Little Women Masterpiece

I have loved Louisa May Alcott’s novel since girlhood and was surprised but excited when I heard BBC would be adapting it again after so long. I don’t think I expected it, but I can honestly say that is the best version of Little Women I’ve seen.The production is beautiful in its sweet simplicity, the cast is endearing, and the tone of the writing strikes a lovely balance between serious yet hopeful, realistic yet heartwarming. It has all the charm and beauty that makes the novel so loved, yet also doesn’t shy away from the growing pains and losses that the March sisters endure as they go from girls to women. Both the 1949 version with June Allyson and the 1994 one with Winona Ryder were staples of my childhood, but I was ready for another take on this story when I heard BBC was adapting it. I really applaud the writer Heidi Thomas for a lovely screen translation of this story that adhered to Alcott's novel better than either of those previous versions. A three-hour runtime was a definite advantage at the outset and she made the most of it by including many plot points that had been left out of the other adaptations and by more fully developing the characters.First, I appreciate how in this version, all four sisters are treated with equal worth in the beginning and then the story gradually becomes more about Jo. This mirrors the trajectory of the book very well. Previous adaptations brought Jo to the forefront at the beginning, as that was likely an easy way to deal with time constraints. But the story belongs to all four of them at the beginning, while Jo becomes the clear protagonist by the end. I appreciated the screen time that the other sisters were given in this adaptation.Next, the order of events is much more accurately captured here, and a few seemingly smaller, yet significant, plot items that were omitted from previous versions were kept in. The Christmas dinner that Mr. Laurence sends over after he hears that they gave their breakfast to the Hummels, Beth's early shyness to go visit Mr. Laurence to play his piano, the snow maiden that Jo and Amy and Laurie build for Beth after her initial illness, and Laurie's conversation with his grandfather after Jo's rejection are all very sweet, beautiful bits that made it into this version and made me very happy. I also appreciated that time was given to the long separation in the middle of Meg and John Brooke's engagement while John fought in the war for a period. Also, the voiceover singing of "Land O' the Leal" during that sequence is positively exquisite.I also really enjoyed how much more character development was given to Mr. March in this one. We see snippets of his time away at war, and he has many conversations with Jo in the latter half of the running time. I especially loved one scene they have together after Beth's death in which Jo feels paralyzed by grief, and her father tells her she needs to write again. And on that note, the scenes surrounding Beth's death were by far the most poignant interpretation of that storyline I've ever seen. Jo's seaside trip with Beth was kept in this time and I was so glad -- the scene on the beach where Beth confides that she's slipping away is as raw and emotional as it's believable. Annes Elwy's portrayal of Beth's quiet strength and gentle dignity is beautiful.And now, very importantly, I felt that this version captured Laurie's relationships with Jo and Amy in total respect of the book. Some thoughts on this one:• Contrary to popular opinion, I have always agreed with Louisa May Alcott's decision to marry Laurie to Amy. However, the creators of the 1994 movie seemed to agree with many fans and perhaps tried to make their feelings known by giving Jo and Laurie a romantic connection for as long as they could get away with it before begrudgingly following the book. Winona Ryder and Christian Bale did indeed have sizzling chemistry at times, so Jo's rejection *could* seem off-kilter and confusing for some fans. What's more, the order of events were changed by making his proposal the reason she goes to New York. Not so in this new version. Maya Hawke and Jonah Hauer-King have a heartfelt but clearly platonic connection from the get-go, and like the novel, it's obvious that Jo has a maturity beyond her years much earlier than Laurie does. From her perspective, he's always been her brother and when he tries to turn it into something else (which he does a few times before he actually proposes), she finds it incredibly awkward and unhelpful. Also like the novel, Jo's New York trip in this version is her attempt to put space between herself and Laurie in hopes that he will realize they're not suited before he does something rash like proposing to her, rather than what she does to get away *after* he proposes• All of that said, I honestly believe that Alcott intended for Laurie and Amy to be together from the beginning. The seeds are planted when he visits her every day during her extended stay with Aunt March while Beth fights her first illness. This version gives more screen time to those interactions. There's an absolutely wonderful scene that's also in the novel in which Amy writes out her "will" and asks Laurie to approve it. In this moment, they begin to share confidences and fears. Their time together in Europe is also well-handled in this adaptation. After the initial catch-up, Laurie is obviously struck by how sophisticated, thoughtful, and intelligent Amy has become, and later, when they've received news of Beth's death, they have a moving scene together where Laurie makes clear to Amy that he won't leave her to grieve alone. It's understood that they spend a lot of time together after this, so their subsequent marriage is the natural progression.And finally, I think one of the most noteworthy casting and characterization decisions was in Emily Watson as Marmee and the writing for her. The screen time devoted to her and Emily Watson's performance made me realize how much material related to Marmee has been skipped over in previous adaptations, and it was honestly their loss. This version gives her amazing depth and allows us to see her in a more human and relatable light. She has many more scenes that are directly from the book and that show who she is as a person -- a deeply kind and generous woman who also sometimes feels that she has the weight of the world on her shoulders, because at first she's holding down the homefront while her husband is away at war, and later, she experiences many of the natural pains of motherhood in seeing her children grow up and become independent. Here are a few of the "Marmee scenes" I loved:• After Amy breaks through the ice, Jo pours out her fears of never being able to govern her tongue or temper to Marmee. Marmee assures Jo that she too has an awful temper and has been working for 40 years to control it.• Marmee comes into the bedroom where the girls are getting ready for Meg's wedding, and the four of them strike a pose as they giggle excitedly. Marmee is clearly overcome for a moment at how beautiful and grown-up her girls have become.• As Jo realizes that Laurie has romantic desires towards her, she confides to Marmee that she must get away for a while because she knows Laurie will only ever be a brother to her. Marmee assures Jo that her instincts are correct in this area and says that she's always felt that Jo and Laurie are too much alike to get on as a married couple.• When Beth tells Marmee that she's sick and knows she won't recover, Marmee makes a quick exit to cry. Jo follows, and Marmee breaks down in Jo's arms. Cue my own waterworks opening up.I cannot recommend this miniseries enough. It’s a heartfelt, beautiful tribute to Louisa May Alcott’s novel and will be a wonderful adaptation to treasure for younger readers who didn’t grow up watching previous versions. I watched it twice while it was available on PBS’s website and bought it just a few days after it finished airing on TV. I was reminded of everything I love about this story, and to its credit, wanted to pick up the book again when it was finished. Thank you to this marvelous cast and crew for a gorgeous miniseries of this beloved story.

