The Notebook

It has been a VERY long time since I read this book. That was good, because it made the movie more powerful. I remember that I was not particulary impressed with the book. I thought it was really no better than a Harlequin romance. But seeing it on-screen was much more poignant. It started a little sappy, but the love between Allie and Noah was very believable. And the scene when Allie's mom showed her the boy "from the wrong side of the tracks" was also sweet. I think it was her mom's way of saying "okay, go ahead - I guess it really was never over." It is also telling that the mother never threw away Noah's 365 letters.

The Hobbit (TV 1977 Cartoon)

I can't believe the 2012 version of this movie is going to make the book into 3 looong movies. It's really not that long of a book.

This cartoon covered the story pretty well. I was amused at how they chose to do the death scenes. For example, when the spiders died, they just showed a cut-out and then a spiral. None of the scenes were very long, as the action moved quickly along. There was music throughout, though not the songs from the book. Gollum was a strange creature, but not as creepy as the one in the Lord of the Rings' movies. The only huge gap was the absence of Beorn, the bear-man that gave the group so much aid.

A cute cartoon - I believe it probably was made-for-TV. (1977)

Anne of Green Gables

This was a nice, sweet story of an orphan girl who wins the hearts of all she meets. The movie does a nice job of bringing Anne to life, and showing her enthusiasm and hard work and determination. Most of Anne's "predicaments / learning experiences" are chronicled in this TV version. The character of the minister's wife is eliminated (Anne's teacher, Miss Stacy, replaces her in the stories she plays a part), and the Gilbert storyline is changed significantly. But the love and pride of Marilla and Matthew shine through wonderfully. I honestly pictured Diana as much prettier, and Anne as more homely (at least at the age of 12). But the casting and acting was otherwise spot-on.

Far From the Madding Crowd (1998)

This was a made-for-TV BBC production. I'm not sure why I felt the need to watch it, after I'd already watched the other. They both were super-long. This one seemed to follow the book a little closer. And Gabriel (Nathaniel Parker) - nice eye candy.