Little Women (1994)

Director:

Gillian Armstrong

Writers (WGA):

Louisa May Alcott (novel)
Robin Swicord (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The story that has Lived in our hearts For generations, Now comes to the screen For the holidays

Plot:

The March sisters live and grow in post-Civil War America.

Plot Keywords:

Writing | Singing | Horse And Carriage | Neighbor | Piano

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Winona Ryder	...	Jo March
Gabriel Byrne	...	Friedrich Bhaer
Trini Alvarado	...	Meg March
Samantha Mathis	...	Older Amy March
Kirsten Dunst	...	Younger Amy March
Claire Danes	...	Beth March
Christian Bale	...	Laurie
Eric Stoltz	...	John Brooke
John Neville	...	Mr. Laurence
Mary Wickes	...	Aunt March
Susan Sarandon	...	Mrs. March
Florence Paterson	...	Hannah
Robin Collins	...	Carriage Boy
Corrie Clark	...	Belle Gardiner
Rebecca Toolan	...	Mrs. Gardiner
Curt Willington	...	Red Haired Young Man
Billie Pleffer	...	Naughty Girl
Louella Pleffer	...	Naughty Girl
Janne Mortil	...	Sally Moffat
Sarah Strange	...	Sally's Friend
Ahnee Boyce	...	Sally's Friend
Michele Goodger	...	Hortense
Marco Roy	...	Mr. Parker
A.J. Unger	...	Ned Moffat
Janie Woods-Morris	...	Boston Matron
Patricia Leith	...	Boston Matron
Christine Lippa	...	Mrs. Hummel
Kristina West	...	Hummel Child
Nicole Babuick	...	Hummel Child
Jenna Percy	...	Hummel Child
Alan Robertson	...	Dr. Bangs
Mar Andersons	...	Fred Vaughan
Cameron Labine	...	Averill
Matthew Walker	...	Mr. March
Bethoe Shirkoff	...	Art Teacher
Marilyn Norry	...	Mrs. Kirk
Andrea Libman	...	Kitty Kirk
Tegan Moss	...	Minnie Kirk
Janet Craig	...	Miss Norton
Beverley Elliott	...	Irish Maid
James Leard	...	Office Worker
Charles Baird	...	Office Worker
Jay Brazeau	...	Dashwood
Demetri Goritsas	...	Bhaer's Student
Kate Robbins	...	Opera Singer 'Leila'
David Adams	...	Opera Singer 'Nadir'
Donal Logue	...	Jacob Mayer
Scott Bellis	...	John McCracken
John Shaw	...	Charles Botts (as John C. Shaw)
Irene Miscisco	...	French Maid
Peter Haworth	...	Male Secretary
Natalie Friisdahl	...	Daisy
Kristy Friisdahl	...	Daisy
Bryan Finn	...	Demi
Sean Finn	...	Demi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Bruno Borgman	...	Returning Civil War Soldier (uncredited)
Mark Marriott	...	Butler (uncredited)
Daniel Olsen	...	Wounded Soldier (uncredited)
Jerry Robbins	...	Banker (uncredited)

Directed by
Gillian Armstrong

Writing credits (WGA)
Louisa May Alcott		(novel)
Robin Swicord		(screenplay)

Produced by
Warren Carr	....	associate producer
Denise Di Novi	....	producer (as Denise DiNovi)
Robin Swicord	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Thomas Newman

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Simpson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Nicholas Beauman

Casting by
Carrie Frazier
Shani Ginsberg

Production Design by
Jan Roelfs

Art Direction by
Richard Hudolin

Set Decoration by
Jim Erickson

Costume Design by
Colleen Atwood

Makeup Department
Ma Kalaadevi Ananda	....	makeup artist: Ms. Sarandon & Mr. Byrne (as Marilyn Carbone)
Donna Bis	....	first assistant hair stylist
James D. Brown	....	hair stylist
Naomi Donne	....	makeup artist: Winona Ryder
Sherry Linder-Gygli	....	first assistant hair stylist
Jan Newman	....	makeup artist
Peter Owen	....	wig designer and maker
Connie Parker	....	first assistant makeup artist
Lisa Taylor Roberts	....	first assistant makeup artist (as Lisa Roberts)
Fay von Schroeder	....	makeup artist (as Faye von Schroeder)

