Little Women

The Wynona Ryder film, the third and latest version, was seriously flawed, especially by the inclusion of "politically correct" and contemporary social views like the scene in which Ryder, playing Jo, expresses feminist sympathies to young men in a bar. I've read the book: there's nothing like that in it. In fact, the book is practically a morality play and in the earlier film versions the girls' struggle to improve their characters is portrayed, if somewhat lightly. These struggles, which are necessary to the accurate portrayal of each character and the time in which they lived, was totally deleted from the most recent version.

Both the Hepburn version and the Allyson version use quite a bit of Alcott's original text in the screenplay and characters in both films follow the book almost to the proverbial "T." The Ryder film, on the other hand, is a blatant and successful attempt to "modernize" Louisa Alcott, resulting in a totally inferior production.


A 10 star winner.....   December 13, 2005
MotherLodeBeth (Sierras of California)
22 out of 24 found this review helpful

As someone named after Beth from Little Women and having sisters and my family roots on our Mothers side being in Maine, I was a lover of this film from the first time I ever saw it. Thankfully we now have it on DVD and can watch it any time we wish. It is very true to the book authored by a favorite author of mine, Louisa May Alcott.

As a woman I like the book and the movie because of the strength of the March women in an era when most women were expected to live a certain role. I also like how each of the daughters Jo, Beth, Amy and Meg along with the mother who is a widow are all spirited females and not at all wimpy or whiny. Remembering at all times that the story was/is set in Civil War times.

The movie never lags but blends smoothly from one scene to the next. The cinematography has held up well over the decades and the movie doesn't show its age visually. Each of the actors went on to be major successes with some being major stars when the movie was made. Its a movie that is timeless and is a favorite especially during the winter months in out home.


My Favorite Version Even Though They Made Beth Younger Than Amy!   March 17, 2006
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

This is my favorite version of Little Women despite that fact that they made Beth younger than Amy when it was the other way around in the book. Amy was actually younger than Beth in the book but even with that it is still my favorite movie version and as much as I liked the 1933 Katharine Hepburn version I liked this 1949 version better and I found June Allyson to be a more convincing Jo.


Christopher Columbus!   January 18, 2004
kristy cacciapaglia (New England)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as the 1994 version with Ms. Ryder as Jo March--I was surprised. The only slight scarring to this 1949 version of the film was the small appearances of Mr. March, his acting was quite horrible. But, June Allyson does fill the screen with perfection as Jo March. I thought that Margaret O'Brien portrayed a wonderful Beth also. I was very moved to tears when she shook off her shyness to thank the elder Mr. Laurence for the piano. Elizabeth Taylor played Amy March to all her selfish perfection. It was defintitely the most delightful to watch June Allyson though.


Beautiful Movie!   October 6, 2005
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I love to read books and I love movie adaptations of books! I saw the 1933 black and white movie adaptation of Little Women that starred Katharine Hepburn as Jo and I think it's a very good movie and she was very good as Jo but then I watched this 1949 color movie adaptation for the first time and I liked it even more than I liked the 1933 movie. This 1949 movie starred June Allyson as Jo and I think this movie is wonderful and while there are a couple of changes like making Beth younger then Amy when in the book Amy is younger then Beth I still felt like it was pretty close to the book and I think June Allyson was a very good Jo and was exactly what I pictured Jo to be like and I also liked Margaret O'Brien as Beth and I think she really captured the sweet, shy Beth from the book. The other Actors were good too, Elizabeth Taylor was a perfect Amy, Janet Leigh was very good as Meg, Mary Astor was a good Marmee and I loved the underappreciated Peter Lawford as Laurie and I also liked Rosanno Brazzi as Professor Bhaer who I think was very convincing as the German Mr. Baher and I very highly recommend this wonderful movie and this DVD to fans of the book! I have seen complaints written that the actors in this movie are too old to be playing the young Jo, Meg, Amy, Beth and Laurie but it is such a beautifully filmed and acted movie that if you get past the age thing you will see that the acting is very good and that it makes up for it and you forget about the ages of the actors but I have also seen the same age complaints written about some of the actors from the 1933 and 1994 versions too and to me the age of the actors is just a minor thing and I don't think the actors looked all that old!