Little Women (1994 film)
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Little Women is the 1994 film version of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, Little Women. It was adapted by Robin Swicord and directed by Gillian Armstrong.
Cast
- Susan Sarandon - Marmee March
- Winona Ryder - Josephine 'Jo' March
- Samantha Mathis - Older Amy March
- Kirsten Dunst - Younger Amy March
- Note: in other movie versions, Amy is played by one actress who is made to look both as the young Amy and the older Amy.
Plot summary
The movie follows the March children as they grow up during and after the American Civil War. The family is faced with major and minor problems that they confront head on sharing laughter, tears, and some awkward moments. With their father away fighting in the Civil War, the girls are lead by their strong-willed mother whom they affectionately call Marmee. One of the ways the girls find to deal with all that is going on is to create their own attic theater company where they write and perform in their own plays (especially Jo who is the central figure in organizing and writing the skits).
An orange becomes a rare and precious commodity that also serves as a lesson to the youngest, Amy, who succumbs to her moral values and goes with her family to deliver their Christmas meal with a family even less fortunate than their own. It is this selfless compassion that leads tragedy for one of the girls, Beth.
Next door to them is a wealthy elderly man named Mr. Laurence who is kind to their family. When his grandson Theodore (nicknamed "Laurie") moves in with him, he becomes the girl's friend, donates a mail-box as a peace offering and is invited by Jo to join their acting team. The sisters have their tiffs espically Jo whom the story mostly revolves upon.
Jo accidentally holds the curler to Meg's hair, burning the piece off right before a fancy ball. Meg dates Laurie's tutor, causing Jo to realize their childhood is coming to an end. When Beth comes down with scarlet fever, Amy, who unlike her sister's never had the sickness, has to go and live with grumpy wealthy old Aunt March. Jo had been Aunt March's companion for years and hated every minute of it; the only reason she continued was knowing that one day Aunt March would go to Europe and would have to take Jo with her. Amy, as the sister most obsessed with money and good-looks, thrived as Aunt March's new companion. Jo had a hard time dealing with the fact that Aunt March was then going to take Amy with her to Europe instead of her, one more heartache in her drama-filled life.
The trip to Europe served Amy well, as she improved her painting and ran into her old childhood friend, Laurie.
Major life events occur for all the girls. When their father gets hurt in the war and Marmee can't afford a train ticket, Jo sells off her hair to a wig shop to pay for it causing the entire family to be in shock, and Jo to later have a heart warming scene crying over the loss. They watch their father come home from the war while Beth slowly dies from the effects of the scarlet fever.
Laurie does not end up with Jo but does marry Amy (and Jo admits no hard feelings over it). Meg is the first to get married (to Laurie's tutor) and Jo is the last, finding love with a German professor she meets while in New York.
As the girls grow up, they learn in their own time about life, loss, and most important love.
Academy Awards
Nominations:
- 1995 - Best Actress in a Leading Role - Winona Ryder
- 1995 - Best Costume Design
- 1995 - Best Music, Original Score - Thomas Newman
Trivia
During filming, Claire Danes accidentally set her wig on fire with one of the candles, causing Winona Ryder to come to her rescue.External link
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