Little Women (2019) Reviews
A story well worth owning
Posted : 1 year, 11 months ago on 8 May 2022 09:52It is such a good story and the characters are so good that it remains timeless regardless of how many it is read and how often it's adapted. The latest adaptation, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, responsible for 'Lady Bird' (one of my favourites from its year), and starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep and Laura Dern (the four biggest names), is the eighth adaptation. And along with the 1994 film with Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon and the 1933 film starring Katharine Hepburn it is one of the best. Some may not be totally enamoured with it as an adaptation, as the chronology is different and there is a lot of back and forth, but on its own terms it left me and my sisters totally satisfied.
Will admit to not being completely grabbed at the start, with it being the worst case of the backing and forthing from Jo's point of view not always working. On the most part this aspect does work surprisingly well, but there were times where it was confusing and not always easy to tell straight away what was the past and what was the present and that was the case with this 'Little Women'.
Although the acting is outstanding nearly all-round, for me Louis Garrel was somewhat bland as Professor Bhaer. The character is not the most interesting character in 'Good Wives' in the first place, but with his role being so small here the character felt very underwritten and Garrel doesn't bring an awful lot to it.
These two problems are vastly outweighed by everything else and the best of everything else is fantastic. Three things are especially good. The production values are exquisite throughout, the costumes are evocative and the settings have a cosiness and charm that reminds me fondly of the period films of films from MGM in the 40s and 50s. The darker look of the present scenes contrast beautifully with the warm looking past ones. Just in case one is wondering, that is a compliment or at least to me it is. Alexandre Desplat is one of the best film composers working today and his score fits the film and the spirit of the story perfectly, the triumphant moments exploding with sumptuous joy and the emotional ones enhanced by the sorrowful-sounding orchestration. Ronan is quite sensational as Jo, one of her best performances to date in a performance that is sensitive and spirited.
Everybody else, Garrel excepted and that was to do with the limitations of the role, also excels. Have not seen Watson better than here, epitomising sympathetic charm even in her desiring of better. Florence Pugh is truly excellent as and the embodiment of older Amy which suited her more than when playing her when younger. While criticisms of her being less convincing as younger Amy where the character is more petulant and spoilt it is not easy not making younger Amy too bratty (especially in the burning of the book incident), it is not hard to see as to why this has been a breakthrough year for Pugh. Eliza Scanlan is a very moving Beth, especially later on, while Laura Dern is a sincere and loving Marmee, Timothee Chamalet is a charming Laurie and has great chemistry with all four leads (especially Ronan) and no other actor for Mr Laurence has made my heart melt more than Chris Cooper. Streep is a very amusing Aunt March.
Regarding the storytelling and character writing, 'Little Women' is a near triumph. The story is heart-warming and moving, although the chronology is different and sometimes coherence is affected the spirit and a lot of the major events of 'Little Women' and 'Good Wives' are intact and with full impact. The transitions from past to present and vice versa are mostly quite seamless. Loved the interaction between the four sisters, which charmed, amused and moved in equal measure throughout, while this adaptation is the best at including and fleshing out the triangle between Jo, Laurie and Amy. Jo and Beth's chemistry was incredibly heartfelt and for me the film's big tragedy was heart-wrenching (same with my sisters and everybody in the cinema in a packed auditorium male and female and of all ages), and having Jo's strength and struggles as a writer mirroring Alcott herself was a clever move and a valid one considering Jo was a personal character for Alcott. Almost all the characters are well defined, with strengths and flaws and how they dealt with their triumphs and struggles. Gerwig directs with great confidence and the script sparkles, the charm and poignancy of the story and Alcott's text never lost or jarring.
