Little Women movie review & film summary (2018)
There have already been many other versions of Alcott's semi-autobiographical story of four sisters, including a Broadway musical, a 48-chapter Japanese anime series, an opera, and films starring Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Winona Ryder. The most recent BBC version (of four) was shown earlier this year on PBS. The second major version this year is a modern-day retelling with a quartet of appealing young actresses, adapted with skill and understanding by writer/director Clare Niederpruem.
The advantage of many adaptations is that none have to replicate every page of the book. That leaves room for Niederpruem’s gently updated version, made with respect and affection, without any gimmicks. While Alcott’s March girls gathered around their mother to hear her read aloud their father’s latest letter, these March sisters gather in front of the computer to talk to their father, wearing desert fatigues, presumably calling in from Iraq.
Some of the most well known incidents of the book are omitted, which creates an opportunity to explore others less frequently included in adaptations. An early flashback is charming, when Marmee (a warm, wise Lea Thompson) puts a bill collector on hold so she can perform her part in the girls’ re-enactment of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. After all of the obstacles, and a sacrifice from each, they arrive in the attic to find their cardboard Castles in the Air, which they decorate with their dreams for the future. Niederpruem, a former actress and costume designer, has a good eye for detail, and the settings are engaging and perceptive.
We also see the meetings of the girls’ Pickwick Club, though its origin as a tribute to Charles Dickens is reflected only in the club members’ names. As in the book, the club puts on elaborate theatrical productions; unlike the book, this club also pays tribute to the girls’ father with military garb and chain of command.
Jo (performed with heart and spirit by Sarah Davenport) is an aspiring writer, outspoken, imaginative, and ambitious. She is dismissive of the dreams of her older sister, Meg (Melanie Stone) for a home and family. Beth (Allie Jennings) is the shy third sister, who loves music, and the youngest is Amy (Elise Jones, and later, as an adult, Taylor Murphy), an aspiring artist who dreams of being rich and beautiful. They meet the boy next door, Laurie Lawrence (Lucas Grabeel), an orphan who has come to live with his wealthy grandfather. He becomes a member of the club and a close friend, and then maybe more.
