Customer Reviews

Little Women

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At last The TV Mini Serize of Little Women is finally available here in the USA and although there are other versions out there ; this is one of the best . All the girls are wonderful as the sisters; but Dey is one of the best Jo holding her own with Hepburn and Allison. The real treat is Greer Garson as Aunt March ; Robert Young as old Mr. Lawrence and Dorothy McGuire as Marmee. They are three stars from the Golden Years of Hollywood who make this an A list movie. A movie to be watched and rewatched and treasured!

I remember seeing this when it aired on TV lo so many years ago, and am very happy that it is now available on DVD.

There are many things to recommend about this production; first of all, Susan Dey as Jo. Physically, she's closer to the vivid description Alcott herself gives us (tall, long-limbed, round-shouldered, and awkward) than is Wynona Ryder--much as I admire Ryder's performance, her petiteness keeps me from truly seeing the Jo March I imagined as a child. Dey is also by turns funny, tender, fiery, and poignant. Meredith Baxter-Birney is an appropriately pretty Meg, and portrays the character's little vanities while retaining her essential appeal. As gentle Beth, Eve Plumb is surprisingly affecting, particularly in her final scene with Jo at the seaside. As for Ann Dusenberry...one wishes they had cast a true 12-year-old for the young Amy, as Dusenberry's valiant attempt to play young unfortunately results in an overly-petulant Shirley Temple. Her grown-up Amy is the least satisfying protrayal of the four sisters.

Richard Gilliland's Laurie seems too modern and all-American for a character who was reared and educated in Europe. Cliff Potts, on the other hand, is a good Brooke, upright without being stuffy. William Shatner's customary hammy style somehow works for Professor Bhaer, but his German accent is unconvincing, to say the least.

Of the "veterans", Greer Garson stands out for her memorable Aunt March: no crusty, bad-humored fossil of a woman is she, but an elegantly overblown product of her era and upbringing, with foreshadowings of Wilde's Lady Bracknell. Dorothy Maguire and Robert Young as Marmee and Mr. Laurence turn in solid, intelligent performances.

My biggest gripes are the non-period turns of phrase in the script, the non-period character shoes (WHITE ones, yet!) on all the sisters (Edith Head, what were you thinking???), and the blatantly non-period music Laurie bashes out on the piano, which sounds closer to Andrew Lloyd-Webber than Beethoven. Amy's wigs are interesting, as well...

Of course, the time constraints of television necessitates a cut-and-paste version of this long novel, but the overall construction of the script is quite satisfying. Hopefully there will be an adaption in future which puts Laurie's proposal to Jo in its proper place, which is AFTER she comes back from New York, but before he goes back to Europe.

Despite the above-mentioned flaws, this is a DVD well worth purchasing and recommending to any fan of Alcott's beloved classic.

Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult books to adapt to film. Much of the story revolves around inner struggles, which is hard to portray on screen, the period costumes are anything but simple, and besides this, a great deal of time transpires, so often the actors either look too old or too young for their parts. While this TV miniseries isn't perfect, I think that the filmmakers did an admirable job. The running time of a little over three hours gives the advantage of accuracy, without ever dragging. Even though certain portions were altered or cut out altogether, the script flowed naturally and presented many of the often overlooked facets to this lovely story. In my review here, I will attempt to report both the strengths and weaknesses of this movie.

On a positive note, the four March sisters are superb in their roles. Susan Day is the most human and real Jo I have seen so far, combining all the fiery temper, kindness and impetuous loyalty she possessed in the novel. Not only was Meg (Meredith Baxter) sufficiently pretty, but I was very much pleased to see her character given more development as she grew from girl to woman. Eve Plumb became everything I had ever pictured Beth to be and Ann Dusenberry's Amy grew on me, although she never became a favorite of mine. Altogether, I felt that this film captured the sisters dynamic well and gave each of them a chance to shine. The rest of the cast did a good job too, and I especially loved Greer Garson's proud and stuffy "Aunt March" and Richard Gilliland as the neighbor boy, Laurie. Speaking of Laurie, it was a delight to see the conflict between him and his grandfather included, which is usually glossed over. Other highlights are the beautiful sets, outdoor scenery, gorgeous costumes and especially the appropriate ending where Beth is remembered.

