MOVIE REVIEW: Little Women an entertaining and thought-provoking classic
Rating: PG – Little Women is a timeless story with relevant messages for all ages, from a grandmother and retired English teacher to a 30-something feminist and two young Queanbeyan sisters aged eight and 11.
The masterful adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel of the same name received six Academy Award nominations and had taken more than USD 100 million in the box office by mid-January.
Little Women’s lead is 25 year old multi-Golden Globe winning Irish actress Saoirse Ronan as Jo and the cast includes Harry Potter’s Emma Watson as Meg and Laura Dern as mother Mary March.
The story follows the Little Women of the March family; sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy who grew up in Massachusetts, USA in ‘genteel poverty’ in the 1860s.
We witness the joys, tragedies and wonders for young women, families and communities in America at the time.
This interesting adaptation starts with Jo’s adventurous life, passionately writing stories in New York City and thumbing her nose at the prospect of marriage.
The audience glimpses flashbacks of the girls’ energetic and cosy adolescence through to adulthood during a time of conflict, with limited options for independence or creativity.
The cinematography is stunning and inspires a move to Concord where the story was set and the movie filmed.
The costumes are delicately designed with the idiosyncrasies of each character in mind and the talented cast exquisitely portray Gerwig’s reimagined characters for a modern audience in a way that would make Alcott proud.
An all-round entertaining and thought-provoking classic.
“While not completely faithful to the book, the story resonates today with its examples of family unity and forgiveness. Woven skillfully through the movie are messages of how unpredictable, complicated and at times downright unfair life can be,” Kaye Dunn
“Little Women was great. I love the story it is based on as well. Though I found the different timelines were confusing,” Alice 8
“Little Women was fantastic. They kept key components of the book and added scenes that fitted in with the story. Amy’s character was a lot more developed, making her a key part of the movie. If you hadn’t read the book, you would find it quite confusing as it flicked back and forth between time periods. I definitely recommend it”. Samantha 11
At age 86 I have read and reread many times. A wonderful family book about the real meaning of family, love and all the things that happen life. The good times,sad times,growing up.No wonder it is still a favourite of young and old.Bless Louisa May Alcott for having the vision to depict family life.