• Review Index
  • About Me
  • Suggestions

vinnieh

~ Movie reviews and anything else that comes to mind

vinnieh

Tag Archives: Gillian Armstrong

Little Women(1994)

17 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

1990's, Christian Bale, Claire Danes, Coming-of-Age, Gabriel Byrne, Gillian Armstrong, Kirsten Dunst, Little Women, Mary Wickes, Period Drama, Samantha Mathis, Susan Sarandon, Trini Alvarado, Winona Ryder

Film Title

Little Women

Director

Gillian Armstrong

Starring

  • Winona Ryder as Jo March
  • Trini Alvarado as Meg March
  • Claire Danes as Beth March
  • Kirsten Dunst as Young Amy March
  • Susan Sarandon as Marmee March
  • Christian Bale as Laurie
  • Mary Wickes as Aunt March
  • Samantha Mathis as Adult Amy March
  • Gabriel Byrne as Friedrich Bhaer

Adapted from the much-loved novel of Louisa May Alcott, Little Women is a heart-warming, movingly told gem of a coming of age movie about the importance of family and sisterhood. Boasting strong performances, beautiful cinematography and emotive music, Little Women is a joy for everyone to watch.

Little Women 1994 March SistersThe focus of the story is on the women of the March family in the years of the Civil War and the time after in Concord, Massachusetts . Meg is the beautiful, gracious but slightly vain eldest, Jo is an expressive tomboy with a passion for writing, Beth is sensitive and earnest,  Amy is the romantically winsome and spoilt youngest. Their mother, affectionately known as Marmee, guides them through their lives with loving care but makes sure the girls manage to stay true to themselves no matter what whilst their father is fighting in the war that to them seems to be never ending. The sisters come across love, hardship and kindness as they grow up and experience the vicissitudes of life. The sisters befriend Laurie; the lonely boy next door who becomes almost like a part of the family and yet he develops feelings for Jo along the way. The film follows the March sister’s various ups and downs, personal pain and happiness and the strong, unbreakable bond between the girls that is eternal. Crafted by Gillian Armstrong, Little Women is sensitively told and beautiful without falling into the trap of being overly sentimental in its story of these four special girls.

Gillian Armstrong brings to the forefront the feminist undertones of the story, embodied by Marmee’s wish that her four daughters develop their intellect as well as blossoming beauty. Some purists may take issue with this and feel that it is bashing people on the head with the message, but it does the opposite by subtly adding an interesting dimension to the story and gives us an array of strong female characters that live long in the memory. Armstrong obviously feels a connection to the story and as her past output often features strong female characters, it’s not difficult to see why such a talented film maker would adapt this classic, intimate story for the screen. As the story spans many years in the lives of these girls, the expressive cinematography captures the changing of time to stunning effect by showcasing the beauty of the seasons. The evocative score by Thomas Newman highlights the deep themes of family importance and the various differing personalities of the March sisters as they make their journey through life and all that it entails. It was rightly nominated for an Oscar and it isn’t difficult to see why. As an audience, we glimpse the various troubles and joys that make up the lives of these characters. Many of the scenes stay strong in the memory such as Jo’s feisty independence beginning to emerge, Amy’s near death experience when she slips through the winter ice, the sisters reading a letter from their father around the fire and the sensitive Beth’s battle with Scarlet Fever. It really makes for heart-warming viewing as these girls go through the various stages of life and experience the many changes that it brings.

Most of the joy that comes from the film is down to the cast. In the lead role as the idiosyncratic and hot-tempered Jo, Winona Ryder is a marvel at bringing both the tough side to her character to the forefront whilst showing us the emotional care she has for those around her. Ryder is delightful and makes the plum role of Jo her own, The beautiful Trini Alvarado is impressive as the manner obsessed Meg, who begins to understand the social standing isn’t everything in life. A young Claire Danes is suitably lovely and sensitive as the caring Beth, who seems to face even the toughest things life can throw at her with a sense of decency and a smile. Young Kirsten Dunst adds mischief and an amusing selfishness to her role as the hopelessly winsome Amy, who is a regular madam with her nose in the air. It must be said that the chemistry between the four young actresses is simply delightful and helps you buy into them as sisters. Susan Sarandon embodies the love but firm care of the girl’s mother, revealing a strong women intent on keeping her girls from becoming merely a decorative piece on a suitor’s arm. A young Christian Bale is impressive as Laurie, the boy next door who is first enchanted by the four March women and later befriended by them. Mary Wickes, with killer one liners and a withering eye, is a hoot as the rich Aunt March, who can’t seem to go a minute without finding something to bad mouth or look down upon. On the other hand, Samantha Mathis as the older Amy and Gabriel Byrne as a handsome professor involved with Jo, are underwritten and as a result don’t get much to do in terms of pushing the story ahead.

Touching, immensely enjoyable and crafted with beautiful care by Gillian Armstrong, Little Women is sensitive and loving viewing at its best.

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

Categories

  • 007 thoughts and reviews
  • Adventures of Satrap
  • Announcements
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Birthdays and Tributes
  • Blogging Community
  • Blogging Questions
  • Creepy
  • Gif Posts
  • Humour
  • Movie and Television Trivia
  • Movie opinions and thoughts
  • Movie Reviews
  • Music reviews and opinions
  • Photography Discussion
  • Rest In Peace
  • Sport
  • Television Opinions
  • Television Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
June 2022
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« May    

Tags

007 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's 2010's Action Adventure Announcement Based on a true story Bernard Lee Bette Davis Birthday Blogs You Should Follow Cate Blanchett Comedy Crime Desmond Llewelyn Disney Drama Fantasy Foreign Language Film Gillian Anderson Halle Berry Happy Birthday Horror James Bond Judi Dench Julianne Moore Julia Roberts Liebster Award Lois Maxwell Madonna Maggie Smith Matthew Fox Meryl Streep Music Musical Mystery Natalie Portman Neve Campbell Period Drama Psychological Horror Psychological Thriller Rest In Peace Romance Romantic Comedy Science Fiction Spy Supernatural Horror Thriller

Top Posts & Pages

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3
Lyric Analysis - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue: Where the Wild Roses Grow
A TV Show From My Childhood
Silent Hill
Walkabout
V for Vendetta
The Girl Can't Help It
Charmed Season 8
The Blue Lagoon
Who Is Your Favourite Character in The Godfather Trilogy?
Follow vinnieh on WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • vinnieh
    • Join 3,764 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • vinnieh
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...