While the 1994 film adaptation and Wynona Ryder's Jo will always hold a special place in my heart, I have to admit this version was more faithful to the book in many respects. There was also more character development for Marmee, Mr. March, Amy, and Aunt March, which was nice. And the rest of the cast were perfect matches for their characters and did an excellent job. However, I still have yet to find a version that does Jo and Professor Bhaer's relationship complete justice. When I saw that this was a miniseries and that Mark Stanley was playing the professor I thought this could be the one, but I was sorely disappointed. I understand that the development of Jo's romance was not a primary focus of this adaptation, but they had a golden opportunity here and wasted it. Jo is in NY for all of about 5 min., and we're never given the satisfaction of really seeing their friendship blossom. They didn't even bother to include the letters that Jo and Bhaer wrote to each other while she was away. So when Bhaer shows up at the end out of nowhere and is very familiar with Jo like they are very close friends it is jarring and seems like a rushed afterthought. It was completely flat, and they didn't even show us his proposal to Jo, which is one of the best scenes in the novel. The 1994 version did this part of the story much better, and even though Gabriel Byrne didn't look like Professor Bhaer he was allowed to show Bhaer's care and love for Jo. So, I'm still waiting for my perfect Little Women adaptation, but until then I'm pretty happy to watch this one and the 1994 version.

I was surprised at how good this film was. I was expecting it to be similar to the 2005 pride and prejudice, which is not as good as the 1995 version.The best part of this film though is that the actors actually look like they are the correct age for the characters they are playing.This is rare in a film, and they did a great job!

A mini series is the only way to do Little Women justice, all the movies are too short to really develop the characters properly, this is by far the best casting as well! Highly recommend!

***FYI: Some spoilers to help with my review***Incredibly done! They actually followed the book more than any of the many other versions. (Katharine Hepburn, June Allyson, and Winona Ryder all did a great job portraying the character of Jo in their own unique ways, though!) I also appreciate how they SHOWED the gradual development of Amy and Laurie’s relationship— which did take place over more time than previous versions imply— and it made much more sense. The ending was far more satisfying, too. They made sure to end it the way the book ends...which is NOT when Jo and the Professor are under the umbrella. I get for cinematic purposes it’s a nice place to end the story but there’s so much more to the story after that.Now if only the same director and actors did the book sequels “Little Men” and “Jo’s Boys”, now THAT would be great! :-)

I have seen every version ever made - excluding only the silent film - but I have seen every version ever made - from Katherine Hepburn to June Allison to Winona Ryder. And I found all lacking in key ways.I have to say that I had mixed feelings about how the Brits would handle a beloved American classic like Alcotts novel of “Little Women”. BUT!!!! But, I am thrilled to announce that I absolutely LOVE this BBC Masterpiece Theatre version. When it comes to story-line and dialog from the Novel -- THIS is THE Most Accurate Film version I have ever come across.*** Ultimate PROS: This series goes into more detail about the Romance of Meg and John than any other version I have ever seen, AND the dialog is - while not perfect - is The MOST faithful to the novel that I have ever come across.*** 2 CONS: the original music written for the credits, etc is too modern for my taste. And Amy March's eyebrows are too dark and bushy ... BUT those are the only 2 things I have problems with in the whole show.

I really enjoyed this version of Little Women! I have 2 others, this would be my favourite of the 3.

Lived it! Went more in-depth than other versions I have previously seen, especially regarding the war.

Loved it!

Beautiful interpretation of a classic tale.

DVD was in perfect condition!