If you aren’t a stranger to this blog, you know that I am pretty much obsessed with classic literature and movie/tv adaptations of them. I’m pretty sure it is because I find this form of entertainment to be safe… The events and customs are different enough to be distanced from my reality, and dependable enough to not assault my senses with graphic violence or bedroom scenes. At times I walk a tightrope with war movies, but when I do, I spend a great deal of time covering my eyes. The world is messy, bloody, and evil enough and I have no desire to fill my mind with pretend versions of those things as well.

So I am always on the lookout for new shows or movies that fit into my very specific category. I was excited to see that Netflix had released their own take of Anne of Green Gables called “Anne with an E.” I’ll admit I’ve never read the books, though I did start the first one long ago. I enjoyed the old miniseries immensely, and so I was hoping this new iteration would be a show that I could introduce C to, after all it’s Anne of Green Gables!

And then I watched the first episode. It isn’t bad. It’s very beautiful to look at and the girl that plays Anne does a very good job. But they definitely took artistic liberty and there were some very dark flashback scenes that I’m pretty confident weren’t in the book. In one episode there were extensive conversations about ‘intimate relations’ as well that took me by surprise. It made me sad because after watching three episodes, I don’t think I want C watching it for a long, long time.

I’ve noticed this happen quite often when adaptations are made of classic novels. There are certain movies where you can absolutely tell where the author left off and the screenwriter took over. I’m always let down when this happens, because it’s possible to keep with the spirit of a novel and not impose modern agendas into the story. The classic novels are classics because the writers knew how to tell a story.

Sorry, that was my soapbox for the evening. I’ll probably continue watching the show, but I definitely won’t be introducing it to the kids!