Now onto some of the flaws: as usual, the movie reflects the era in which it was filmed, which in this case is the 70s. My sister couldn't help but point out Laurie's plaid suit and the dated hairstyle. Speaking of hair, Jo's never seemed to grow back even as time passed, which I personally found a bit frustrating. Couldn't they have filmed the scenes at the end and the beginning while Susan Day had long hair, and then gradually cut it shorter as they got to the middle point where Jo sacrificed it for her family's sake? I also didn't care for the score (it wasn't subtle enough) and I hated the dramatic fade outs, which broke up the flow of the scenes. However, the age of the actors (particularly Laurie and Amy) at the start of the movie probably bothered me the most. They looked silly pretending to be younger than they were. This really cannot be helped though, and one of the reasons that "Little Women" is so hard to adapt is because so much time elapses with little physical change in the actors.

As a huge fan of Louisa May Alcott, I am always skeptical when I see a movie version of "Little Women." I know that the perfect adaptation of such a classic is probably impossible, but I honestly enjoyed this one. The acting was good; the material was handled with care, with a couple of allusions to Alcott's upbringing and time period. I couldn't help but overhear a bit of conversation between Mr. March and Mr. Brooke on transcendentalism and the allusion to women's rights after the civil war when the March girls, as well as Laurie and Mr. Brooke, go to see the feminist Susan B Anthony. Those little details showed me that the filmmakers cared about Alcott and sincerely did their best to honor her while bringing wholesome entertainment to the viewer. Because of that, I can wholeheartedly recommend this DVD!

For fans of Louisa May Alcott and her treasured novel, you must see this film! I have been searching for it for years (after its NBC debut, it was unavailable to rent or purchase anywhere!), and I'm so thrilled to finally find it on Amazon. No other film adaptation of Little Women compares to this one: both beautifully acted and filmed, it will move you like no other. A movie tradition for families to share for years to come...

Hello,
I'm French and I appreciated this adaptation of Little Women when I saw it in France few years ago.
I find this adaptation better than the film with Susan Sarandon. I only have one regret : there is no subtitle in english and I can't understand every dialogue without them.
Good film.
Bye.

I enjoyed this version of Little Women because it adhered very closely to the novel. I found the casting believable and hence excellent choices. It is always good to see how each character is presented and I was happy with this - Although it is not my favorite rendition.

What a treat to have this version on DVD. My sisters and I used to watch this over and over again on VHS after mom recorded it when we were kids. It was taped over accidentally and I thought it was lost forever.I have been looking for it for years! Now my seven year old daughter can enjoy it like I did.

This is my favorite version of Little Women. I enjoy it more than the other versions of Little Women that I have seen, even the one with Liz Taylor. I am very happy that I purchased this product. I had seen the movie years ago when it was shown on TV and was so happy to see I could get the DVD as they rarely reran this movie. It is excellent in my opinion.

This comes across as a Kid's Review. I am, however, a 66 year old kid who loves these wonderful stories.

As a fan of the book, I'll have to say that this movie does not disappoint in the story line. I remembered watching this on television about 1979, and had hoped they would put this one out on DVD because I enjoyed it so then. It is excellent for the entire family, and one doesn't have to have read the book to enjoy it (as one had to, to watch the movie that Winona Ryder starred in). My husband even enjoyed this one. If you are looking for a movie that even young children can watch, and one that you'll probably want to watch again, pick this one. Susan Dey personifies the character "Jo".

My wife got it into her head one day that since she owned all the original Alcott books that she needed to own all of the different versions of the film based on the books. This version was a television special in the mid-70's. The costumes and sets are authentically good. A couple of outdoor winter scenes are obviously studio created. The musical score is done well. This is a faithful rendition of the novels and a very pleasant viewing experience. It is not overly sentimental (but still appropriately sad). There are no overly-domineering personalities drawing focus in ensemble scenes. The cast is who-was-who in television of the time and it's nice to see them all do something of more lasting value than their inane comedy shows. It plays similar to older Masterpiece Theater productions with good lighting, sound and vibrant colors. This version is an excellent addition to anyone's collection of filmed classics. Equally as good, though not entirely faithful to the source, is "The Inheritance" which also stars a more mature Meredith Baxter as the matriarch.