30 YEARS LATER ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ IS STILL A CLASSIC: THE MANY ADAPTATIONS OF THE FAVORITE

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Thinking about Louisa May Alcott as a storyteller probably makes all of us remember one particular story. Classic literature is kind to her universally loved Little Women, a story of hers that also has the greater impression than anything else bearing her name. As I sit down to write this and consider the intricacies of the story (solely based on film production), we all do love some aspect of Alcott’s words. Whether it be the fiery Jo March, the angsty romance of Laurie and Amy, or the could-have-been eventual grown-up romance between the man whose heart Jo captures, we all have that something we root on. All this to say, thirty years after one version, let’s take a closer look at the many adaptations of Little Women.

FILM REVIEW | REASONS I DO AND DON’T LIKE ‘THE PHANTOM OF OPERA’: TWENTY YEARS LATER

Though I’m sure we all do, on the off chance you don’t know what the story is, Little Women follows four very different sisters in the Civil War era. The March family has little wealth and knows their share of sadness. Eldest daughter Meg is a romantic who loves pretty things; then follows the fiercely independent Josephine aka Jo whose fanciful imagination leads her to be a determined writer; Beth has her own talent, but unlike her sister’s she’s happiest as she is; and youngest Amy has a defiant streak that gets her into trouble. The plot follows these four ‘little women’ as they become women of strength.

30 YEARS LATER ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ IS STILL A CLASSIC: THE MANY ADAPTATIONS OF THE FAVORITE. What version is your favorite? #LittleWomen #PeriodDrama #FavoriteMovies Share on X

I’m not sure how many adaptations there are of this in total but for the purposes of today’s publication, we’re looking at five, four of which are feature films, and the fifth is a PBS TV adaptation. We’re also looking back on these adaptations in honor of the 1994 version which celebrates THIRTY years of being a favorite in 2024!

Let’s get to looking at the differing faces of this adaptation.

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30 YEARS LATER ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ is STILL a CLASSIC: the MANY ADAPTATIONS OF THE FAVORITE

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1: LITTLE WOMEN (1933)

For some reason, my mind seems to think that this is the more famous of the two older titles we feature. The cast list (Katharine Hepburn) suggests this; plus it does have an Academy Award! That said, I think I only ever saw this one once. Hepburn plays such a “brash” Jo, and I just cannot get behind this, plus if you’re a fan of Bhaer, he’s barely in this. There has to be something I love about movies from the 30s for me to really consider it something good, and this one fails. Also fun movie fact, this is actually the third adaptation of this story (at the time) and was the ninth most popular film in its release year.

Find available to digitally rent or purchase on places like Prime Video

2: LITTLE WOMEN (1949)

Though the immediate predecessor adaptation boasts the star power of Hepburn, this film is making me re-think my earlier statement. This one includes June Allyson (who again, “feels” too harsh), Margaret O’Brien, Janet Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor. Needless to say, this has more familiar faces, and also has an award for best costume. Since Margaret O’Brien was so young, the script re-writes ages, and places Beth as the youngest rather than Amy. Despite this, this movie is essentially a kind of copy and repeat script version of the 1933 adaptation.

Find available to digitally rent or purchase on places like Prime Video; stream, at publication, with MGM+

3: LITTLE WOMEN (1994)

This is, easily, a personal favorite. I adore this adaptation for nostalgia’s sake. Is it the most faithful? Perhaps not, but this one gets me each time. I like the cast and appreciate the balance Ryder gives Jo; she’s fierce, but as is befitting of the time frame she lives in, she’s not “over the top” as Josephine March. Just writing about this one makes me sad I didn’t sneak in a re-watch prior to creating this, but perhaps I will now. There’s just something so lovely about this version. One thing the many adaptations do seem to share in common is the now iconic moment of the girls gathered about as Marmee reads a letter. This one does it well. In a brief summary, I just like everything about this period drama.

This one also celebrated its thirtieth anniversary earlier this year, and so we wanted to dust off this adaptations list to, in part, celebrate it!

Find available to digitally rent or purchase on places like Prime Video; stream, at publication, with Pluto TV

“Sometimes we simply have to do the bravest thing.”

– Little Women

4: LITTLE WOMEN (2018)

When I was first reading about the production of this Masterpiece PBS adaptation, the excitement was real and I had great hopes for more from this given it’s a miniseries. Alas, it doesn’t meet these high hopes. There’s no additional Bhaer, no additional Jo/Laurie, and really, all around, it doesn’t feel “fuller” than its immediate predecessor (1994). With that said, I still enjoy this version because it IS Little Women, and there’s just something timeless about the story.

Find available to digitally rent or purchase on places like Prime Video; stream, at publication, with BritBox, Peacock, Prime Video, Roku and more!

30 YEARS LATER ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ IS STILL A CLASSIC: THE MANY ADAPTATIONS OF THE FAVORITE. What version is your favorite? #LittleWomen #PeriodDrama #FavoriteMovies Share on X

5: LITTLE WOMEN (2019)

The most recent of the big-screen adaptation, this is highly praised. While I admire the production (it’s Greta Gerwig’s pre-Barbie project), I just cannot fully get behind this one. This said, I also have a weird respect for the film and understand that people believe it to be the truest to Alcott’s vision. While this may be accurate, I also think she had more in mind to the story than this. This script, because of how it’s filmed, kind of makes fun of some of the prettiest, best loved moments in this story, and for me, that’s just a no-win situation. That said, as I say, I do admire much about the film, and have even watched it twice. It just doesn’t rise to the expectation I wanted it to. Perhaps subsequent viewings will help this to grow on me!

Find available to digitally rent or purchase on places like Prime Video; stream, at publication, with Hulu

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There are other adaptations of Little Women including a televised 1958 version, a 1970 miniseries, and a 1978 adaptation with Meredith Baxter (Meg) and William Shatner (Bhaer), but I’ve never seen any of them. I did look them up to try and watch some or see what they were like only I discovered none of them are widely available to watch. Plus, Lea Thompson leads the cast in a 2018 adaptation set in modern times; and there is also the contemporary version from Lifetime called The March Sisters at Christmas.

Photos: Alamy Stock Photo (RKO Radio Pictures / Columbia Pictures x 2 / BBC)

Note: this post was first published December 2020; as the 1994 adaptation of Little Women celebrates its thirtieth anniversary in 2024, we have repurposed this post and republished it with some updates and rewriting.

Which of these have you seen? Do you have a favorite? How would you rank them? Who do you like best in the roles of these famous siblings? Comment all of your thoughts below!

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