
Left: Photograph of Elizabeth Vargas.
Right: Screen capture of Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © Sullivan Entertainment.

Created July 19, 2009. Last updated December 17, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

World Masterpiece Theater Exhibition

The Suginami Animation Museum in Tokyo, Japan is holding an exhibition called "World Masterpiece Theater," which spotlights beloved anime from the long-running television series, including Anne of Green Gables (Akage no An). The exhibition opened on May 26, 2009 and will continue through August 23, 2009.

The World Masterpiece Theater is a long-running Japanese television anime series based on classic children's stories. The series included Anne of Green Gables, A Dog of Flanders, Princess Sara (based on A Little Princess), 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, Rascal the Raccoon, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Swiss Family Robinson. The most recent World Masterpiece Theater anime series titled Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables aka Hello Anne: Before Green Gables is currently airing. It is based on the Anne of Green Gables prequel novel, Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson.

The exhibition includes a chronology of the World Masterpiece Theater, informative displays on 26 anime series, and rare production items, including animation cel drawings and scripts. The museum will host special workshops and events about World Masterpiece Theater. In addition, the exhibition will screen episodes from Anne of Green Gables, A Dog of Flanders, 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, Rascal the Raccoon, Perrine's Story, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Romeo's Blue Skies, as well as the first episode of Hello Anne: Before Green Gables in the anime theater on weekends.

The Suginami Animation Museum is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day (closed on Mondays). The museum is located at 3F Suginami Kaikan, 3-29-5 Kamiogi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167-0043.

Image credit:
Poster advertising the World Masterpiece Theater Exhibition at the Suginami Animation Museum.

Websites and References:
Suginami Animation Museum
"World Masterpiece Theater" Exhibition at Tokyo Art Beat

Created June 1, 2009. Last updated October 3, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Looking for Anne (2009)

Looking for Anne (2009) is a film that tells an original story that was inspired by L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. The contemporary tale follows the journey of Anri, a seventeen-year-old Japanese woman, who visits Prince Edward Island for three weeks. Anri arrives in Canada on a personal quest to search for her recently deceased grandmother's first love. The man was a Canadian soldier that her grandmother met at the end of World War II, and he gave her a copy of Anne of Green Gables. Beyond this, all Anri knows is that the man lived near a lighthouse.

The press kit for the film describes it as follows:

"Looking for Anne" presents an entirely original story inspired by the book "Anne of Green Gables" of the Canadian writer, Lucy Maud Montgomery. It tells how this single book, and the friendships that build around it, can change the life of people beyond time and space...

Looking for Anne starred Honoka Ishibashi as Anri and was directed by Takako Miyahira. The film's cast also included Daniel Pilon, Rosanna Zanbon, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Johnny Sa, Mahiru Konno, Ai Takabe and Tarek Ghader. The film is 105 minutes in length, and it was produced by Zuno Films and was distributed by Filmoption International Inc.

Director Takako Miyahira first read Anne of Green Gables as an adult. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Miyahira states, "The first time I read the book, I thought, Why did I miss this precious book? I should have read it earlier!" She felt compelled to make a film about the power of the Anne of Green Gables. Miyahira goes on to say, "Now in the world, people are confused with so many values about happiness or aiming for success. Anne of Green Gables teaches how to find happiness,"

In 2009, Looking for Anne received awards for Best Film and Best Director at the Singapore Asian First Film Festival. It had a wide theatrical run in Japan.


References:
CBC News. (2009, December 7). Anne film wins at Asian festival. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/anne-film-wins-at-asian-festival-1.817665

Dixon, Guy. (2010, December 1). Anne of Green Gables' eternal life in Japan. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/anne-of-green-gables-eternal-life-in-japan/article1316455/

Looking for Anne Press Kit (2009). Retrieved from: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bb117fe8dfc8ced93a929ee/t/5c9106a8eb39312d6e39b65d/1553008311339/Looking+for+Anne+-+Press+Kit+ENG.pdf

Image credit:
Official film poster for Looking for Anne © Filmoption International Inc.

