Little Women (1994)

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

Director:

Gillian Armstrong

Writers:

Louisa May Alcott (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay)

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Louisa May Alcott's autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1860s. With their father fighting in the American Civil War, sisters Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are at home with their mother, a very outspoken women for her time. The story tells of how the sisters grow up, find love and find their place in the world.

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Plot Keywords:

civil war | american civil war | f rated | female protagonist | u.s. civil war | 

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Taglines:

Save a place in your heart for the unforgettable story of these... LITTLE WOMEN

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for two uses of mild language

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

25 December 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mujercitas

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$50,083,616

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, DiNovi Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christian Bale (Laurie) and Samantha Mathis (Older Amy March) are also in the movie American Psycho (2000). Christian Bale plays the lead role, Patrick Bateman in the movie.

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Goofs

The soldiers' uniforms in the various party scenes have both stripes on the sleeves and shoulder boards. In reality, stripes on the sleeves denote an enlisted man, and shoulder boards denote an officer. They are thus mutually exclusive and both would not have been worn by the same individual.

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Quotes

Marmee: Feminine weaknesses and fainting spells are the direct result of our confining young girls to the house, bent over their needlework, and restrictive corsets.

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Connections

Version of Novela: Mujercitas (1964)

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Soundtracks

Ding Dong Merrily on High
Traditional
Music by Thoinot Arbeau (uncredited) and lyrics by George Ratcliffe Woodward (uncredited)
[Music incorrectly credited as Traditional]

User Reviews

Something that should be treasured

There are many, many reasons why I love this version of Little Women. The main one - or at least the most immediate - is the way the film looks. I love the soft lighting, the hair and costumes (I was astounded this year when I bought the DVD to hear on the commentary that Winona Ryder's hair was not her own but a wig! I never would have guessed it at all.) The male characters as much as the females, I do love the period costumes, and I'm impressed by the efforts the wardrobe department made to get everything so accurate. The girls were in impoverished circumstances, so the clothes they wear aren't new and look just as though they've been handed down from one sister to another.

There are a few subtle touches in this film that I sometimes find a bit jarring, such as when Marmee is talking with John Brooke in front of Meg and mentions her disagreement with the idea of women wearing restrictive corsets, but that is really the only bit that I don't feel is quite right, and it is there to demonstrate Marmee's liberal attitude.

I love the way the characters interact, although there perhaps isn't enough demonstration of why Laurie and old Mr. Laurence disagree. Jo and Amy act just like real sisters - they fight and provoke each other into arguments and disputes, and generally have a chance to make little digs at the other. Meg is the pretty - but yet also virtuous - one, and clearly the most socially at ease with the upper classes of the time, for instance reminding Jo "Don't shake hands with people. It isn't the thing any more", and in the end - although she has to wait for a period of time that would seem endless today before marrying the man she loves - she opts for a poorer but obviously happier life. It would be very easy to simply say that Beth is not given anything dramatic or interesting to do, but that is the whole point of her character. She watches those around her do great and exciting things, and there is a sense that she herself is happy with that. Susan Sarandon's Marmee clearly holds this family together - the ideal mother figure, she is comforting, incredibly wise (I wonder if anyone has ever met anyone with all the wisdom she seems to have) and always on hand to encourage her girls in their quest to do as they please.

The male characters are also interesting. John Brooke is stable and compassionate and sensible. Laurie (also known as Teddy just occasionally) can be quite an intense figure and I was amazed to find that Christian Bale was only about twenty when this film was released. It is as interesting to see the changes his personality goes through as it is to see those the girls go through. The Professor is a slightly unorthodox character and yet he complements Jo perfectly.

I have watched this film many, many times now (so many, in fact, that I have sometimes been known to say the lines along with the characters as they say them) and I know I will watch it many more times in the future. It might perhaps be a bit of a holiday film but it's certainly worth watching for the feel-good factor it generates.