Little Women 1949

      This film is based on the novel written by Louisa May Alcott published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869.  The March family is living in New England and their father is away fighting in the Civil War.  Aunt March has nothing but bad things to say about him joining the war effort!!  Left behind are Mrs. March and her daughters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.  The family is struggling to make ends meet during these harsh times.  They meet their neighbors Laurie and his father Mr. Laurence.  There is an intense bond between the sisters and they are growing up into beautiful young ladies.  Each young woman has different ambitions for their future lives. 

     This may be the best version of Little Women!!  I felt the sting of tears several times about the way different events turned out.  Aunt March can be a really bad relative at times and she doesn’t even seem to notice!!  How her decisions affect her relatives doesn't enter her mind??  The family is generous and they deeply care about each other and their feelings.  All the actors are very good in their roles.  5* (I really liked this film!) 

 

122 min, Drama directed by Mervyn LeRoy with June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Margaret O’Brien, Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh, Rosanno Brazzi, Mary Astor, Lucile Watson, C. Aubrey Smith, Elizabeth Patterson, Leon Ames, Harry Davenport, Richard Wyler, Connie Gilchrist, Ellen Corby.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 83% critic 83% audience, Letterboxd average 3.5* out of 5*, 4.5* out of 5* with 334 reviews, Common Sense Media age 9+, 4* out of 5* (4* positive, 4* role models, 1* violence, 1* sex), Metacritic 87 out of 100 with 23 critics 8 out 10 with 43 reviews (35 positive, 7 mixed, 1 negative) Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 334 reviews.

Special Note:  Jo is played by June Allyson, Beth by Margaret O’Brien, Amy by Elizabeth Taylor, Meg by Janet Leigh and Laurie by Peter Lawford.  The novel has 4.06* with 1,474,929 ratings.  The different versions of Little Women are ranked as #1 1944, #2 2018 miniseries, #3 1933, #4 1949 and #5 1978 miniseries.  There is a new Little Women film by Greta Gerwig that has not been produced yet.  It will star Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, Florence Pugh as the sisters.  Timothee Chalamett as Laurie and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.