A review of the latest film version of “Little Women”
“Little Women” has now been made into a feature film as often as the number of daughters in the much-loved novel by Louisa May Alcott: by George Cukor in 1933, by Mervyn Le Roy in 1949, by Gillian Armstrong in 1994, and now by Greta Gerwig who wrote as well as directed.
Gerwig has assembled a fine, international cast for the mid 19th century American March girls: Irish Saoirse Ronan as the free-spirited author Jo (a representation of Alcott herself), British Florence Pugh and Emma Watson as the painter Amy and more traditional Meg respectively, and Australian Eliza Scanlen as the sickly Beth. A strong support cast includes Laura Dern, Chris Cooper and the legendary Meryl Streep.
For someone like me who has not read the novel, the non-linear timeline with repeated flash-backs can be confusing, but the whole thing is a sheer delight.