Official Websites:
Looking for Anne (Filmoption International Inc.)
Looking for Anne Trailer

Created April 19, 2009. Last updated April 26, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Galactic Gables by Tom McHenry

Have you ever wondered what Anne Shirley would be like if she traveled to outer space? Well, comic and zine creator Tom McHenry has imagined it out for you.

In McHenry's one-off webcomic, Anne and Matthew Cuthbert are traveling through space. Anne is ashamed to be wearing a "horrid old wincey" spacesuit. Then she lightens up, smiling and asking Matthew about the blue planet they arrived at. When Matthew explains that it's called Earth, Anne replies, "They shouldn't call it 'Earth.' There's no meaning in a name like that. They should call it 'The Azure Orb of Delight.'"

McHenry's sci-fi comic based on Anne of Green Gables was featured in an article called, "When Classic Literature Gets Updated" by Graeme McMillan at io9.com. McMillan writes, "Move over, Pride and Prejudice And Zombies, a new updating of classic literature has come along to win your heart... Or at least make you laugh. Yes, it's Anne of Green Gables... in space."

On his livejournal, McHenry explains his inspiration: "Sara and I have been reading the original Anne novels (not my ill-fated science fiction sequels including Anne of Lavaworld and Rilla of Planetside) aloud before bed."

At io9, McMillan goes on to say, "The strip was just one of McHenry's "Future and Space Things" themed week of comics, alongside Space Yuppies. More proof that more people should be forced to come up with science fiction when they least expect it." I heartily agree. I enjoyed reading this fantastic and fun comic.

Created February 16, 2009. Last updated April 17, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

National Post Review of Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings

Judy Stoffman wrote a comprehensive review of Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings by Mary Rubio for the National Post titled "Beyond the Red Haired Girl: Her Fiction May Be Upbeat, but L.M. Montgomery’s Life Was Less So." Stoffman writes about the stark contrast between the happy endings Montgomery wrote for her "plucky heroines" and her own turbulent life.

Stoffman writes,

"In her 21 books of fiction, Lucy Maud Montgomery always provided a happy ending. Her plucky heroines, the red-haired orphan Anne Shirley the most famous among them, somehow manage to seize their opportunity to love, to marry, to find acceptance in their community after vanquishing controlling mothers, gossipy neighbours, manipulative suitors, bullying fathers, cruel grandmothers, false friends, negative aunties - the whole nasty army of discouraging, judgmental, energy-sapping naysayers bent on undermining the dreams and ambitions of the young.

Yet a happy ending eluded the lively, intelligent and hard-working Montgomery herself, who lived what may be the most tragic life of any Canadian writer and died an addict to prescription medications at the age of 67, in 1942."

Stoffman writes about the new information provided by Rubio's biography, which examines Montgomery's early life, schooling, romances, career, marriage, relationships, and children.

"Five volumes of her diaries were published by Oxford University Press beginning in 1985, but the full extent of her suffering and disappointments has not been known until Mary Rubio's Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings (Doubleday Canada, 684 pages, $39.95). Montgomery had carefully shaped and revised her diaries throughout her life, deleting the most shameful facts. Rubio, now an emeritus professor of English at the University of Guelph, spent 30 years researching her magisterial biography and has filled in all the gaps."

According to Stoffman, Rubio's new biography puts L.M. Montgomery's life in context and considers the radical shifts following WWI, including the changes in literary tastes, psychiatric treatments, and views of religion. Rubio's extensive research shows how Montgomery's life was affected by societal, cultural, and personal factors, providing a nuanced and thorough portrait of the author.


Image credit:
Book cover of Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings.

