It takes a stellar story to withstand three film adaptations, but Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, does just that.
Like a lot of little girls, Little Women was one of those books I read over and over again. Such a sweet, beautiful story of sisterhood, growing up, love, and loss. I love it still. And Jo March! Probably one of my all time favorite heroines. Her tomboy antics, free spirit, fierce family loyalty, and her passion for writing made her my idol. I wanted to BE Jo March. It's funny because my middle name is Jo, and I always hated it because I thought it was a boy's name, until I read Little Women and then I learned to love it!
My favorite film is the
1949 version starring June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, and Margaret O'Brian. I'm not sure this is a completely objective analysis because this was the first version I ever saw and a special film in that my grandmother introduced it to me and I remember us watching it together countless times. I love the costumes, the accuracy of the story line, and as a whole, I prefer this cast to any of the other adaptations. Although I love Katherine Hepburn as Jo in the
original 1933 version, ultimately I think June Allyson is the most convincing. And the young Elizabeth Taylor is brilliant as Amy. Even at her most selfish, vain, and ridiculous you just can't help but love her. The clothespin on the nose always used to make me giggle. I even tried it myself once, but, wowzers! It hurts!
I really didn't care at all for the
most recent version, starring Winona Ryder. I think Winonoa Ryder is a great actress, but I just don't think she's well suited for historical roles. I loved her in
Girl, Interrupted,
Reality Bites, and
How To Make An American Quilt, but not as Jo March.
In any event, such a special story. It's almost like a rite of passage of girlhood to read
Little Women for the first time. My daughter is only one right now, so I guess we're still a ways off, but this is one of those stories I really look forward to sharing with her.
Like a lot of little girls, Little Women was one of those books I read over and over again. Such a sweet, beautiful story of sisterhood, growing up, love, and loss. I love it still. And Jo March! Probably one of my all time favorite heroines. Her tomboy antics, free spirit, fierce family loyalty, and her passion for writing made her my idol. I wanted to BE Jo March. It's funny because my middle name is Jo, and I always hated it because I thought it was a boy's name, until I read Little Women and then I learned to love it!
My favorite film is the 1949 version starring June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, and Margaret O'Brian. I'm not sure this is a completely objective analysis because this was the first version I ever saw and a special film in that my grandmother introduced it to me and I remember us watching it together countless times. I love the costumes, the accuracy of the story line, and as a whole, I prefer this cast to any of the other adaptations. Although I love Katherine Hepburn as Jo in the original 1933 version, ultimately I think June Allyson is the most convincing. And the young Elizabeth Taylor is brilliant as Amy. Even at her most selfish, vain, and ridiculous you just can't help but love her. The clothespin on the nose always used to make me giggle. I even tried it myself once, but, wowzers! It hurts!
I really didn't care at all for the most recent version, starring Winona Ryder. I think Winonoa Ryder is a great actress, but I just don't think she's well suited for historical roles. I loved her in Girl, Interrupted, Reality Bites, and How To Make An American Quilt, but not as Jo March.
In any event, such a special story. It's almost like a rite of passage of girlhood to read Little Women for the first time. My daughter is only one right now, so I guess we're still a ways off, but this is one of those stories I really look forward to sharing with her. 
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