Production Management
Warren Carr	....	unit production manager
Rosemary Dority	....	post-production supervisor
Chantal Feghali	....	post-production supervisor
Joseph E. Foley	....	production manager: second unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jim Brebner	....	additional second assistant director
Dave 'Foots' Footman	....	dgc trainee (as Dave Footman)
John-Paul Holecka	....	third assistant director
Mark Lewis	....	second unit director
Mark Turnbull	....	first assistant director
Pete Whyte	....	third assistant director
Kim H. Winther	....	second assistant director (as Kim Winther)
Kate Eisemann	....	second assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Gordon Bellamy	....	sculptor/fabricator
Lubor Cencak	....	scenic painter
James H. Chow	....	property master (as Jimmy Chow)
Mel Christensen	....	construction foreman
John Hamilton	....	lead painter
R. St. John Harrison	....	set designer (as Richard St. John Harrison)
Craig Henderson	....	construction foreman
Barry Kootchin	....	head scenic artist
Janis Lee	....	scenic painter
Catherine Leighton	....	assistant property master
Bridget McGuire	....	assistant art director
Neil McLeod	....	assistant property master
Michael J. Siver	....	head greensman (as Mike Siver)
Thom Wells	....	construction coordinator (as Thomas Wells)
Joshua A. Burwell	....	greensman (uncredited)
Marta McLaughlin	....	prop buyer (uncredited)
Ken Rabehl	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Eric Batut	....	production sound mixer
Gethin Creagh	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chris Glyn-Jones	....	boom operator (as Chris Glyn Jones)
David Grusovin	....	sound assistant
Phil Heywood	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tim Jordan	....	adr editor
Paula Lourie	....	sound assistant
Simon Martin	....	sound assistant
Gary O'Grady	....	dialogue editor
Martin Oswin	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Penders	....	adr editor
John Simpson	....	foley artist
Lee Smith	....	sound designer
Peter Townend	....	sound effects editor
Karin Whittington	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
David Allinson	....	special effects technician
Tony Lazarowich	....	special effects assistant
Lars Lenander	....	best boy special effects
William H. Orr	....	special effects (as William Orr)
Jak Osmond	....	special effects assistant
Michael Walls	....	special effects technician
David K'shin Gendron	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Roger Cowland	....	opticals

Stunts
Marny Eng	....	stunt double: Winona Ryder (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John L. Brown	....	dolly grip
Phillip V. Caruso	....	key art photographer
Derek Grieves	....	dolly grip (as Derek Grieve)
Tim Hogan	....	key grip
Stephen Jackson	....	gaffer
Burton 'Joe' Kuchera	....	best boy electrics (as Burton Kuchera)
Joseph Lederer	....	still photographer (as Joe Lederer)
Peter Levy	....	director of photography: second unit
Tenzin Lhalungpa	....	first assistant camera
Randal Platt	....	camera operator
Lisa Robison	....	second assistant camera
Ken Woznow	....	second grip
Chris Cochrane	....	generator operator (uncredited)
Herb DeWaal	....	rigging grip (uncredited)
Kim Olsen	....	grip (uncredited)
George Ramage	....	electrician (uncredited)
Michael Wale	....	camera trainee (uncredited)

Casting Department
Stuart Aikins	....	casting: Canada
Sandra Couldwell	....	extras casting
Sandra Couldwell	....	extras casting: Canada
William Haines	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Debbie Douglas	....	costume set supervisor (as Deborah Douglas)
Jennifer Grossman	....	costume supervisor
Nancy McArdle	....	costume supervisor
Zoya Niechoda	....	costumes
Nicola Ryall	....	set costumer
Phyllis Thurber-Moffit	....	costume textile artist
Robin Richesson	....	costume illustrator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Arthur Cambridge	....	color timer
Martin Connor	....	digital editing assistant
James Ilecic	....	first assistant editor
Stein Myhrstad	....	digital editing assistant
Karen Psaltis	....	negative cutter
Noelleen Westcombe	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Bill Bernstein	....	music editor
Sharal Churchill	....	music consultant
Bruce Johnson	....	music consultant
Shawn Murphy	....	scoring mixer
Thomas Pasatieri	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Scott Irvine	....	transportation coordinator
Ron James	....	transportation captain
Robert Martini	....	transportation coordinator: Boston