Reference:
Stoffman, Judy. (2009, January 17). Beyond the Red Haired Girl: Her Fiction May Be Upbeat, but L.M. Montgomery’s Life Was Less So. National Post. Retrieved from: http://www.financialpost.com/scripts/story.html?id=1186069

Purchase and read Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings:


Created January 18, 2009. Last updated September 23, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Valentines - Set 3

Here's a third set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines to give to your kindred spirits, friends, classmates, and loved ones. Save the Anne-inspired Valentines shown below. Then print the Valentine cards out on cardstock paper in landscape mode, cut them out, and share them!



To design this set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines, I used public domain images, public domain clipart from Antique Clipart, and an image of Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley from Sullivan Entertainment's production of Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987).

Download and print more Anne of Green Gables Valentines here: Set 1, Set 2, and Set 4.

Created January 16, 2009. Last updated January 26, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Cooking with Anne of Green Gables

Cooking with Anne of Green Gables: Recipes from Edwardian Kitchens is a book by Kevin Sullivan and the producers of Anne of Green Gables and Road to Avonlea that was published by Davenport Press Publishers in 2005. The book features over 100 recipes for appetizers, breads, soups, seafood, main courses, vegetables, salads, desserts, drinks, and preserves. In addition, the 94-page volume presents information on cooking in the early 1900s, planning an authentic Anne of Green Gables meal, turn-of-the-century etiquette, and parlour games. Interspersed throughout the book, there are photographs from Sullivan Entertainment's productions and two paintings by James Hill, but there are no photographs of the recipes themselves.

The book includes the following contents:

Forward by Kevin Sullivan
Introduction
Cooking in the early 1900's
Turn of the Century Etiquette
Planning an Authentic Anne of Green Gables meal

Appetizers

Hot Crab Almond Dip
Croute Bernard
Cheese Straws
Solomon Grundy
Corn Fritters
Baddock Scotch Eggs
Caulcannon
Salmon Caviar Spread
Salmon Paté
Chicken Liver Paté
Marinated Goat Cheese
Bruschetta

Breads

Salmon Loaf
Shediac Brown Bread
Sourdough Bread
100% Whole Wheat Bread
Trapper's Bread
French Bread
Mary's Polish Bread
Oatmeal Brown Bread
Sweet Dough
Icing Sugar Graze
Hot Cross Buns
Maple Syrup Buns
Chelsea Buns
Scones
Tea Biscuits
Salt Pork Buns
Perfect Popovers
Soda Bread

Soups

P.E.I. Potato Soup
Old-Fashioned Split Pea Soup
Pumpkin Soup
Cheese Soup
Scottish Broth
Cold Borscht
Clam & Celery Bisque
Fish Chowder
Clam Chowder
Vichyssoise

Seafood

Scalloped Oysters
French Fried Scallops
Fish Cakes
Soused Herring or Mackerel
Broiled Lobster
Haddock Finnan Haddie
Stuffed Halibut Steaks
Hugger-In-Buff
Cod au Gratin
Fish Rolls
Clam Pie
Maritime Quiche
Fisherman's Trout
Creamed Oysters
Grapefruit Crab Cocktail

Main Course

Braised Short Ribs with Vegetables
Beef Birds
Corned Beef & Cabbage
Veal Chops with Mushrooms
German Schnitzel
Stuffed Lamb Shanks
Curried Lamb
Apple Pork Chops
Ham in Milk
Chicken with Ginger & Honey
Coq au Vin
Tourtière
Cabbage Rolls

Vegetables

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks
German Style Dumplings
Potato Cakes
Seasoned Carrots
Buttery Tomatoes
Fiddleheads
Turnip Apple Casserole
Glazed Squash Rings
Old-Style Succotash
Quick Succotash
Zucchini Quiche

Salads

Cucumber Yogurt Salad
Leeks Vinaigrette
Dandelion Salad
Green Salad
Carrot Salad
Cabbage Salad
Bean Salad
Mom's Potato Salad
Moulded Beef Salad Ring
Lobster Salad
Fisherman's Delight
Mandarin Orange Salad
Sweet Pickled Beets

