Little Women

UK Release Date. 26 December 2019
Certification. U
Running Time. 2 hours 15 mins
Director. Greta Gerwig
Cast. Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, Florence Pugh, Saoirse Ronan, Eliza Scanlen, Meryl Streep, Emma Watson.

Rating. 65%

Review.

Following her acclaimed (solo) directorial debut of Lady Bird in 2017, Greta Gerwig turned her attention to a much-loved American literary classic, Little Women, for her second feature. A formidable undertaking, as for more than a century generations of American girls have grown up with Louisa May Alcott's beloved tale of the indomitable March sisters from Massachusetts.

Hugely successful upon its original publication as a two-part novel in 1868 and 1869, Alcott's work has a long and illustrious history on screen as well. There have been seven film adaptations, including George Cukor's 1933 adaptation starring Katherine Hepburn, Mervyn LeRoy's 1949 adaptation starring Elizabeth Taylor and Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaptation starring Winona Ryder.

Undoubtedly, a bold project for Gerwig's sophomore feature, but Gerwig's boldest innovation is structural. Gerwig's film opens well into the second half of Alcott's book, with the newly independent Jo (Saoirse Ronan) meeting with a haughty and condescending, although not wholly unreceptive editor of The Weekly Volcano, Mr Dashwood (Tracy Letts). Indeed, Gerwig's Little Women is framed by two conversations at the New York publishing house, and jumps back and forth between two timelines over a seven-year period - the four sisters as teenagers and the four sisters living their own lives as young women. 

The casting is immaculate,

• Meg. The eldest sister, and described by Alcott as the most beautiful of the four. Meg is the March sister most conditioned to fulfil the expectations of women of the time - marriage, home-maker and children. Even the delectable Emma Watson struggles to enliven Meg.
• Jo. The restless and rebellious second sister played by Saoirse Ronan, is traditionally perceived as the principal character in Alcott's tale. Stubborn and strong-willed, although Ronan is far too attractive to be described as "homely and awkward." 
• Amy. Normally portrayed as the quintessential annoying little sister, Florence Pugh transforms Amy into a thoughtful and self-possessed young woman. Pugh is not afraid to show the petulance and pettiness of Amy's insecurities while allowing her basic decency and love for her family to shine through. 
• Beth. Casting the lesser-known Eliza Scanlen as Beth, the youngest of the March sisters, amid this cast of high-profile actors was a masterstroke. Her lack of an off-screen presence echoes the character's shyness and reluctance to step forward into the spotlight.

Gerwig ensures the four sisters are a genuine squabbling, bubbling, fractious unit, and every character has a chance to show an unexpected side to their character. In particular, the Amy storyline is a fascinating counterpoint to Jo's predicament - how to find her uniquely female voice as a writer. No longer a supporting character, or sub-plot, Gerwig delivers a story of a spirited young woman with not quite enough talent to transcend the conventions of her age. The result, Pugh almost steals the show from Ronan.

The film looks wonderful, with a beautiful artistic style and Jacqueline Durran received the 2020 Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Gerwig, too, was nominated for an Academy Awad for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Despite the radically reimagined storyline, Greta Gerwig demonstrates a love for Louisa May Alcott's novel in every scene and successfully captures the ahead-of-its-time spirit. But there is a drive to add her own, modern sensibility to the much-loved coming of age drama. In doing so, the uber-talented playwright, screenwriter and director may just have produced cinema's greatest adaptation of Little Women.