A lively retelling of the Louisa May Alcott classic, the 1933 version of Little Women stars Katherine Hepburn as Jo and engages you right from the beginning.
I have always loved the 1994 version of Little Women. Winona Ryder has always been my Jo and Christian Bale is the perfect Laurie. I apologize to anyone who loves the Little Women that was released in 2019, but that is not my film. From the first moments, the vibe felt wrong to me and, other than Florence Pugh’s Amy, I had a very hard time watching it. So, back to my original version I went. After doing a little research, though, I found out that there are a few older versions of the story available too, so I started with the earliest first.
Little Women is about the four March sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) and their mother, Marmee, who live in Civil War-time Massachusetts. Starting when they are younger, the girls meet and befriend their neighbor, Laurie, and his grandfather, Mr. Laurence. They get into various hijinks together and, a bit later, Laurie tells Jo, his best friend, that he wants to marry her. She refuses and they separate. Meg meets Mr. Brooks, Laurie’s former assistant, and they marry, and Beth is exposed to scarlet fever as a teen, which makes her system weaker.
This is now my second favorite version of the Little Women films. Filmed in black and white and starring Katherine Hepburn as Jo, Joan Bennet as Amy, and Jean Parker as Beth, I was surprised at how colorful this film is. I am not kidding when I say that you half forget that it is black and white because there is so much energy and enthusiasm emitted from the screen that it is as if your brain begins to fill it all in anyway. I’ve never had that experience before, which is a testament to this movie.
I watched this Little Women with my son (we both like to compare different versions of films) and right at the beginning, as the girls are walking outside, Jo exclaims, “Christopher Columbus!” Thrown back in our seats and roaring with laughter, we missed the next 30 seconds and had to rewind. It turns out – and I give credit here wholly to my son who had the thought – that the studios at the time insisted on exclamations that wouldn’t “use the lord’s name in vain,” so they used replacements like this. It’s hilarious.
What I enjoyed most about this version is that they truly understand and translate the characters. Hepburn is the feistiness and creativity of Jo. Beth is the sweet gentleness of Beth. They all understood these beloved Louisa May Alcott creations that many of us have grown to love, so you were connected to them from the very first words. I have a huge issue with Meg having purchased the green fabric in the 2019 film because, as I see it, that character never would have chosen herself over her husband and children after being embarrassed at the first party when she was younger, even if she did dream of nice things. But I digress.
There are many small events that take place over the course of Little Women, and this version has included some (the party with the backside of Jo’s dress having been burned, the girls’ play, the opera), but not others (there is no falling through the ice scene). There are also specific lines that you’ll recognize from the book and other films (“It’s dull as tombs” and “I am a selfish girl,” for example), and they land warmly in your lap.
Between the music swells, the spunky performances, and a really lovely telling of a classic story, this version of Little Women is hugely charming and well worth watching. I will always love the 1994 Little Women, but I highly recommend watching this one too. I was surprised at how much both my son and I enjoyed it. Plus, now we get to exclaim, “Christopher Columbus” at each other randomly for the rest of our lives. Make sure you watch this with a friend so that you can do the same.
Runtime: 117 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: Not Rated (but I would say PG, if not G)
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
I have always loved the 1994 version of Little Women. Winona Ryder has always been my Jo and Christian Bale is the perfect Laurie. I apologize to anyone who loves the Little Women that was released in 2019, but that is not my film. From the first moments, the vibe felt wrong to me and, other than Florence Pugh’s Amy, I had a very hard time watching it. So, back to my original version I went. After doing a little research, though, I found out that there are a few older versions of the story available too, so I started with the earliest first.