Desserts

Flaky Pastry
Old-Fashioned Molasses Tarts
Homespun Pie
Maple Syrup Pie
Apple Cream Pie
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Oatmeal Cake
Rhubarb Cake
Walnut Chocolate Cake
Queen's Cake
Carrot Cake
Apple Cake
Pudding Rayon de Miel
Sauce d'Or
Sauce Floradora
Plum Pudding
Oatmeal Crispies
Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Lemon Bars Deluxe

Drinks

Rhubarb Deluxe
Lemonade
Hot Cranberry Punch
Mulled Cider
Plum Gin
Raspberry Cordial
Mint Julep
Newfoundland Blueberry Wine
Dandelion Wine
Red Velvet Punch
Dandelion Coffee

Preserves

Peach Marmalade
Black Cherry & Red Currant Jam
Blueberry Jam
Sunshine Strawberry Jam
Spiced Crabapple Jelly
Wine Jelly
Green Tomato & Green Apple Chutney
Chili Sauce
Corn Relish
Rhubarb Relish
Bread & Butter Pickles
Mustard Pickles
Pickled Mushrooms
Pickled Herring
Pickled Eggs

Victorian Parlour Games


Here is the description of the book from the Shop at Sullivan website:

A cook book filled with over a hundred Edwardian inspired recipes inspired by the world of Anne of Green Gables.

Make the next occasion extra special and dine elegantly with a number of meals, drinks and desserts straight out of the early 1900s.

ISBN-13: 9780973680355

Image credit:
Book cover of Cooking with Anne of Green Gables.

Purchase and read Cooking with Anne of Green Gables:


Created December 10, 2008. Last updated December 18, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables (2009)

Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables (aka Hello Anne: Before Green Gables) is an anime series produced by Nippon Animation as the 26th title in the celebrated World Masterpiece Theatre series. It is the prequel to the beloved anime series Anne of Green Gables (aka Akage No An), which was one of the first classic novels adapted for the World Masterpiece Theater series in 1979. Notably, the prequel anime marks the 30th anniversary of this original anime adaptation.

The storyline of Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables is based on Budge Wilson's book Before Green Gables, which was published in 2008 as a prequel to L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables. Wilson's prequel was written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables. The prequel was translated into Japanese and titled Konnichiwa Anne (Hello Anne) by Akiko Usagawa.

Rina Hidaka portrayed Anne Shirley's voice in Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables. Takayo Nishimura served as the chief animation director for the production. As a special touch, the series was narrated by Eiko Hisamura (née Yamada), who portrayed Anne Shirley in the original Akage no An back in 1979.

The series was directed by Katsuyoshi Yatabe, produced by Kōichi Motohashi, and written by Michiru Shimada. Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables features delightful music by Yasuharu Takanashi, Hiromi Mizutani, and Kenji Fujisawa. The opening and closing theme songs, "The Seed of Light" and "Alright March," were sung by Azumi Inoue, who is best known for singing the theme songs of My Neighbor Totoro.

Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables tells the story of Anne Shirley's early life as an orphan before she was adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. It begins when Anne Shirley is six years old and living with foster families in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The series is 39 episodes long, and each episode is approximately 20 minutes in length. The series premiered on BS Fuji on April 5, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. and aired each Sunday evening through December 27, 2009.


Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley from Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables (2009) © Nippon Animation

Official Website:
Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables at Nippon Animation

References:
Before Green Gables (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved from: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10550

Loo, Egan. (July 7, 2008). Before Green Gables Prequel Animation to Anne Novels Green-Lit. Anime News Network. Retrieved from: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-07/before-green-gables-prequel-animation-to-anne-novels-green-lit

An Attempt to Hype Konnichiwa Anne: The Upcoming 26th World Masterpiece Theatre Series. (December 3, 2008). Star-Crossed Anime Blog. Retrieved from: http://psgels.blogsome.com/2008/12/03/an-attempt-to-hype-konnichiwa-anne-the-upcoming-26th-world-masterpiece-theatre-series/ (archived).

Created December 4, 2008. Last updated December 16, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com