Louisa May Alcott’s famous novel Little Women is a classic for lovers of period literature and it is a story that had been transformed not only for film, but also television and stage. Director Greta Gerwig has been hard at work after her solo directorial debut Lady Bird received many accolades to bring about the eighth adaptation of the book.
Emma Watson was a later addition to the cast, replacing fellow actress Emma Stone who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with her press junket tour for The Favourite. Watson who already has donned a few historical costumes, makes a worthy addition as Meg March (Think Pauline Fossil in Ballet Shoes and Belle in Beauty and the Beast).
Image: Columbia Pictures
Laura Dern stars as Marmee March. Dern previously pulled out of Breaking News in Yuba County also due to scheduling issues. Starring alongside Watson and Dern in this movie are Meryl Streep as Aunt March, Bob Odenkirk as Marmee’s husband, Florence Pugh as Amy March, and Eliza Scanlen as Beth March.
Gerwig’s remake also reunites Saoirse Ronan with her Lady Bird costar Timothée Chalamet as Jo March and Laurie Lauren respectively. Ronan told Vanity Fair magazine “I loved that in Lady Bird, he was the one that broke my heart, but I got to break his heart in Little Women.” Watch Ronan discuss the film in the video at the top of the page.
Regarding how this version of Little Women would stand out from previous versions of the film Ronan also said to Vanity Fair “We wanted to explore as much of Louisa’s real story as we could,”
Image: Columbia Pictures
Gerwig discovered that the Alcotts were in deeper financial troubles than the “genteel poverty” described of the fictional March sisters, as the novel is only semi-autobiographical. Alcott was out working at the age of 15, and growing up in Boston, the family moved something like 30 times.
“Her life was a lot darker than what she allowed for in the book,” she added. The magazine said “That lens adds drama to the moments when the March sisters step into a world of luxury.”
The first pictures released have certainly given fans a tempting sample of what to look forward to. Hopefully Gerwig’s retelling of the classic proves to be a worthwhile effort.
Watch this video to see Little Women from 1933. Although it was the third adaptation of the novel it was the first time being presented with sound instead of as a silent film.
