Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has been in the news recently, not because of the book, but because of the latest version of it on film, written and directed by Greta Gerwig. There was an outcry because she had not been nominated for Best Director by the Academy Awards. The movie itself was nominated for Best Motion Picture, best actress Saoirse Ronan, best supporting actress Florence Pugh, best original music score, best costume design and best adapted screenplay by the director herself. It won best costume design.
Gerwig, who, like me, has read the book more than once, says in a Vanity Fair article, “I think Louisa May Alcott, whether she knew it or not, made the ordinary lives of girls and women extraordinary by turning her pen to them…This is my book; Jo March is my girl.”
Gerwig’s film is the seventh movie version of this classic novel. According to National Public Broadcasting, the first two feature films of Little Women were silent movies made in 1917 and 1918. Critics praised Katherine Hepburn who took the lead role in the 1933 version. I had just read the book when the 1949 version with June Allyson portraying Jo hit the theaters. (My favorite actress at the time, Margaret O’Brien, played Beth.) Elizabeth Taylor wore a blonde wig to assume the role of Amy; Janet Leigh rounded out the cast as Meg.
Then, a new version wasn’t released until 1994 when Winona Ryder starred as Jo. In 2018, the book’s 150 anniversary, director Clare Niederpruem set the classic in the 21st century. I enjoyed watching this modern retelling as a totally different story; but I told friends that while it was a good movie, it was not the Little Women we knew and loved. And that brings us to the 2019 version which has won much acclaim for all associated with it.
Television
According to a variety of sources, a dozen made-for-television versions of this book have aired in several countries. The earliest version appeared in 1939 on NBC. Thereafter, a new rendition was broadcast in 1946, 1949, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1978; and in 2018, Masterpiece Theater presented the story as a three-part series in observance of the 150 anniversary Also, movie makers in Japan created two animated presentations in 1981 and 1987. The British Broadcasting Company has presented Little Women series in 1950, 1958 and 1970.
Stage
With the book still under copyright, it wasn’t until 1912 that an adaptation reached Broadway. In 1969, the tale returned to stage as a ballet. In 1998, it premiered as an opera in Houston. It was staged in over 20 productions, one of which was aired on PBS’s “Great Performances.” And in 2005, the four sisters returned to the stage again in a musical. Sutton Foster, who portrayed Jo, was nominated for a Tony Award Best Actress Award in a Musical.
Samuel R. Stanley, in his review of the latest film adaption for the Independent Institute Think Tank, concludes, “Overall, Little Women remains true to the aspirations of individual spirits and drive. Each of the March women takes a different path, and each journey has its own trials and tribulations. As in real life, choices are made about passions, life’s trade-offs, and love. While women have made real progress in 21st century America, the trade-offs and choices are still real. The conflicts between dreams, vision, and reality remain defining, and, at times, daunting. Gerwig’s version of Little Women shows that the uncertainty and anxiety of coming of age is timeless.”
Book
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, Little Women has never been out of print. By the 1960s, it had been translated into more than 50 languages. In 2014, it found its place among Americans’ 100 most favorite books; and two years later, Time Magazine ranked it among the top 100 young adult books of all times.
As much as I have enjoyed reading and rereading Little Women, I have also recently enjoyed reading Little Woman in Blue, Jeannine Atkins’ book about Amy. This author and Gerwig agree that Amy March has been misjudged over the years. I also appreciate Susan Bailey’s devotional book, Louisa May Alcott: Illuminated by the Message.
2020