Other crew
Jan Alexander	....	craft service
Michael Andreen	....	executive: Di Novi Pictures
Kara Baker	....	assistant: Ms. Armstrong (as Kara Dillard Baker)
Belinda Bennetts	....	title designer
Mandy Butler	....	assistant accountant
Mark A. Dixon	....	location manager: Deerfield second unit
Dawn Dumas	....	head animal trainer (as Dawn Martin-Wiener)
Paula Marie Duncan	....	assistant accountant
Truddi Forrest	....	choreographer (as Trudi Forrest)
Dave Gilbert	....	extras
Tim Haughian	....	assistant location manager
Don Knodel	....	assistant location manager
Wendy Lewis	....	production coordinator (as Wendy Patricia Lewis)
Paul Lougheed	....	production assistant
Jane McKernan	....	assistant accountant
Margaret Mitchell	....	production accountant (as Margaret A. Mitchell)
Rino Pace	....	location manager
Laila Palermo	....	production assistant
Jamie Payton	....	animal wrangler
Anne S. Reilly	....	unit publicist
John Scott	....	head animal wrangler (as John D. Scott)
Anne M. Simonet	....	assistant: Ms. Di Novi (as Anne Simonet)
Erin Smith	....	assistant production coordinator
Julie Tjaden	....	assistant: Ms. Di Novi
Christine Wilson	....	script supervisor
Matthew C. Young	....	researcher
Dorothy Aufiero	....	production coordinator: second unit (uncredited)
Harrison Cheung	....	assistant: Christian Bale (uncredited)
Dana Dubé	....	animal trainer (uncredited)
Joëlle François	....	press attache: France (uncredited)
Lori Gillis	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Anne Lara	....	press attache: France (uncredited)
April D. Matthews	....	accounting clerk (uncredited)
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach (uncredited)
Diane Puhalla	....	assistant cutter/fitter (uncredited)
Dale Wibben	....	custom made cutter (uncredited)

Thanks
Polly Hannah Klaas	....	film dedicated to
Judy Scott-Fox	....	film dedicated to

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents) (as Columbia Pictures)
• DiNovi Pictures (producer)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1994) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Film (1995) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (1995) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (1995) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (1995) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de España (1995) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Prooptiki (1995) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Canada) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (199?) (Germany) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (France) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (1995) (Argentina) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-edited)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1997) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Videosonic Arts (1996) (Greece) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Animal Logic  title design
• British Columbia Film Commission  special thanks
• Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing  special thanks (vintage clothing rentals)
• High Output  grip and lighting equipment (2nd unit)
• Location Caterers  catering
• Panavision  camera and lenses
• Sony Classical  soundtrack released by
• Sony Pictures Studios  adr sound services (as Sony Pictures Entertainment)
• Spectrum Films International  post-production facilities
• Spectrum Films International  post-production facilities (as Spectrum Films)
• Technicolor  prints
• William F. White International  lighting equipment

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for two uses of mild language

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Austria:6 | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/6 | Peru:PT

Filming Locations:

Canada

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Costumes are handed down from older sister to younger, to underline both the family's poverty and the connections between sisters. Jo's red plaid dress worn to the ball where she meets Laurie is worn the following Christmas by Beth when she comes down the stairs after being ill; Jo and Beth are close to each other, as Meg and Amy are close to each other. Meg's blue striped dress that she doesn't end up wearing to Belle Gardiner's debut ball is worn years later by Amy in the scene where she announces she's going to Europe with Aunt March.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The opera which Jo and Frederick watch is Bizet's "Pearl Fishers", which was first performed in Paris in 1863. However, the opera was not performed in the U.S. until 1892, long after the action of the film.

Quotes:

Marmee:[Jo has been to visit Aunt March to try and get money for a train ticket] 25? Can Aunt March spare this much?
Jo:I couldn't bear to ask.
[she takes off her hat, everyone gasps - she's got short hair]
Jo:I sold my hair.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Whose So-Called Life Is It Anyway? (#3.12)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Ding Dong Merrily on High

Wow, what do you know? A worthy remake!

I've seen the original, starring Katherine Hepburn as Jo which was directed by George Cukor in (what seems to be) 1901. That's an excellent version of this story, a real classic.

Maybe the story just needed a 'new coat of paint' to spruce it up a bit because it sure does seem new and worth telling again.

Winona Ryder has to carry the movie, more or less, and gives a confident performance as the independent Jo. Susan Sarandon is not around that much but makes a good Marmee. Christian Bale is great, as always, and Trini Alvarado and Eric Stoltz round out the cast.

You don't see Claire Danes that much, but then it becomes about her quite a bit as the story moves on. A gift she receives for Christmas from a kindly neighbor could give your tearducts a workout, at the very least.

Beautiful movie. Could even be longer, and how many times can you say that about anything?