Summing up, a great film and what a way to spend New Year's Day. 9/10
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A good movie
Posted : 3 years, 5 months ago on 18 November 2020 09:29I wasnāt really dying to see another adaptation of this classic US novel but since it had been very well received, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I still donāt think it is such a great story (I might have to read the book at some point to really judge it though) but I have to admit that Greta Gerwig definitely made the most of it though. Concerning the directing and the writing, Gerwig had been really praised for her work but, to be honest, I had some mixed feelings. I mean, on one hand, it was clearly an ambitious project but, on the other hand, what was so ambitious about adapting a classic book which had been adapted so many times before? Concerning the back-and-forth in time, it is an overused gimmick which I see way too often nowadays and, in this case, it was only mildly effective. Anyway, something neat about this story is that it always allowed the makers to assemble an all-star female cast and this version certainly didnāt disappoint on that level (Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Eliza Scanlen). To be honest, Watsonās and Scalenās roles turned out to be rather thankless as they were not really fleshed out and it shows that this story might work better as a mini-series to have more running time to properly develop each sister. However, there is no doubt that Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh were both quite impressive. I think I had a slight preference for Pugh as she was so convincing playing the same character at two very different stages of her life. Eventually, I have to admit that these characters were actually all really neat and the relationship between these sisters was just really sweet and entertaining to behold. I wasnāt really so sure about their relationship with the male characters though. Indeed, there was not much time to explain why Meg thought that John Brooke was so amazing and the switch made by Laurie from Jo to Amy still felt rather jarring. Anyway, to conclude, even if I think it was slightly overrated, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Ā
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Little Women (2019) review
Posted : 4 years, 2 months ago on 2 February 2020 04:330 comments, Reply to this entry
Little Women
Posted : 4 years, 3 months ago on 11 January 2020 10:32Thereās more than a little bit of Louisa May Alcott in Jo March, and thereās also a bit of Jo March in Greta Gerwig. Not only does Gerwig prove that thereās still life in Little Women, Alcottās oft filmed novel of four daughters coming of age in the Civil War, but that thereās still nuances and reflexive layers to mine in the material. Gerwig restores various bits of autobiographical detail to the material providing an already proto-feminist work with a stronger voice.
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We begin in the middle of the narrative with Jo (Saoirse Ronan) living in New York and trying to sell her stories to a disinterested editor (Tracy Letts), and move backwards in time to see how her youth framed her present. Scenes of Jo scribbling ambidextrously, one of several points of Alcottās own life that get woven in, will suddenly move backwards to show her love of writing plays as the seeds of her eventual present. Itās a smart way to differentiate this adaptation from the straight-through versions starring Katharine Hepburn, June Alyson, or Winona Ryder.
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This structure provides not just bits of detail and meaning to things like Joās sibling rivalry with Amy (Florence Pugh, simply marvelous), but in shaping our vision of Joās bucking of societal conventions while simultaneously thinking she should subsume to them. She scoffs at prospects like marriage while chasing after a fulfilling artistic life, and the filmās third-act treatment of Jo being partnered off is treated as a joke. Gerwig, Alcott, and Jo all combine artistic voices to break the fourth wall and underscore that this endgame decision was one fostered upon them by outside forces.
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I suppose some of your adoration of this material will rely upon your ability and tolerance for scenes of women chattering away. Frankly, I wish more films would be like this. Itās a joy to simply sit back and watch actresses as varied and talented as Ronan, Pugh, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, and Eliza Scanlon argue, laugh, support each other and offer bits of advice. These various personalities provide a wide range of color and ideologies from Streepās elderly Aunt March being a bit of a battle-axe to Dernās Marmee transforming volcanic emotional responses to muted self-sacrifice and neighborly support.
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Of course, being Little Women, the four sisters get the largest amount of screen time. Ronan remains one of the best actresses of her generation with her ability to seemingly project multiple thoughts and unspoken feelings with just her body language and mercurial transition of facial muscles. Emma Watson gets a turn as Meg, the oldest of the sisters and the one most clearly repeating the life choices of her parents by marrying for love instead of money. Eliza Scanlon manages to make Beth a realistic character instead of the near saintly presence other versions have presented her as, and her resignation in the face of illness is heartbreaking.
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While Pugh makes Amy March a more sympathetic and complicated figure than the spoiled brat of prior adaptations. Yes, Amy is a bit of a brat, but sheās also clear-eyed enough to realize the transactional and economic realities of a good marriage for someone in her station and era. It is this scene that best encapsulates what Gerwig is trying to reframe and discuss in this version of the story, the societal and financial pressures that linger upon the family. Each version of Little Women reflects something about the wider culture at the time with the 1949 exploring post-war euphoria and the 1994 underlining the value and defining nature of work, for instance. The 2019 version explores the then-versus-now dynamics at play within the material and transforms Jo from just a self-interest of its original author and into something more complex.
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