Louisa May Alcott’s Little women was remade for the seventh time and released on the 26th of December 2019, 25 years after the previous adaptation and it was directed by Greta Gerwig who has prior directed the 2017 ‘Lady Bird’.

Little Women opened Boxing day in the UK and picked up $29 million across its five-day opening which was way above the estimated amount of $16-17 million.

Little Women is a feminist film which showcases a group of four sisters and the March family and their adventures in life in the late 19th century however it also follows the women who want things for themselves and have big ambitions in life and hopes for the future. The film was filmed in Concord, Massachusetts where the original author and her family lived and Alcott’s own childhood home is recreated for the March family house in the film.

In the years after the Civil War, Jo March moves to New York and makes money as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris and hopes to become an artist in the future. Amy met once again with Theodore, who was her childhood crush who prior proposed to her sister Jo but was rejected. The oldest sibling of the family, Meg, is married to a schoolteacher, while their shy sister Beth develops a devastating illness that brings all of the family back together.

One of The directors boldest moves in the making of the film was the cuts back and forth in the timeline of the story and the complete change in colour pallet and themes, in the present tense of the film the colour pallet is paler and blush as it is more drained of colour however in the years of the civil war the colours were more green and deep red. The cuts between the time was hard for some to follow but also made the viewing experience more interesting and makes you keep your attention on the film.

The film stars multiple big names such as Saoirse ronan, Emma Watson, florance Pugh and Timothee Chalet which attracts many different people to watch this classic film.

“This beautifully acted, thoughtfully directed adaptation of Alcott's beloved story about sisterhood is exactly the heartfelt and uplifting modern classic moviegoers need.”- Sandie Angulo Chen.

“The adaptation is faithful to its historical roots, yet it runs on contemporary energy.”- Joe Morgenstern

 

By Francesca Nicholson,

Langley Park School For Girl