Avonlea CD Review

Road To Avonlea: The Original Series Soundtrack
By Don Gillis

Length: 54:17

Tracks:

The King Family Sara & Hetty Sara & Hetty; Hetty’s Attack Felicity & Gus Felicity’s Broken Heart Alex & Janet The Homecoming Sara’s Coming of Age Miss Stacey’s New Car Sara’s First Love A Broken Heart Felix & Blackie Felix’s New Job Hetty’s Long Lost Love A New Beginning Hetty’s High Horse Davey’s Undercover Davey & The Mermaid Steeple Chase The Winning Team Davey’s Adventure

Rodeo Rodeo II The Marshall The Stunt Rider The Circus The Treasure The Countess So Long Ago Hornpipe The Secret The Wedding A Tropical Breeze Felicity Searches For Gus Felicity & Gus Journey To The South Felicity’s Panic Felicity’s Broken Heart Gus’ Journey Felicity’s Fussed Gus Arrival

Review:
Finally, three years after the “Road To Avonlea” series ended, a soundtrack has been produced and made available to the public. I have been looking forward to this event quite anxiously. Now that a score is available, I’m less than overwhelmed. The RTA soundtrack is rather a mixed bag as to what it offers.

Let’s begin with the positive. The CD contains over 54 minutes of music compiled in astounding 41 tracks! Needless to say most of the tracks are only a minute or two in length, with the shortest being :26 and the longest is 2:30. The CD cover is a beautiful shot of Jasper and Olivia’s wedding photo, and the inside cover contains a collage of images of the various characters.

Now with the not so great. I'm disappointed that the soundtrack only contains the music of Don Gillis. Most of his music comprises the latter half of the series, and almost the entire seventh season. Thus, the CD contains no episode opening music tracks or Gus Pike's theme. In fact, the score sounds like variations on one or two themes. Don Gillis scored much of Sullivan Entertainment's other series "Wind At My Back", and the music on this CD reminds me of that series.

Hopefully, Sullivan Entertainment will release another CD with music from the Avonlea series (they have already released two for "Wind At My Back"). Until then, enjoy this soundtrack, or watch reruns of the series.

Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel - DVD Review

• Digitally restored
• Region 1
• 240 minutes
• Rated G
• Special Features: Behind-the-scenes photographs, missing scenes, director's commentary

  "Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel" is Sullivan Entertainment's follow-up to their award winning mini-series, "Anne of Green Gables." The sequel is actually comprised of several scenes from "Anne of Avonlea," "Anne of the Island" and "Anne of Windy Poplars." Thus, the mini-series is partly a retelling of the Anne books, and partly an interpretation of what Anne Shirley might have done in certain situations. The sequel takes place a few years after the events in "Anne of Green Gables." Anne is now a teacher, her friend Diane is getting married, and Gilbert Blythe is heading off to medical school.

  The DVD is dual-layered, dual-sided and encoded in Dolby Digital Stereo. The menus are easy to navigate and scene access offers animated thumbnails. Picture quality on the DVD varies: some scenes are quite clear, while others suffer from excess image compression and artifacting (jagged edges). Sound quality is clear and legible but only stereo.

  The special features included on this disc are really what makes the package shine. There are 3 short deleted scenes and a photo gallery included. Furthermore, the director's commentary features Kevin Sullivan who talks during the entire length of the production. He discusses set design, locations, costumes, cast and much more. The commentary alone justifies getting this disc.