Search - Emily of New Moon Collector's Edition on DVD

S.J. T. from FREDERICKSBRG, TX
Reviewed on 2/4/2015...

"Horror movie" alert! Good for adults but NOT FOR CHILDREN!
(In this particular case, the sales lines "Family entertainment" is as big a lie as "One size fits all." )

"Emily of New Moon," written by L.M. Montgomery, in book form, is one of my all-time favorite children's (and adult) books. Mrs. Montgomery wrote her stories of Emily and of "Anne of Green Gables" around 100 years ago, describing characters and people she knew on Prince Edward Island, and still her characters are fresh and true to life.
Bad things happen, such as children being orphaned, but they are loved and taken care of, even in a Victorian household, by their caring, if overly-strict, relatives.
This was, after all, the age of "Children are to be seen and not heard," and perfection in all things was expected.
However, the screen-writer for this Canadian TV series "Emily of New Moon" decided to re-write the stories ...to make them more modern, perhaps? Or in her mind, more interesting? (I can't imagine....) And turned them into horror stories. With horrible, terrifying nightmare-ish images.
What possessed this producer to hire someone to do that for what is advertized as a children's, or family, series, I can not even imagine.
Please notice I'm not saying this is not a good series, it was really interesting, from an adult's point of view...I gave it 4 stars. But FOR ADULTS ONLY.
But it is in NO WAY suitable for children, for the little girls for whom Mrs. Montgomery wrote her original books for.
I cannot imagine why a tv series would hire a screen-writer to turn a well-known and LOVED children's series into horror movies - but I can't say it enough, buy one for adult enjoyment, but DO NOT let children watch it, especially the first three seasons. (It was a bit toned down for the last season, but still dealt with a strictly adult storyline.)
If you are interested enough to read further, I will give examples:
As in the original books, Emily is orphaned at a young age and sent to live with her relatives, a strict authoritarian aunt who dominates not only Anne, but rules tightly over the sweet but easily-cowed Aunt Laura and Cousin Jimmy. That is true to the book.
But the screen writer of the DVD series shows a grieving Anne, still a young child, crying over her mother's death, and then shows a terrifying scene of a demon skeleton on a demon horse coming to take her dead mother away while laughing insanely. And it goes downhill from there, horror-story-wise.
Anne mysteriously sees ghouls and demons coming out of graves everywhere on the family property throughout the whole series... (which of course has NOTHING to do with the original storyline.) But gives children a horrible view of the death of loved ones.
Teenagers might enjoy this, the horror-movie affect, because they would think it was funny - but I wholely resent the movie company advertising this as a family film, and showing those demons in a show meant for young children.
Furthermore, there are terrifying, long-drawn-out and way-too-graphic scenes of the childbirth of an illegitimate child, much more graphic than anything on TV, after which the teenage mother walks off and leaves the baby, without a thought, at a church door, to resume her careless lifestyle.
Even later, there were many scenes of Anne's beloved sweet Aunt Laura addicted to laudenum and becoming a groveling drug addict and thief, which distresses Anne greatly, at a time when she has no one to turn to to help her.
Aunt Laurel is later thrown by cruel family members into the old-fashioned insane asylum, more for punishment rather than any intention of a cure - A "bedlam" style true "madhouse" which young Anne goes into to futilely try to get her aunt out. That is filmed in a way as to be as terrifying as the demons.
Later Aunt Laura is married to a cruel husband who leaves her to almost die alone from a miscarriage while he flaunts his evil and manipulative lover in front of society.
Sweet "Cousin Jimmy" who's greatest fault is that he's mentally handicapped, shy and unassuming and wouldn't hurt a fly, gets thrown into prison. Then it shows Anne having to deal with all these problems as a young child, with no one to turn to, while she's about to be turned out of the family home.
It's not that all of these "facts of life" didn't happen during the 1800's..They did, but surely not all to one family!
But they are all so terribly inappropriate in a children's film! The predominant theme is one of a child being subjected daily to cruelty, addictions, insanity, hopelessness, and relentless punishment even for adults caught up in matters beyond their control.
There IS a good side to the film, that I have to add. It is shot in its entirety on Prince Edward Island, where the Montgomery books were written and where Mrs. Montgomery's country home is still a treasured landmark. The vintage clothing and setting is rich, and the acting...whether the characters are good or evil, is WONDERFUL.
I think many adults and older teens might find this a fascinating series. But speaking as a long-time teacher - and a former child, myself - I plead, don't let the kids watch!
Visuals as intense as these horror scenes last in children's nightmares for years! and they certainly don't need to see and know the long drawn-out pain of childbirth at such an early age. Way too graphic!!
And speaking for the children of this time and generation, they are subjected to enough worrisome things in their daily lives as it is.
But buy the book and read it to them!
Both your hearts will be glad!

"Storygirl" - Storyteller, teacher and children's advocate

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