As a fan of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, I have nostalgic love for the film adaptations too. Despite this, I was sceptical about Greta Gerwig’s 2019 release, fearful of the fact that, since there’s been so may adaptations on this one text, haven’t we all become a bit sick of it? Boy, was I wrong.
2019’s Little Women can hardly be compared to adaptations that came before it. With the film beginning smack in the middle of the original plot, and jumping between childhood and adulthood, Gerwig’s version immediately let us know that this wouldn’t be like the others. Having popular duo Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet in the roles of crowd favourites Jo and Laurie appealed to the androgynous nature of both the actors and their characters, and Gerwig pointed out in a 2019 interview with Vanity Fair that the two shared wardrobe items, like vests, to enhance the idea that they were each other’s other half. Ronan and Chalamet’s chemistry showcased an authentic relationship between their characters, and they interact with ease.
I did, however, notice some drawbacks in the costuming. Although it was interesting to look at, with particular colours assigned to characters — Jo wearing red, Amy with blue, Beth with purple and Meg with green — I couldn’t help but notice that there were historically inaccurate elements in the wardrobe department. There were 2010s styles in the girls’ hair, like a side-ponytail making a surprise appearance on Emma Watson’s Meg, and obvious brown roots sprouting from the dyed blonde hair of Laura Dern’s Marmee. There were also elements of Jacqueline Durran’s costuming that make no sense for the characters wearing them, such as Marmee wearing luxurious earrings and velvet on her dress when her character is known for accepting poverty. These inaccuracies may have the potential to pull people out of the story, and I admit I was a little disappointed by it.
Despite my minor dislike of some costuming choices made in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, the 2019 version is still my favourite to date. This version gives us things other adaptations haven’t, such as more screen time to the other March sisters, particularly Florence Pugh’s Amy. We witness her incredible monologue about how marriage is an “economic proposition” to women who require status and money. Addressing what it’s like to be a woman in this time, will always appeal to women in any era.
Although 2019’s film is the sixth to date, we may never get sick of hearing the story of the March sisters.
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