Thinking in relation to Sullivan's Road to Avonlea series, Andrew Stuart and Jasper Dale would both have been dubbed as “The Awkward Men”. I find the fact that Lantern Hill and King Farm are the same building interesting. I enjoy how Sullivan reuses his props and buildings. It makes it fun to find in his other productions.
I think that Sam Waterston did a superb job. Sam fit exactly into my picture of what Andrew Stuart should look like. I think that Anne Taite did a excellent job of casting. Description of Andrew from the book: “~ his odd, peaked eyebrows... the way his thick, rather unruly hair sprang back from his forehead the slightly stern look in the eyes which yet had such jolly wrinkles at the corners... and the square, cleft chin which reminded Jane so strongly of something, she couldn't remember what. ~”
Mairon Bennett also did a superb job. She was Jane.
There is one actor who doesn't fit the description of Maud's description that bugs me. Robin was supposed to have blonde hair.
Irene wasn't quite how I pictured her, but Vivian Reis acted the way I pictured Irene to act.
In my opinion, Sullivan stressed the Evelyn part too much. I do like Hepzibah's part, but I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much if Colleen Dewhurst hadn't had played the part.
Despite the fact that there are changes from the book I really enjoy watching the movie. I think that anyone who has read the book would enjoy the movie if they don't mind the changes from the book.
The movie begins with Mrs. Kennedy picking Jane up and telling Jane that she and her mother would be living with her. Jane dislikes living with her grandmother and think that her relatives are boring.
Jane discovers from a spiteful Agnes Ripley that her father really is alive. This causes Jane to ask her mother, and Jane learns the truth.
Mrs. Kennedy would say that bad things happen in pairs of three, and perhaps she was expecting another bad thing to happen; however, I don't think that she would have ever imagined that Andrew Stuart would write and ask that Jane come visit him.
Jane travels to Prince Edward Island with her kind school teacher, Mrs. Stanley. Because Andrew's car broke down, Jane met her Aunt Irene at Bright River instead of her father.
After Jane's strange nights sleep, Andrew arrives. While Jane is carrying her bags down the stairs, she hears Irene and Andrew talking about her.
While on the drive to Lantern Hill, Andrew and Jane learn that they enjoy each other's company- and when the brakes go out on the car, things really start rolling.
Jane befriends Jimmy-John Meade and helps him beat his brother Owen in a bet. Because of the bet, Jane meets the Titus sisters and Hepzibah. Hepzibah helps Jane out and helps Jane understand why her parents aren't living together. After that talk, Jane begins trying to think of ways to get her parents together and help put Evelyn's ghost at ease.
Book Review
In November of 2005 I decided to read a book written by Lucy Maud Montgomery that I had not yet read. After several minutes of pondering I decided to read Jane of Lantern Hill. I looked around around my room and decided to sprawl out on my bed and begin reading the book.
Having never read a lengthy preview of the book I was unsure of what to expect. I had already read many other books by Maud and expected this book to be similar... such as the main character being an orphan, falling in love with a dashing, intelligent man, and shying away from the dashing, intelligent man when he showed interest in her. I was wrong.
At the beginning of the book I met Jane Stuart, a long-legged fatherless child. Jane and her mother, Robin, were living with Jane's grandmother. I was a little surprised that Jane's mother was alive and wondered how long it would be until Robin died. Thankfully, Robin survived the book.
In chapter nine Robin receives a letter from Jane's father asking her to let Jane visit him. After much contemplation Jane is sent to Prince Edward Island to spend the summer with her father. Jane thinks that she will dislike her father, but discovers him very likable (as I also found out :)) While on the island Jane pieces together the reasons why her parents are separated. Jane immensely enjoys her visit and she and her father decide that she will come again next year.
Jane visits her father two more times. When Jane is leaving for the third time she hears that her father is going to marry another person. Jane walks back to Lantern Hill to learn the truth.
updated 2/18/08